Wednesday Movie Night: Christine (1983)

John Carpenter had already proven himself to be a future classic at horror with the likes of Halloween, so while Christine didn't live up for some in that regards it is still a strong showing for a horror movie. Without getting too lame in the fact you're dealing with a machine coming to life, Carpenter knows how to legitimately make the concept seem scary. It's one of my favorites to rewatch, particularly around the season of Halloween.

Arnie is a nerdy guy who is sort of tossed to the side by the in crowd even though his friend is one of them, Dennis. Arnie comes across a car and instantly wants it. He even begins calling it Christine. Not long after the car begins changing him, and even gives him enough confidence for a girlfriend, Leigh. Soon his friends and family become concerned when his behavior becomes aggressive, and everyone is feeling shut out by his love of Christine. There are also some mysterious deaths happenings that are unexplainable.


Christine is a quiet movie that sort of just builds off that silent intensity. It never gets over the top, or has this big moment, so it leaves it with plenty of terrifying scenes. Perhaps with the most scary one being when the car is set afire and is chasing a guy down the road in a blaze. It requires no special effects. Just the simplicity of giving the car a terrifying atmosphere to grow it's eerie personality in. There is also rarely any gore, and most of it is the implied terror of what is happening.

Also, the cast is well casted. Keith Gordon isn't any actor I could reference off the top of my head, but he is great as Arnie. He can switch from nerdy to cool, and just seems freaky once the car begins taking him over. Dennis and Leigh fit the bill as the pretty popular people who would be kind to a guy who isn't so much as gifted in the coolness as them. You can sense they care about him.

There is also this background music throughout that is dated to the times, but so eerie. Overall, horror movies from the 70s and 80s seem so much better than modern ones, and the music plays a part. You also couldn't rely as much on special effects. So with the car it's doing all these things that a car is capable of without it looking lame. For example when it chokes a guy who chooses to sit in the front seat while the owner is away.

Christine isn't going to keep you awake at night with scares, but it is intriguing and sort of a fun horror movie to watch. Carpenter also knows how to make horror without it being over the top. He finds scariness more so in the quietness of what is happening than with screams, and uses the right background music to help it along. While Stephen King fans may not like the story departures it is still a decent adaptation.

Rating 8 of 10