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Hell Hath No Fury Like Her: The Making of Christine
Release date: January 16, 2019
“B-B-B-B Bad… Bad to the bone…”
Packed with interviews from director John Carpenter, screenwriter Bill Phillips, producer Richard Kobritz, stars Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul, plus various members of the cast and crew including co-composer Alan Howarth and SFX artist Roy Arbogast, “Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of Christine” is a definitive look at the 1983 cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying novel about the eponymous demonic Plymouth Fury and the obsessive teenage boy who loves her.
Author Lee Gambin examines Carpenter’s film by exploring themes such as possession, gender politics, sexuality, the use of rock’n’roll, the complexities of varied relationships, class resentment, the landscape of suburbia, the alienation felt during teenage years and more, including a recurring coverage of cars in film (both supernatural and not).
Loaded with photographs as well as production notes, this book is essential for all John Carpenter fans, Stephen King devotees, horror film enthusiasts and for anyone who can remember their first car. So buckle in and take a ride and remember “Rock’n’Roll is here to stay! It will never die!”
“B-B-B-B Bad… Bad to the bone…”
Packed with interviews from director John Carpenter, screenwriter Bill Phillips, producer Richard Kobritz, stars Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul, plus various members of the cast and crew including co-composer Alan Howarth and SFX artist Roy Arbogast, “Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of Christine” is a definitive look at the 1983 cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying novel about the eponymous demonic Plymouth Fury and the obsessive teenage boy who loves her.
Author Lee Gambin examines Carpenter’s film by exploring themes such as possession, gender politics, sexuality, the use of rock’n’roll, the complexities of varied relationships, class resentment, the landscape of suburbia, the alienation felt during teenage years and more, including a recurring coverage of cars in film (both supernatural and not).
Loaded with photographs as well as production notes, this book is essential for all John Carpenter fans, Stephen King devotees, horror film enthusiasts and for anyone who can remember their first car. So buckle in and take a ride and remember “Rock’n’Roll is here to stay! It will never die!”
- GenresNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2019
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41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 15, 2020
You know, I don't think I've ever read a full-length book on the making of a movie. The closest I've come, I think, was Pictures at a Revolution, which is about the making of the five best picture nominees of 1968. I've read plenty of think pieces on stuff like Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, the work of Tarantino - my favorite prestige films. But I have long, long had a soft spot for both the book and movie of Christine, and even though I didn't think I'd enjoy this sort of oral history approach, I liked it a lot.
Author Gambin curates interviews with people from all over the production of the film, from the actors to the FX people, the editors and producers. I thought there might be, you know, DRAMA, because you hear about that stuff happening on movie sets all the time. The truth is that the shoot was mostly one big happy family. If you think that sounds boring, I assure you, it wasn't. There's a big cult following surrounding the film, but even if you're only a casual fan, getting this deep into it is satisfying and fun. I learned a few things about the special effects, a few things about the young actors ("I honestly could have died in that moment" becomes a sort of recurring theme, especially with Alexandra Paul, Keith Gordon, and Malcolm Denare, one of my earliest crushes).
For some reason, I've always thought director John Carpenter was curmudgeonly, but here he comes across as that cool, friendly uncle you can watch horror films with. I knew but maybe forgot that he was coming off The Thing when he made Christine, and my impression of The Thing was that it was always the revered film it is now. But it tanked and got terrible reviews when it came out, so Christine was sort of the rebound picture. The fact that Christine made double its budget back must have been a confidence booster.
At the start of every chapter, Gambin analyzes and mythologizes segments of the movie. He brings in a lot of interesting perspective, from feminist theory and queer theory to film technique and the role Christine has in the pantheon of killer-vehicle pictures. I liked most of these introductions very much, aside from a lengthy plot synopsis of a different film in the canon called The Car. I found it interesting, but it might have been more so if there'd been a broader range of compare/contrast examples.
But man, did I love this book. It's exactly the book I needed right now: a nerdy deep dive into the background of one of my favorite movies, based on one of my favorite books. Sometimes, you just want to be a little pampered.
Author Gambin curates interviews with people from all over the production of the film, from the actors to the FX people, the editors and producers. I thought there might be, you know, DRAMA, because you hear about that stuff happening on movie sets all the time. The truth is that the shoot was mostly one big happy family. If you think that sounds boring, I assure you, it wasn't. There's a big cult following surrounding the film, but even if you're only a casual fan, getting this deep into it is satisfying and fun. I learned a few things about the special effects, a few things about the young actors ("I honestly could have died in that moment" becomes a sort of recurring theme, especially with Alexandra Paul, Keith Gordon, and Malcolm Denare, one of my earliest crushes).
For some reason, I've always thought director John Carpenter was curmudgeonly, but here he comes across as that cool, friendly uncle you can watch horror films with. I knew but maybe forgot that he was coming off The Thing when he made Christine, and my impression of The Thing was that it was always the revered film it is now. But it tanked and got terrible reviews when it came out, so Christine was sort of the rebound picture. The fact that Christine made double its budget back must have been a confidence booster.
At the start of every chapter, Gambin analyzes and mythologizes segments of the movie. He brings in a lot of interesting perspective, from feminist theory and queer theory to film technique and the role Christine has in the pantheon of killer-vehicle pictures. I liked most of these introductions very much, aside from a lengthy plot synopsis of a different film in the canon called The Car. I found it interesting, but it might have been more so if there'd been a broader range of compare/contrast examples.
But man, did I love this book. It's exactly the book I needed right now: a nerdy deep dive into the background of one of my favorite movies, based on one of my favorite books. Sometimes, you just want to be a little pampered.
May 19, 2019
As a movie geek, I am grateful to authors like Lee Gambin, who take the time to thoroughly study films that most people overlook. Gambin does his own research, and this book offers a ton of exclusive insights from the cast and crew that made CHRISTINE. Best of all, the author lets his interviewees speak at length, without interruption. The oral history format of this book (and Gambin's earlier book on CUJO) sometimes makes for a clunky narrative, but it's great to get the whole story from the filmmakers themselves, instead of just an author's personal "take" on the film. As far as I'm concerned, this is important film scholarship.
November 9, 2020
Loved all the quotes from the major players of the film but really poorly edited.
August 31, 2021
A well reasearched but clunky history of the making of Christine.
March 8, 2023
A fun behind-the-scenes look at an underrated classic. You could tell they had a lot of fun making this.
January 6, 2024
A deep dive into one of my favorite stories!
April 5, 2022
composition more akin to 33 1/3 series analysis, than legit production diary, much less Making-of monograph e.g. Bonfire of the Vanities'
The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco
or Friday the 13th's
On Location in Blairstown: The Making of Friday the 13th
.
That's not to say it isn't well researched, or just another collection of pull quotes & repurposed interviews, à la recent Fury Road oral history: Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road .
Just a tad editorialize-heavy. Lee Gambin is absolutely an admirer of the feature, medium, and era it was produced in
That's not to say it isn't well researched, or just another collection of pull quotes & repurposed interviews, à la recent Fury Road oral history: Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road .
Just a tad editorialize-heavy. Lee Gambin is absolutely an admirer of the feature, medium, and era it was produced in
period! no conjunction
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews