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HorrorBid's 31 Days of Horror: Christine

We here at HorrorBid will be recommending one specific treasure for everyday of the month. The ultimate goal is mple; encourage the masses to seek out stellar films that fit the seasonal mold. While I’m certain plenty of our faithful readers will find some of these films predictable, or at the least familiar, we still feel as though a friendly reminder can go a long way towards renewed enjoyment.



On deck for October 25th, is a kick-ass collaboration between two of horror’s finest minds, Christine. Stephen King brought forth the novel (which is absolutely amazing, and captures the essence of youth like few genre novels have), and John Carpenter turned the story into a deeply unsettling piece of cinema that still earns tons of TV time and boasts a loyal following that only seems to grow as the years pass by.

The gist: Arnie Cunningham buys a rundown ’58 Plymouth Fury. He’s got little info in terms of the car’s history, but he falls in love with this hunk of metal the first time he sees it; it’s no accident. “Christine” as the car is known is something between haunted and pure evil, and the more time Arnie spends restoring her, the more possessed he becomes.

I’m not sure if it’s all the seasonal network time, but Christine feels damn near synonymous with Halloween. Perfect atmosphere anchor this gem, which is fully furnished with stellar performances (Keith Gordon offers forth a haunting depiction of Arnie, John Stockwell is an ideally vulernable hero and Roberts Blossom is just plain creepy as George LeBay, the grumpy old bastard happy to be rid of Christine for next to nothing), sadistic teens and an even more sadistic automobile that, as a clasc car fanatic, makes the saliva drip.

There’s nothing realistic about a haunted car that overtakes the personality of its owner, but somehow between both King and Carpenter, Christine feels like a melancholy examination of youth at its toughest point. Nary a beat is missed here, and Christine’s longevity is proof of that. While most are eager to label Halloween as Carpenter’s career high, a strong case could ealy be made for this clasc right here.

Note: As Halloween draws ever closer, I'll be breaking out a few more of your "conventional" picks

http://youtu.be/aJ5M11m9vI0
Matt_Molgaard Wednesday 10/26/2011 at 01:33 AM | 85847
Well said. Much overlooked clasc. watched this again recently and damn entertaining.
Deadman36 Wednesday 10/26/2011 at 02:34 PM | 85866