Christine

The horror novel Christine, written by Stephen King, was published in 1983. As a story about three teens and a car possessed by an evil spirit, the novel addresses themes relating to obsession, fate, and objectification. Like many of King’s works, Christine inspired a movie, becoming a John Carpenter film the same year that the book was released.

King has authored almost 70 novels and numerous short stories. Though he works in various genres, people commonly refer to him as “the King of Horror.” His most popular horror novels include The Shining (1977), Carrie (1974), and It (1986).

This guide is based on the 1984 New English Library e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying, racism, gender discrimination, cursing, child death, death by suicide, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Arnold “Arnie” Cunningham and Dennis Guilder are high school seniors living in Libertyville, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978. They have well-paying jobs working on a highway, and on their way home from work, Arnie spots a red 1958 Plymouth Fury. The car is in poor condition, but Arnie is in “love.” The owner is Ronald “Rollie” LeBay—a sexist, racist war veteran who calls the car Christine. LeBay sells it to Arnie for $250. Dennis gets an eerie feeling around the car and tries to dissuade Arnie from buying it. Arnie’s parents, Regina and Michael, are upset that Arnie used his college money to purchase a car.

Dennis is a popular football player, while Arnie is quiet and lacks self-confidence. However, the car starts to change Arnie. His acne vanishes, and he begins to use crude language like LeBay. Since his parents won’t let him keep Christine at the house, Arnie keeps it at Will Darnell’s garage, where people pay to work on their cars themselves. The garage has a vulgar atmosphere, and Darnell is involved in various criminal activities, including selling firearms, stolen cars, cocaine, and unlicensed cigarettes and alcohol. Arnie starts to help Darnell move the illicit products.

Buddy Repperton is around 20 years old but still attends high school. He and his friends bully Arnie at school and at the garage, too. During a fight at school, Buddy pulls a knife, leading to his expulsion. Arnie’s father tries to bring peace to the family by paying for Arnie to keep Christine at the airport parking lot. However, Buddy’s friend Sandy Galton works at the lot and alerts Buddy and his other friends that the car is there. They come and vandalize it. Arnie doesn’t report the crime to the police, but his father calls them, and state detective Rudolph Junkins senses something uncanny about the car. The car methodically kills all the boys involved in wrecking it and then repairs itself. Arnie has uncontestable alibis, so Junkins can’t pin the murders on him.

Leigh Cabot transfers to Libertyville High School when her family moves to Libertyville from a town in Massachusetts. Dennis describes her as flawlessly beautiful, and she and Arnie become unexpectedly romantic. Leigh is uncomfortable with Christine and wants Arnie to sell it. Leigh, Dennis, and Arnie all have disturbing dreams and surreal experiences involving Christine. Arnie hurts his back and gets a back brace—LeBay also wears a back brace.

LeBay dies, and Arnie and Dennis attend his funeral. His brother George tells them about LeBay’s violent past. Allegedly, LeBay’s daughter choked to death in Christine, and his wife used Christine to die by suicide. When LeBay was a young teen, he killed multiple people after they hurt him.

Dennis is critically hurt in a football game and recovers at the hospital. Leigh nearly chokes to death in Christine, but a hitchhiker saves her. Because of Christine, Leigh breaks up with Arnie and begins a romantic relationship with Dennis. When Arnie finds out about them, he vows vengeance. Dennis confronts Arnie about LeBay, and Arnie admits that he can’t get rid of LeBay’s toxic spirit.

The police arrest Darnell and Arnie, but both post bail. Christine kills Darnell in his home and then kills Arnie’s father. Arnie still wants to be with Leigh, and while he and his mother visit a college that Leigh might attend, Dennis and Leigh trap Christine in Darnell’s garage and smash her with a huge septic tank truck.

Arnie and his mother die in a suspicious car accident. After Leigh and Dennis break up, she marries a man who works for IBM, and they start a family. Dennis becomes a history teacher. He reads about a mysterious car accident that killed Sandy, who ran away to California. Sandy’s death leads Dennis to suspect that Christine remains a threat.