He looks different, his mannerisms change, and he begins to talk using the same idioms as the brother of the car's former owner, the creepy old man who sold Christine to him in the first place. At first, Christine seems to be good for Arnie, pulling him out of his shell, giving him confidence and self-esteem, but the relationship quickly turns toxic, as Arnie becomes obsessed with his car, even as Christine is obviously possessive and increasingly evil.Īrnie's transformation is both physical and mental. Fortunately, Arnie's transformation and obsession anchor the supernatural story. In one of the most telling scenes of how Christine upends the typical high school love story, Arnie gets the girl of his dreams, but the only time the two are seen together is when he picks her up in Christine and takes her to a football game, after they are already together, allowing Christine to remain the singular dominant factor in Arnie's life.Įven played entirely straight, the idea of a possessed car could be hard to swallow. Love, as Arnie tells his friend Dennis, 'has a voracious appetite. But he also becomes obsessed Arnie's relationship with the car takes on aspects of dependency as his 'cool' look is slowly replaced with sunken eyes and an increasingly haggard expression.

Christine tells that same story, but it takes a back seat to the unhealthy relationship between Arnie and Christine.Ĭhristine is mainly responsible for transforming Arnie from the class nerd to 'cool' and confident - even arrogant. The plot is familiar: a nerdy teen undergoes a personal transformation, stops wearing their glasses, gets a new wardrobe and car, and goes out with someone from the popular crowd.

Stephen king possessed car