Let me make this clear right away: I haven't read the book, nor do I intend to. You won't find any comparisons between the book and the film in this review. This film combines two of the biggest names in horror from two different medias; Stephen King is pretty much legendary for his written horror work. John Carpenter is also a pretty well-known name, but as a horror director rather than writer. Having not read the book, I have no idea how true Carpenter stayed to the source material, but I can understand from various sources that he changed a lot, and the changes were very big, so fans of the book might not like the movie. Whenever I hear about a film being made that is based on a King novel my response is usually that of someone who lacks any interest in it whatsoever. When I hear that it's directed by John Carpenter, one of my favorite directors, particularly within the horror genre, I develop an interest. Carpenter does a great job of turning something as potentially lame and goofy as a possessed car into something that you really fear. I was at the edge of my seat for a lot of the scenes, and I jumped at several shocking moments. The story revolves around a nerd buying a car, and the car significantly changing his personality. He changes enormously throughout the film, and I must say, the actor does a great job of capturing the emotion of the character. The plot is great, it doesn't move along very fast, but rather deliberately slow, building up atmosphere, building to a climax that is every bit as exciting as the build-up promises. The acting is great, especially by Keith Gordon, who portrays the nerd-like Arnie, who buys the demonic car. The film has pretty much the same sense of humor that Carpenter's films usually have, albeit slightly less of it is present than in several of his others, less serious films. The special effects are very good, they are almost impossible to tell. Had I not known better, I could have sworn that they were real. They probably could be more well-made had they been done today, but I still think it's amazing how real they look. They don't look the least bit dated. All in all, a good Carpenter film that probably won't be to everyones liking. I recommend it to fans of Carpenter, and fans of atmospheric horror films in general. 7/10
Review of Christine
