Christine
Movie, 1983, The '70s and '80s, Set in A 1958 Plymouth Fury
Christine is #5 of 42 in release order and #4 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
Nerdy high schooler Arnie Cunningham falls for Christine, a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury, and becomes obsessed with restoring the classic automobile to her former glory. As the car changes, so does Arnie, whose newfound confidence turns to arrogance behind the wheel of his exotic beauty. Arnie's girlfriend Leigh and best friend Dennis reach out to him, only to be met by a Fury like no other.
Christine recap
Christine (1983) follows Arnie Cunningham, a bullied teenage nerd who buys a rusted 1958 Plymouth Fury that seems to have a will of its own. John Carpenter directs Keith Gordon as Arnie and John Stockwell as his best friend Dennis Guilder. Arnie restores the car at Will Darnell's (Robert Prosky) garage, and as Christine comes back to life, so does Arnie's confidence: he wins Leigh Cabot (Alexandra Paul) and becomes cold, arrogant and obsessed with the car. When school bully Buddy Repperton and his gang smash Christine up, the car repairs itself and hunts them down one by one, running Buddy down on a burning highway. Detective Rudy Junkins (Harry Dean Stanton) suspects Arnie but cannot prove anything. Leigh nearly chokes to death inside the car, and Christine kills Darnell. Dennis and Leigh realise Arnie is lost to the car.
Christine ending explained
Christine ends with the car crushed into a cube. Dennis and Leigh lure Christine into Darnell's garage and Dennis rams it with a bulldozer. Arnie is thrown through the windshield and killed by a shard of glass. They flatten Christine, which keeps trying to rebuild itself, and it is sent to a scrapyard. In the final shot, as Leigh looks on, part of the crushed grille twitches.
Post-credits scenes
No. Christine has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Christine
Christine is streaming on Philo and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 69%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Creepshow, before The Dead Zone.
- Chronological order: after Creepshow, before Children of the Corn.
What to watch before Christine
In release order, the essentials before Christine (1983) are Carrie (1976), Salem's Lot (1979), and Creepshow (1982).
Cast
- Keith Gordon as Arnie Cunningham
- John Stockwell as Dennis Guilder
- Alexandra Paul as Leigh Cabot
- Robert Prosky as Will Darnell
- Harry Dean Stanton as Rudolph Junkins
- Christine Belford as Regina Cunningham
- Roberts Blossom as George LeBay
- William Ostrander as Buddy Repperton
- David Spielberg as Mr. Casey
- Malcolm Danare as Moochie Welch
- Steven Tash as Richard Trelawney
- Stuart Charno as Don Vandenberg
Directed by John Carpenter.