This Week's 'Riverdale' Paid Homage to John Carpenter's 'Christine'
In one of the more surprising developments in the world of comic book adaptations, Riverdale, the [...]
In one of the more surprising developments in the world of comic book adaptations, Riverdale, the adaptation of Archie Comics, has become a surprise hit with its blend of attractive young actors and tales of murder. The series regularly features Easter eggs related to the horror genre, ranging from names of characters to episode titles. This week's episode featured a subtle cameo to Christine, the killer car story written by Stephen King which was adapted into a film by John Carpenter.
#bts #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/1ycFPVoUkv
— Rachel Talalay (@rtalalay) February 2, 2018
This week's episode was directed by Rachel Talalay, who posted the behind-the-scenes image of a rusty Plymouth Fury. Fans familiar with the story would immediately recognize the car's significance, despite its well-worn exterior.
While the cameo may seem incidental at first glimpse, Talalay served as a producer on A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Additionally, she directed the sixth film in that franchise, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Her filmmaking in the horror world in the '80s, combined with highlighting the car on Twitter, confirms that this was an entirely intentional reference for eagle-eyed horror fans.
The story of Christine revolves around a nerdy high school student buying a '58 Plymouth Fury, which he begins to obsess over. When some bullies damage the car, the car comes to life to seek revenge for the damages.
With Carpenter and King being at the top of their game in 1983, many thought this would merely be the beginning of many collaborations. Last fall, when asked by Consequence of Sound if the director was interested in adapting more of King's works, Carpenter joked, "No, oh, hell no. Are you kidding? That's work. I don't want to do that."
This isn't to say he had a bad experience with the film, as he looks back fondly at the experience.
"Oh, sure, I'm proud of it," Carpenter claimed. "I'm proud of the performances in it, and I'm proud of some of the sequences with the car. Sure, I like it. It's not my best movie, but it's not my worst movie, so what the hell."
Carpenter's next project is serving as executive producer on an untitled Halloween sequel.
New episodes of Riverdale air Wednesdays at 8:00 PM ET on The CW.