Stephen King was a pretty hot commodity back in 1983. That year saw the publication of the novels Christine and Pet Semetary, as well as the release of John Carpenter's film adaptation of the former. I myself was a big fan of King's work, having read all of his novels and many of his short stories, and news that Christine was being directed by John Carpenter of The Fog and The Thing (I hadn't yet seen Halloween) fame was exciting news indeed. John Carpenter teaming up with Stephen King? How could we lose? I saw the film during its theatrical run and it proved to be a bitter disappointment. I hadn't seen the film since, so when I watched Christine again for this review it was my first viewing in twenty-four years.

Christine is a '58 Plymouth Fury, and since most of the film takes place in 1978, the car has just passed the 20-year mark, making it an antique car. The film actually opens in the 1950s as Christine is coming down the assembly line. Even at that tender age this is one bad ass machine, and the fact that "Bad to the Bone" is playing on the soundtrack is no coincidence. One worker has his hand smashed by Christine's hood, giving the appearance that the car has bitten him, while another dies mysteriously inside the car after having the audacity to drop cigar ashes on her newly minted seats.

Wow, this is going to be hard for two reasons. On one hand I'll find it tough to rank my very favorite Stephen King movies because the ones I love ... I really love. On the other hand there's been a whole LOT of rotten King flicks churned out over the years -- and I actually like some of those, too! But as a lifelong King kook I think I'm able to separate the wheat from the chaff -- even if, yes it's true, I actually sort of enjoyed Tobe Hooper's The Mangler. (It's just so enjoyably stupid!) So with that I bring you my own personal picks for the best Stephen King adaptations yet (not counting TV shows, mini-series or short films).

Christine (1983) -- Yes, the book is better and sure, a few important things were monkeyed with on the way from page to screen, but there's so much I do like about John Carpenter's adaptation that it makes the speed bumps a lot easier to handle. From the filmmaker's creepy score to an excellent lead performance by Keith Gordon, the flick's just got an admirably bad-ass attitude. Stripped down to its essence, Christine is not much more than another "geek fights back" revenge-centric horror flick, but Carpenter makes the movie his own with a solid production design, a few excellent set pieces and a pace that moves at an appreciable clip. Plus that car is just so damn cool.

Pet Sematary (1989) -- Just about every hardcore horror geek I know holds Pet Sematary in pretty high regard, and just one visit with this bleak and unflinching piece of pulp horror will explain why. It's a remarkably grim and unapologetic tale of dead cats, cute kids and a patch of land that, well, it resurrects dead tissue is what it does. And if you've read even one "back from the dead" story, then you know they never end well. (Pet Sematary, both the book and the movie, packs one doozy of a dark denouement.) OK, so maybe Dale Midkiff and Denise Crosby aren't exactly the rock-solid thespians you'd want for a screenplay this devilishly mean-spirited, but the pair do what they can, plus they've got good ol' Fred Gwynne supplying background color by the bucketful. (And don't forget about poor sickly Zelda! Yuck.)

Carrie (1976) -- The very first (and arguably one of the very best) of the Stephen King movies, Carrie hit the screens courtesy of a young Brian De Palma, and the director pulled out a big bag of Hitchcockian tricks to bring the story to the silver screen. It's about a socially bankrupt young girl who tries to cobble together a normal social life ... much to the chagrin of some snotty she-bullies and a resoundingly devout lunatic of a mother. Some might say the flick takes a long while to get where it's going, but between the prom night finale and the graveside stinger, Carrie more than delivers its share of grisly goods. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie make it watchable all by themselves, but De Palma is the real star here. (OK, De Palma and a young, evil John Travolta.)

At this point you could start preparing your own John Carpenter Remake Film Festival. With the"re-imaginings" of Assault on Precinct 13 and The Fog already in the rear-view mirror, and with Halloween and Escape from New York facelifts on the horizon, it now looks like yet another of Carpenter's creepy classics is about to receive the re-do treatment.

According to ComingSoon.net, Disturbia screenwriter Christopher Landon is in talks to pen a remake of Christine, which was a 1983 killer car horror film based on a novel by Stephen King. The scribe aims to stick a little more closely to the source material and focus a bit more on the "possessed nerd" angle -- as opposed to the "killer car" slant that Mr. Carpenter leaned on. (I think JC covered both angles pretty well, actually, but Landon seems to be a fan of both the book and the movie, and that's obviously a good thing.)

Apparently the original plan was for Christine to be reborn by way of television. Both the Sci-Fi Channel and NBC had considered the project, but now it looks like it'll be a traditional feature film. Mr. Landon doesn't spill too many beans on the new adaptation, but we'll share the word once it comes down the pike. (Nerd trivia: The two leads from Carpenter's Christine have gone on to become pretty successful directors; John Stockwell helmed Blue Crush, Into the Blue and Turistas. Keith Gordon directed The Chocolate War, A Midnight Clear and Waking the Dead -- all of which I consider pretty excellent films.)

With Halloween right around the corner, there's nothing more appropriate than purchasing a prop from a horror movie. What better costume than one actually used in a film? What better haunted house than one featured on screen? There are probably a ton of auctions and sales out there for these kinds of things, and I already pointed you folks in the direction of those houses from A Nightmare on Elm Street and In Cold Blood, either (or both) of which could be yours. Now, our friends over at Autoblog have some info about eBay auctions for some famous cars from your favorite horror films. There are three of them up for grabs: the 1958 Fury from Christine; the Dodge van from the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; and the Cadillac Eldorado used in The Devil's Rejects (and The Bad News Bears).

The seller is the Volo Auto Museum, and they have a few non-horror movie cars available too, including the one from Wayne's World and one ridiculous boat used in The Flintstones. But since this season calls for frights, you should be thinking more about the three horror vehicles. Imagine one of them (or all) parked in front of your new Freddy Krueger house? I'm sure your neighbor would think twice about letting their dog poop on your front lawn.