Christine (1983), John Carpenter
3.5/5
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name this 80s horror flick is a lot of fun. If someone had told me that the "monster" of this horror film was a car, I would have thought it was ridiculous. And as a premise it is ridiculous. That is why it's a testament to John Carpenter as a film maker that it is more than just a cheesy horror flick. As always his cinematic pacing is great, developing characters and story for much of the film. Keith Gordon as "Arnie" gives such a strong performance along with the other actors that the characters are very convincing. This is coupled effectively with a much longer build up than the post-modern horror, that starts the scares within the first 5-10 minutes. Instead this film also works as a teen drama with many elements especially early in the film. When things start to get silly and strange it is John Carpenter and Alan Howarth's eery droning score that keeps up the tension, along with the convincing performances although at times there are some definite cheesy lines, but I mean come on it's the 80s. People who will love this film will be those who grew up in the 80s and early 90s, fans of 80s films, and cheesy horror movies. Christine comes mid-peak in John Carpenter's successful career in the 80s between the brilliant sci-fi horror The Thing (1982) and before the absurdist brilliance of Big Trouble in Little China (1986). While, Christine is a solid horror film it is no where near as amazing a horror as The Thing or as outrageously cheesy and fun as Big Trouble in Little China, instead middling between these too extremes.
****Contains SPOILERS****
Superficially this film is a silly horror about a "possessed" car that kills people and eventually it's 'owner', but throughout are themes of teenage bullying, obsessive love, paranoid delusion and the parental fears of their children growing up. One of the most creepy lines in the film is where Arnie says "Has it ever occurred to you that part of being a parent is trying to kill your kids?" and Gordon delivers it so seriously and convincingly it is genuinely disturbing. Also the gradual transformation or "take-over" of Arnie from high school geek into this Fonzie style macho jerk is both disturbing and funny. Truly I feel like this film represents the shift during the late 70s and early 80s where the kids of parents who grew up in the 50s with their "rock and roll" music were rejecting their own parents rules, with a new kind of adolescent rebellion. In particular the style and model of the car 'Christine', the clothes Arnie begins to wear, coupled with the rock and roll soundtrack mingled with 80s hits reflects these ideas. The soundtrack includes "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. Furthermore at the end of the film Leigh says "God, I hate rock and roll".
The film could be read as being misogynistic especially reflecting the car as feminine-moster referred to as a "she" and named "Christine" as well as a number of misogynistic remarks made by characters throughout the film. Some of these are so cheesy and hilarious, they can be forgiven. Particular gems are "She smiled at me. I want to have deep meaningful sex with her" as well as "She looks smart, but she's got the body of a slut". Also the use of swearing and in particular the number of times they say "fuck" and also use "cunt" at least once would have made this a quite out-there film at the time of release. The car "fight" scenes are amazing and the night shots which Carpenter excels at are great, in particular the nice shots of the flaming "Christine" chasing down Buddy. There are some notable stars included in the cast and fans of Alien will recognise Harry Dean Stanton playing Detective Rudolph Junkins.
Like a lot of good horror films, Christine's horror and supernatural elements act as metaphors for real world issues. In particular the car sequence where Leigh is trapped and choking could be interpreted as a rape scene. This parallels Arnie's impotence with girls as a geek at the start of the film where Leigh breaks off their kiss in the car and escapes from the car. After Arnie's pursuit of Leigh into the rain, it is upon their return to the car in which Leigh is attacked by Christine. This attack on Leigh can be read as both an attack by "Christine" as a feminine-as-monstrous rival, which is explicitly alluded to in dialogue expressed by Leigh. Including a tongue-in-cheek and sexual innuendo saying "What? You don't you like me slapping your girl" as Leigh slaps the front car seats of Christine. Thus, Leigh's character is punished dually by Arnie's other "lover" Christine as well as symbolically acting an attack by Arnie himself. The film works as a sort of lovers quarrel between the car Christine and Leigh, as well as creating tension with Arnie's best friend Dennis.
Arnie even says:
"Let me tell you a little something about love, Dennis. It has a voracious appetite. It eats everything. Friendship Family. It kills me how much it eats. But I'll tell you something else. You feed it right, and it can be a beautiful thing, and that's what we have."
Dennis believes Arnie is talking about Leigh, but it is revealed that Arnie is talking about Christine instead. This quote basically sums up the plot and themes of the entire film. It is a credit to the writing and performance that these lines don't come off as cheesy and instead as disturbing while Arnie and Christine are driving wildly at night, with Dennis sitting fearfully in the car. That's what makes this film so interesting, it mimics elements from other cheesy 80s teen-movies like The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986) and Sixteen Candles (1984) which focus on teenage dramas and instead Christine uses them and instead turns them into something much darker and sinister. Christine is definitely worth a watch for horror and Carpenter fans alike.
Christine
Arnie, Christine
Arnie, Christine (Left) Fonzie, Happy Days (Right)
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