“Christine”—1958 Plymouth Fury
Of course, if you know anything about Stephen King, you knew I was going to mention this one. In King’s 1983 novel, “Christine,” socially awkward teen Arnold “Arnie” Cunningham buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine. After he buys the car, Arnie’s outward appearance improves, he starts dating the prettiest girl in school, and he stops letting bullies push him around. However, he also becomes irascible, erratic, and eventually alienates his friends and family. Of course, it turns out that Christine is possessed, can repair itself, and ultimately goes on a killing spree. So, yeah, that’s pretty much your quintessential killer car right there.
Fun fact: there’s an error in the book (but not the movie). In the book, the hitchhiker who saves Leigh gets in the back seat via the back door … except Christine is a two-door hardtop, not a sedan. In addition, although the car is identified in the movie as a 1958 Plymouth Fury, Scott Von Doviak, in his book “Stephen King Films FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the King of Horror on Film,” notes that the evil car was depicted on screen using two different Plymouth models: the Belvedere and the Savoy. This is probably because only 5,303 of the 1958 Plymouth Fury were produced, and at the time of filming the movie, they were costly and hard to locate.
In addition, other characters drive notable cars. Dennis Guilder drives a red 1968 Dodge Charger R/T in the movie (it’s a Plymouth Duster in the book), Buddy Repperton’s ride is a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS, and Will Darnell has a Chrysler Imperial in the book, but a 1974 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in the movie. And, of course, in the book Christine is seemingly destroyed by a pink septic tanker truck named Petunia, a scene that is left out of the movie.