Forgotten Victims: Christine’s Arnie Cunningham

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Phoyos copyright Columbia Pictures

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Arnie Cunningham, the protagonist from the 1983 movie from the Stephen King book of the same name Christine, is a prime example of love is blind.

He is also the stereotypical victim in life whether it be at the hands of the jocks at school, not being able to get a girlfriend or living under his super controlling parents, Arnie Cunningham has always been oppressed. As he says living at home every decision they made, he was always outnumbered two to one. He had no freedom, no liberty and because his parents were so tyrannical to the point they made every decision for Arnie and controlled every aspect of his life including cash, he may as well have a target painted on his back. His parents’ control extends to hating the fact he is learning how to fix cars and they control everything including if he can win a game of scrabble. It doesn’t matter if the word is in the dictionary or not; if Arnie’s mother says it is not allowed then it is not allowed.

But when he hits puberty and becomes an adult, rebellion is part and parcel of that process. His parents fail to see their son is now a young man on the verge of college and a whole new plethora of experiences before he hits the workforce.

So when Arnie buys himself a rundown old car, a red and white Plymouth Fury, his parents freak. They blame his best friend, Dennis Gilder (John Stockwell) for not stopping Arnie but Dennis is the one person in Arnie’s life that lets his friend be himself. All this oppression has built in Arnie for years and is at boiling point. He buys the car for two reasons; one that he wants to do something just for his enjoyment and two as a possible rebellion against his parents. If they can see he can make his own decisions then they may back off a little. But as we know, Christine as he christens her, is haunted and when Christine always gets what she wants.

On a thematic level, Christine is the perfect match for Arnie. From the minute he sees her, Arnie sees the potential in restoring her. Calling her tough and chastising Dennis for dismissing her as a piece of shit. At this point Christine is just like Arnie; unloved, unwanted and left adrift in the field of life to fend for himself. They see the potential in each other when no one else will give them a second look.

She takes care of Arnie, doesn’t answer back or throw a tantrum and songs from the radio reflect her mood and feelings for Arnie. And as we discover later, Christine lets no one hurt her man or get in the way of their love even if it means killing anyone that stands in their way. When Dennis asks him what it is about Christine, Arnie tells him that for the first time in his life he has found something uglier than he is. But he can fix that because he can’t fix his own ugliness. This is very telling as to how Arnie sees himself in the eyes of the world. He is a loser, an outsider and despite being friends with popular jock Dennis, he still feels inferior in his company. With Christine that doesn’t exist. She is the thing that allows him to be the person he wants to be but as we find he will pay a terrible price for love.

His parents refuse to let him keep Christine in their driveway so he stores her in Darnell’s workshop where Darnell lets him use his junk pile to restore her in return for doing odd jobs around the place. But soon Arnie begins to change. He dresses more stylishly and is much more confident than he ever was. His life is Christine’s restoration which he applies himself to diligently to. Interestingly, his clothes now tend to favour red as if wearing matching outfits for Christine.

It is in his scenes with his parents that give the greatest insight into how Arnie has come into his own. When the local bullies trash Christine, Arnie blames his parents for not letting him keep her in their driveway. They try to reason with him which is the first time they have seen their son is growing up into his own man. He swears at them openly before grabbing his father by the throat at the bottom of their stairs. By this very action, Arnie’s parent’s control of their son is gone forever.

Dennis isn’t the only one that noticed the change in his friend. Arnie drinks and drives without holding the steering wheel which terrifies Dennis and exhilarates Arnie because Christine will not let him come to any harm. But when Arnie suddenly begins dating the hottest and most elusive girl in the school, Leigh Cabot, Christine tries to kill her while everyone else including Dennis cannot believe she is dating the former nerd. He no longer wears glasses and backflips his mother. Dennis discovers that the previous owner died in Christine. His wife killed herself and his daughter choked to death in Christine but that didn’t stop him from obsessing over the car. His brother tells Dennis that he saw the same look in Arnie’s eyes the day he sold him the car.

Dennis is floored by a football accident leaving Arnie to develop his relationship with girlfriend Leigh (Alexandra Paul). She is there when Arnie discovers Christine has been trashed by the bullies. But it is at this point Christine reveals herself to him and restores herself to mint condition. This mirrors a human relationship when your partner opens up to you and you engage in the most intimate act of all, sex. This is the point where Arnie and Christine are bonded completely. That night one of the bullies is cut in half by Christine. She later murders the rest of them but it transpires that Arnie was not even driving when that happened. The police think he is responsible especially when Christine is in perfect condition despite reports to the contrary. Arnie becomes angry and possessive of Leigh which frightens her off to the point she confides in Dennis about the effect the car is having on Arnie.

They set a trap to destroy Christine but when she smashes into a booth trying to kill Leigh, Arnie is thrown through the window by the impact. He is skewered by glass and dies there and then beside his beloved car.

It is a sad end for the boy who was never allowed to fit in or feel comfortable in his own home. Maybe if his parents had shown their son just a little compassion instead of all out control, then Arnie Cunningham would never have felt total love and connection with a machine they call Christine.