Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Christine

Tagged: Film.

US movie (1983). Columbia/Polar Film. Produced by Larry Franco, Richard Kobritz. Executive producers: Kirby McCauley, Mark Tarlov. Directed by John Carpenter. Special effects: sv Roy Arbogast. Screenplay by Bill Phillips. Based on Christine (1983) by Stephen King. Starring: Roberts Blossom (LeBay), Keith Gordon (Arnie), William Ostrander (Buddy), Alexandra Paul (Leigh), Robert Prosky (Darnell), Harry Dean Stanton (Junkins), John Stockwell (Dennis). 110 mins. Colour.

Christine is a Car possessed (see Possession) by an evil Spirit, and since manufacture in 1957 has been causing misery and death. In 1978 highschool wimp Arnie – bullied, like the eponymous Carrie, by peer group and mother – falls in love with the hulk and rebuilds it. Her attainment of new splendour is matched by his own: he becomes the boy all the girls want to date (although he is not pleasant: he too is possessed). One girl, Leigh, is almost killed by a jealous Christine. A gang led by bully Buddy trash the car, but it swiftly repairs itself and kills them. At last Leigh and nice boy Dennis succeed in destroying Christine in a crusher, although Arnie is killed too. Christine is an interesting Technofantasy about the double possession; also, as is made explicit in Dennis's final confrontation with the Monster, it is about a Hero battling a Dragon for the hand of a fair princess. [JG]