By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I’ve always liked freak/geek revenge films. It’s a strange sub-genre that includes movies like SLAUGHTER HIGH (1986) TRICK OR TREAT (1986), SHOCK-EM DEAD (1991) and CARRIE (1976). John Carpenter’s CHRISTINE (1983) is my favorite of the bunch.
Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) is a nerdy high-school student that can’t catch a break. He is terrorized relentlessly. When he tries to make small talk at the lockers, he’s ridiculed. In auto shop a group of bullies surround him when the teacher is away. The lead douche, Buddy (William Ostrander) taunts him, breaks his glasses, destroys his lunch and eventually pulls a knife on him.
Thankfully, Arnie’s best friend Dennis (John Stockwell) shows up in time to slightly even out the odds Eventually, the teacher Mr. Casey (David Spielberg) comes in and is a total badass. I would have loved a movie about his character. He’s a short, balding guy, who looks like a young Christopher Plummer. He’s unassuming, but he just doesn’t give a fuck. Honestly, if bad-boy Buddy and Casey ever were in a one-on-one bout, I think the teach would scrap his way to victory.
After school, Dennis drives Arnie home as they drive by a beat up 1950’s Plymouth Fury named Christine. Though, Dennis tries to talk him out of buying it, Arnie pays cash and takes it. When the duo get back to Arnie’s house, his parents are livid. Arnie’s mom Regina (Christine Belford) goes off the wall and it is in this scene that we learn how much shit this poor teen has to go with.
For once, Arnie doesn’t back down. He tells his parents that he took the college courses that they requested, he skipped band like they asked and he’s done what he could to shield them from embarrassment. They are unmoved and Regina is a bitch. She demands the car be remove from her yard, and Arnie obliges. He stores it a repair shop for both lodging and as a place to restore it.
Dennis is a solid friend and one of only two people who always have his back. The second is his love interest Leigh (Alexandra Paul), who Dennis was first interested in. Leigh falls for Arnie and tries to stand by his side. Sadly, the task of standing by Arnie grows impossible as he becomes obsessed with Christine. Leigh senses something is wrong with the car and in the middle of a hot and heavy make-out session, freaks out and insults the car. Moments later, she’s alone in Christine while Arnie fixes a windshield wiper. Eating a sandwich, she nearly chokes to death as music and lights go on without reason. Arnie’s tries to help, but the door is locked and won’t open. Thankfully a stranger comes by and gets to her in time to do the Heimlich maneuver. Afterwards, She refuses to ever step into the demon car again.
When Christine is totaled by assholes from school, Arnie falls into madness. His parents, who started the film as complete jerks, are now sympathetic victims as Arnie emotionally and even physically abuses them. He does worse to Leigh, who only offered sympathetic words.
It becomes clear now that Christine has a mind of her own and is as obsessed with Arnie as he is with her. She repairs herself in front of him and instead of being petrified, he’s marveled by it. She begins killing for him and he’s not at all put off by it. All of the bullies, any perceived bullies and even those she is jealous of becomes a target.
I am so happy that John Carpenter chose to direct this. It is one of the rare occasions when the film adaptation better than the book and the book is one of Stephen King’s best.
The tone never gets too dark or sinister. This is more of a flashy popcorn movie gifted with a great cast, crew, plot and characters. It’s effective, fun and tame enough for those who don’t venture into horror that often.
Keith Gordon does magnificent in the lead. He shows the transformation from a guy desperate to fit in to someone who doesn’t want to. The evolution into evil makes for a captivating and twisted watch.
Alexandra Paul also delivered a fantastic performance. She expertly showed both the sensitivity and strength of Leigh. This was necessary to convey the mental gymnastics she went thru in her balance to protect herself and save Arnie. She used her time on screen to grab onto the viewer’s compassion and sympathy by emoting those qualities so well. She did so marvelously.
Similarly, John Stockwell worked the audience into feeling both for him and for Arnie. In a pivotal scene, Arnie is being a complete jerk to Dennis who is in the hospital. At that point, Arnie has lost quite a bit of fanfare that he had earned in the first act. His attitude and descent into crazy town makes it nearly impossible to root for him. When he starts getting violent and vitriolic with his loved ones, it’s easy to jump aboard the Arnie-hate train. It is only because Leigh and Dennis that we don’t completely write him off, which is pretty important since he is the main character. It is Stockwell’s devastated response to Arnie’s callous indifference that ensures the viewer remembers the good that was in Arnie before CHRISTINE came into his life.
All around kudos to all involved for making a great and memorable flick that stands the test of time.
On a side note, I saw this at a very young age. I was like 7 years old and remember thinking, “I wish Leigh, Arnie and Christine could just end up happy together.” I expected a fairy-tale ending for the nutjob who fell in love with a possessed car, a girl who was almost killed by the car and the killer car. I was a weird kid, but the good news is that I’m a weirder adult.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
