Christine *** (1983, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton, Christine Belford, Roberts Blossom, Kelly Preston) – Classic Movie Review 4566

Stephen King’s ‘Herbie Goes Homicidal’ story about a 1957 red Plymouth Fury car called Christine revs onto the screen in 1983 in the more than capable hands of director John Carpenter.

Now, 21 years after it is built, wimpy Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) sees the wrecked car for sale in a garden and he brings it to Will Darnell (Robert Prosky)’s repair shop and restores the classic car. That transforms Arnie into a cool street kid, while the supernatural Christine wreaks havoc and death on anyone who gets in its way.

It also stars John Stockwell as Arnie’s best and only friend Dennis Guilder, Alexandra Paul as Leigh Cabot, the most beautiful girl in high school whom Arnie dates, Harry Dean Stanton as Detective Rudolph Junkins, Christine Belford, Roberts Blossom and Kelly Preston.

The film succeeds both as a nostalgic look at Fifties culture – the music, the clothes, the style – and a smoothly scary horror yarn.

However, it never chills the blood, partly because a faceless demonically driven car can never be as scary as a faceless demonically driven knife-wielding killer as in Carpenter’s Halloween. Having said that, Duel is creepy, even pretty scary.

But the black humour, cinematographer Donald M Morgan’s flowing Panavision camerawork and the high quality performances of the top cast keep it cruising along likeably. Also there is a good screenplay by Bill Phillips and a thrilling score by Carpenter.

It is a companion piece to the same year’s Cujo (1983).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4566

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