The Stephen King renaissance continues. After the box office explosion of It, the author’s works have never been hotter, which may be why John Carpenter just directed a new short film/music video version of King’s Christine.
You’ll recall that Carpenter directed a film adaptation of the car-gone-crazy novel back in 1983. Now regarded as a cult classic, the story of a man who becomes a little too obsessed with his car — a 1958 Plymouth Fury that’s possessed by an evil spirit — is both one of the oddest things King ever wrote and one of the strangest things Carpenter ever directed — and that’s really saying something on both counts. But it has nevertheless earned legions of fans over the years, due in part to the great synth score composed by Carpenter.
That score, and not an evil spirit, is the reason for Christine‘s resurrection. Carpenter is going on tour next month to promote his new album of film scores, John Carpenter Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998, and he directed a new short film featuring Christine set to the film’s score as part of the marketing for the album. It’s the first narrative video that the legendary filmmaker has directed since 2010’s The Ward, and we’re definitely in favor of anything that gets Carpenter back in the director’s chair. The fact that it just so happens to be a new continuation of one of his classic ’80s works is just icing on the cake. You can check out the video below (which really should be titled The New Adventures of Old Christine), and keep an eye out for a cameo from Carpenter himself.
You can learn more about Carpenter’s upcoming album and tour here.
