Christine [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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 senior year, he soon falls prey to a far more duplicitous villain in the form of a rusted-out 1958 Plymouth Fury nicknamed "Christine" by its crusty owner George LeBay (Roberts Blossom) -- who sells wide-eyed Arnie the old hulk despite the protests of best friend Dennis (John Stockwell) and the admonition of his domineering parents. As Arnie sets to the task of restoring Christine, his hobby grows into an obsession -- and the real power that hums beneath her hood begins to emerge, seemingly granting newfound coolness and sex appeal to the once-nerdy outcast, while simultaneously drawing away his very soul. A vengeful spirit, Christine lashes out violently at those who dare to stand between her and Arnie -- starting with Repperton and his gang, who completely trash the car, but are soon hunted down one by one and pulverized beneath the whitewalls of the miraculously-restored Fury. When Arnie's pretty, popular girlfriend Leigh (Alexandra Paul) begins to suspect she may soon be on the receiving end of automotive vengeance, she calls on Dennis for help... but a frightening midnight ride in Christine convinces Dennis that Arnie's only hope lies in destroying the demonic vehicle. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Fre/Spa/Por/Th
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Commentary with John Carpenter and star Keith Gordon
  • Filmographies
  • 20 deleted and alternate scenes
  • Three exclusive new featurettes
  • Previews

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• 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
       Bruce French - Mr. Smith

• Director:

  John Carpenter

• Producer:

  Richard Kobritz

• Screenwriter:

  John Carpenter, Stephen King

• Book Author:

  Stephen King

• Screenwriter:

  Bill Phillips

• Cinematographer:

  Donald M. Morgan

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Carpenter, Alan Howarth

• Editor:

  Marion Rothman

• Production Designer:

  John Loggia, Daniel Lomino, Robert Doudell

• Art Director:

  William Joseph Durrell, Jr.

• Co-producer:

  Larry Franco

• Associate Producer:

  Barry Bernardi

• Executive Producer:

  Mark Tarlov

• Set Designer:

  Cloudia, William Joseph Durrell, Jr.

• Costume Designer:

  Darryl Levine

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Steve Maslow

• Special Effects:

  Roy Arbogast

• First Assistant Director:

  Larry Franco

• Stunts:

  Ted Duncan, John Meier, John-Clay Scott, Dean Smith, Jim Wilkey, Walter Wyatt, Tom Elliott, Norman Howell, Mike McGaughy, Conrad Palmisano, Kerry Rossall, Ben R. Scott, Donna Evans

• Production Manager:

  Robert Doudell

• Casting:

  Karen Rea

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Roy Arbogast

REVIEW:

• An agreeable (if not entirely frightening) adaptation of Stephen King's novel about an evil car, Christine has some nicely atmospheric sequences which somewhat compensate for its lack of horrific impact. The auto of the title, a cherry-red 1958 Plymouth Fury, takes on a personality of its own as a homicidally jealous female who is willing to kill to preserve the affections of its owner, a put-upon teenage nerd (Keith Gordon). The young cast is appealing enough, and director John Carpenter manages a few creepy scenes, but the story bogs down into yet another trite nerds & bullies drama whenever Christine is offscreen. It's still fun, but will probably appeal to casual viewers more than serious horror fans. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi