Stephen King taught us some important lessons while ascending to his rightful place as America’s most prolific author of horror and supernatural fiction. For instance: don’t dump pig’s blood on Carrie, never stay at The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, and for goodness sake, tread lightly when dealing with a 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine.
King takes the classic tale of boy-meets-girl to frightening heights when a geeky teenager named Arnie falls for a red Plymouth Fury with a sketchy past. Christine falls hard for Arnie, too, which would be roses and balloon drops if it weren’t for one tiny detail: the car is a killing machine with a long memory and a short fuse. Moral of the story: Never underestimate the fury of a Fury, particularly one that just…won’t…die.
So jump in the Plymouth Fury, put out your cigar and try not to choke on your hamburger as Tim Williams and Guest Co-Host, Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast discuss “Christine” from 1983 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast.
Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover on this episode:
Stephen King and director George Romero worked together on several projects early in King's career, including adaptations of "Salem's Lot" and "The Stand." They also collaborated on the 1982 film "Creepshow." During that time, Romero married actress and producer Christine Forrest. Although they divorced in 2010, Romero cast Forrest in several of his films. As a tribute to their friendship, King named the evil 1958 Plymouth Fury in his novel "Christine" after her.
After reading over the book, actor Keith Gordon and the costume designer came up with a visual way to show Arnie being possessed by Christine. As the movie progresses, Arnie begins to wear clothes that reflect the era of Christine's make. At various points, especially when Arnie is yelling at Leigh on the phone, Arnie is seen wearing button up shirts open with black t-shirts, black pants, and boots like a 1950's "greaser." When he's talking to Junkins, he's wearing a leather vest over a button up shirt (a nod to western TV shows which were popular in the 50's), and he even starts to wear a red suede jacket like James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause".
Sources:
Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo
https://www.hagerty.com/media/entertainment/fear-on-wheels-christine/
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