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Christine (1983)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 23
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 8

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 3

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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 61,614

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Movie Info

Director John Carpenter returns to the suburban landscape he explored so chillingly in Halloween (1978) with this lean, stripped-down adaptation of the Stephen King best-seller about a haunted car with a devilishly bad attitude and the teen underdog who falls head-over-heels for her chrome-accented charms. Shortly after geeky, horn-rim-sporting Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) narrowly escapes a beating at the hands of shop-class bully Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) on the first day of his

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Horror

Directed By: John Carpenter

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1983 Wide

On DVD: Sep 28, 2004

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Christine Trailer & Photos

Cast

Keith Gordon
Arnie Cunningham
John Stockwell
Dennis Guilder
Alexandra Paul
Leigh Cabot
Robert Prosky
Will Darnell
Harry Dean Stanton
Rudolph Junkins
Christine Belford
Regina Cunningham
Roberts Blossom
George LeBay
William Ostrander
Buddy
David Spielberg
Mr. Casey
Malcom Danare
Moochie
Steven Tash
Rich
Stuart Charno
Vandenberg
Kelly Preston
Roseanne
Marc Poppel
Chuck
Richard Collier
Pepper Boyd
Bruce French
Mr. Smith
Douglas Warhit
Bemis
Jan Burrell
Librarian
Robert Darnell
Michael Cunningham
Karen Rea

Critic Reviews for Christine

All Critics (23) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (9) | DVD (20)

This deja vu premise [from the novel by Stephen King] combined with the crazed vehicle format, makes Christine appear pretty shop-worn.

September 24, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Carpenter's thematic self-consciousness can't entirely overcome a shaky dramatic structure that sacrifices character logic to increasingly meaningless thrills.

September 24, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment (1)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

This is the kind of movie where you walk out with a silly grin, get in your car, and lay rubber halfway down the Eisenhower.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Only a moderately engrossing film.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

Proves Carpenter's mastery of both mood and the widescreen frame.

April 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comment

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Slickly made dumb horror flick about a diabolical car and a nerd transformed into a lady killer.

January 8, 2011 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment (1)

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Fifties fetishism here is not nostalgia but critique, the cultural residue that deforms consciousness

November 16, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Tight editing and some decent scares make this one of the better King adaptations.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Boils down to another average adaptation of one of the increasingly weak Stephen King novels that hit Hollywood like a bad rash in 1983.

September 24, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Off the page, a 1958 Plymouth is no more scary than the St Bernard which romped through Cujo.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment (1)

Time Out

Very of-its-time horror.

November 3, 2005 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Tense and faithful adaptation of the Stephen King classic.

July 22, 2004 Comment

Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Christine

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A minor work by Carpenter but still thoroughly entertaining. Great character acting by Robert Prosky and Roberts Blossom as well.

November 2, 2011

Graham Jones

Super Reviewer

I usually don't tend to find possessed vehicle movies particularly frightening but there was something really menacing and chilling about "Christine" - the devilish Plymouth Fury that seduces a 17 year-old college boy into fixing her up to her former glory to get up to more murderous mischief. It's pretty tame violence

March 28, 2011

Lee ?

Super Reviewer

Christine Quotes

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1. Leigh Cabot: God, I hate rock and roll.
– Submitted by Creep F (12 months ago)
1. Buddy: Let's give this a**hole some of his own medicine.
– Submitted by Creep F (12 months ago)
1. Arnie Cunningham: Oh man, there is nothing finer than being behind the wheel of your own car! Except 'maybe' for pussy!
– Submitted by Creep F (12 months ago)
1. Buddy: (to Arnie) I'll fix you, you're gonna wish you were never fu**ing born!
– Submitted by Creep F (12 months ago)
1. Arnie Cunningham: (about Christine) Whoa, whoa. You better watch what you say about my car. She's real sensitive.
– Submitted by Creep F (12 months ago)