10 Horror Movie Monsters Who Make You EAT Your Words
2. Christine -- Christine (1983)
Even back in the eighties, Stephen King’s stories were big news, and were getting adapted left, right and centre for screens big and small. But that didn’t mean he was infallible, and neither does it mean that we should take any of his creations – old or new – at face value.
Enter John Carpenter's King-penned feature Christine, a horror film with an unusual monster at its centre: a car. The titular Christine is a red Plymouth Fury, shapely, shiny and the pride and joy of classic high school loser Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon). Arnie finds an escape in Christine, and in return the sentient car begins to warp his mind, changing his personality and driving him (yes, a pun!) to kill, despite the fact she’s perfectly capable of running people down with nobody behind her wheel.
It’s a bonkers villain, it’s a bonkers premise, and you would be forgiven for turning your nose up at the whole affair, if only it weren’t so darned good. King’s writing is to the point, and Carpenter knows how to build tension and bloodlust, and together these elements give us a thrill that no amount of Lightning McQueen could ever deliver. Thankfully, Christine is mute, her motives a mystery, and we are left to just enjoy the twisted carnage for what it is.