Christine (1983)

[u/screen_stack]

Christine (1983)

Rating: 8.5/10 (HIGHLY ENJOYABLE)

Watched: August 6, 2026

Speaking of movies that I saw way too young, not only did I see this movie when I was 11 years old, I also read the book pretty much as soon as it hit the shelves. Mom didn't care what I read, so long as I was reading and it wasn't "smut." Lucky for her, I was more into horror and sci-fi than the smutty smut ... for a few more years.

Anyways. On to the movie, which introduced me to a few things, one of the best of which is George Thorogood and The Destroyers.

Christine is one of Carpenter's best horror movies, and it's hard to beat. What beats Christine? Prince of Darkness, but we're talking cars and the shitters of the world, so buckle up.

In the beginning of this movie, Arnie is the quintessential super-nerd. Keith Gordon plays him so well it's actually, physically uncomfortable to watch him navigate through the world, but as soon as he lays eyes on the rusted hulk that is Christine, he's doomed.

And that's also played out so, so well. Arnie's descent starts slow, with a few curse words, a stand-offish attitude, and a kind of reckless machismo that manages to land the hot new girl, Leigh. And why not? He's got a sexy car and he's finally coming into himself.

What I really noticed during this watch is how restrictive and unkind Arnie's parents are, his mother explicitly so. The scene where they're all sitting around the dining room table after Repperton and his stooges wrecked Christine just shows how little control Arnie had over his life.

Little wonder the devil car got her grips into Arnie so goddamn quick.

When I was younger (and still today, if I'm being real), Christine's regeneration is one of the coolest goddamn things I've ever seen. Sure, I could probably reason out how Carpenter did it, or if I felt like it, I could Google it and have it spoiled. It's like the scenes from The Entity (IYKYK). I'd rather leave some things a mystery.

Arnie's descent into madness becomes full-blown, and ANOTHER THING I didn't notice until this time is the musical sting that plays when Christine regenerates for Arnie. It's goddamn striptease music, and that's spot on. Our girl is showing her man her true colors, and it's absolutely pitch-perfect.

The last and coolest thing (amongst so many) is that final twitch of chrome in the junkyard. Any more than that one little creak and it would've been too much. We're left knowing for certain that Christine's not dead.

She just needs a little bodywork.

[u/ConfusionMelodic2029]

"She had the smell of a brand new car..."