🚗 Christine by Christine — 2⭐ | When Your Car Has More Personality Than the Plot
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Bullying
Racism & sexism
Substance abuse
Violence & murder
Suicide
Death (including teens)
Toxic relationships / obsession
🤔 Initial Thoughts (a.k.a. “Why is the car the main character??”)
Okay… I need to be honest right out of the gate.
I remember watching Christine the movie as a teenager and thinking:
👉 “Well… that was weird.”
Now that I’ve read the book by Stephen King… I regret to inform you…
It is somehow even weirder. 😅
Like… I tried to get it. I really did.
But at the end of the day:
👉 It’s about a possessed car.
👉 That kills people.
👉 And also… is in a toxic relationship with a teenage boy??
I just… what is the message here?? 😂
📚 Quick Overview
Published: 1983
Genre: Horror / Supernatural
Core Themes: obsession, control, identity, toxic masculinity, and… apparently… car ownership gone VERY wrong
🚨 Spoiler Warning: FULL PLOT AHEAD
I’m not holding back here—this is a full breakdown including the ending.
🧠 Plot Summary (With All the Chaos Included)
We follow Dennis Guilder, who narrates the story of his best friend:
👉 Arnold “Arnie” Cunningham — awkward, bullied, zero confidence.
Everything changes when Arnie sees a broken-down 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine.
And when I say “falls in love”… I mean that literally.
🚗 Enter: The Worst Girlfriend Ever
Christine originally belonged to Roland LeBay, a deeply unpleasant human being (racist, sexist, violent—you name it).
Arnie buys the car for $250 (using his college money… bold choice 🙃).
From that moment:
Arnie becomes more confident
His personality shifts
He starts acting like LeBay
He becomes increasingly obsessed with Christine
🚩🚩🚩 RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE 🚩🚩🚩
🔧 The Glow-Up… But Make It Evil
Christine has some… quirks:
👉 She can repair herself
👉 She seems to have a mind of her own
👉 She absolutely does NOT forgive or forget
After a group of bullies vandalize the car…
💀 Christine hunts them down and kills them one by one.
And Arnie?
Always has a perfect alibi.
Totally normal. Nothing suspicious here. 😬
💔 Love Triangle: Boy, Girl, Murder Car
Enter Leigh Cabot, Arnie’s girlfriend.
She quickly realizes:
👉 Christine is NOT just a car
👉 Christine is jealous
👉 Christine is… basically the third wheel from hell
Leigh nearly dies choking inside the car (!!!), and that’s her cue to exit this situation immediately.
Honestly? Smartest character in the book.
🧠 The Possession Factor
It becomes clear that:
👉 Roland LeBay’s spirit is inside Christine
👉 Arnie is being consumed by that influence
👉 The car is less “haunted object” and more “rolling evil entity”
Dennis, now injured from a football accident, pieces it all together while recovering.
🔥 The Final Showdown
Dennis and Leigh decide:
👉 Christine needs to go. Permanently.
They trap her in a garage and:
💥 SMASH HER WITH A SEPTIC TANK TRUCK
Which is… honestly the most ridiculous and fitting ending possible.
💀 And Then… More Death
Arnie dies in a suspicious car crash
His mother also dies
Christine is supposedly destroyed
BUT WAIT—
In classic Stephen King fashion:
👉 There are hints Christine might still exist
Because of course she does. 😑
🤷♀️ My Honest Thoughts
I’m torn, because:
✔️ Stephen King’s writing is still great
✔️ The story is fast-paced and readable
✔️ It genuinely gave me creepy vibes (I side-eyed my car for days 😅)
BUT…
❌ I just could not take the premise seriously
❌ The “possessed car = ultimate evil” concept lost me
❌ Arnie’s transformation felt more bizarre than compelling
At some point I had to ask:
👉 Is this horror… or is this just very committed nonsense?
🚗 What Was the Point Though?
If I had to interpret it:
Christine = obsession and control
Arnie = loss of identity / toxic influence
LeBay = evil that refuses to die
But honestly?
That’s me doing a LOT of heavy lifting for a story about a homicidal vehicle 😂
⭐ Final Rating: 2/5
I gave it 2 stars because:
⭐ King’s writing is always solid
⭐ It did creep me out a little
⭐ It’s undeniably memorable
But overall?
👉 Not my thing. Not even a little.
📖 If You Want Something Similar (But Better IMO)
If you like the vibe but want stronger execution:
The Shining by Stephen King
Carrie by Stephen King
It by Stephen King
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Troop by Nick Cutter
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
💬 Final Thoughts
This book made me question:
👉 my taste
👉 my patience
👉 and briefly… my trust in automobiles
Would I recommend it?
👉 Only if you’re a die-hard Stephen King fan or enjoy campy, bizarre horror.
Otherwise…
🚗💨 maybe let Christine drive right past you.
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