SHOCK’s Jessie Robbins selects a sanguinary flick for a Saturday night.
Im not really a car girl. My dad worked for GM when I was growing up and so I had an appreciation for cars, especially pretty cars from the 50s and 60s, but I was much more into ghost stories and cute boys to really make a hobby out of it. My knowledge of cars comes from the famous ones I saw in movies and television. My favourites being a 67 Chevy Impala (hello Winchester brothers), the Oldsmobile Delta 88 (thanks to my future husband Sam Raimi), and last but certainly not least, the most beautiful creature of them all, the ’58 Plymouth Fury.
I first watched CHRISTINE when I was about 13-years-old, I dont think I had read a Stephen King book yet but was still intrigued. What was so scary about them that I wasnt allowed to read them yet? (It wasnt until later that I found out that it was most likely the sex and naughty language ) My mom, ever the negotiator came up with a few loopholes around the Stephen King thing, reading me The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon when I was eight-years-old, and letting me watch a few of his movie adaptations, namely SILVER BULLET, STORM OF THE CENTURY, and CHRISTINE, which Im sure was edited for TV because I dont recall hearing the C-word until I was at least sixteen.
CHRISTINE stars Keith Gordon as Arnie Cunningham, a nerdy teenage boy who finds love and acceptance in a run down Plymouth Fury. After building her back up to her original glory, the car starts to have a negative effect on Arnie, he starts to neglect his friends and girlfriend to spend more time with her, polish her up, make out with her, I dont know. But Christine has a sinister back story, a car, very much like a hotel in another of Kings works, that is just inexplicably evil. A sentient car who doesnt like it when things dont go her way.
The soundtrack for this film alone is reason enough to watch, Christine, obviously reliving her glory days, is always playing 50s rock and roll tunes, songs carefully selected by her somehow to mock speaking to the people around her. The cheery music stands as a juxtaposition to the horror inflicted by the murderous car.
More than anything, this film gave me a misguided representation of how old people will look in high school. The bully, Buddy Repperton (played by William Ostrander), looked to be about thirty-five with large sideburns and a grown mans hairy arms. What is it about movies from the 80s with knife wielding bullies? More accurately, what is it with Stephen King bullies wielding switchblades? Repperton, Ace Merrill from STAND BY ME, Henry Bowers from IT The 60s and 70s were rough But damn do I want to live in them. Also dont bring a switchblade to a car fight.
CHRISTINE is one of those films that has you kind of rooting for the villain. While shes arguably not so good for Arnie in the long run, she does get rid of some pretty awful and annoying people in the process, so You win some, you lose some. Her jealous girlfriend attitude gives her more of a FATAL ATTRACTION vibe however, so after the initial killings end, and Christine sets her sights on the more innocent of people in Arnies life, she becomes a little less sympathetic.
All in all, CHRISTINE, with its romantic undertones and theme of love and infatuation, makes a pretty good date movie! So go to the drive in, get real close to your sweetie, make sure one of you knows the Heimlich maneuver, and enjoy a little misguided 50s nostalgia.
Stay scared babies.
