It’s surprising how often this coming-of-age narrative gets missed when people discuss Stephen King adaptations or horror films. It's consistently overshadowed by more widely recognized works like 'The Shining', 'Carrie', 'Misery', and 'The Shawshank Redemption,' which is unfortunate, because there are several compelling reasons to appreciate it: first, John Carpenter stands out as one of the very best directors—easily within the top three—to have worked on King’s material; second, the film captures a disturbing fascination with cars that has been present, particularly in America, and resembles earlier experimental films by filmmakers like Kenneth Anger. Keith Gordon delivers a strong performance here, similar to his previous work with Brian De Palma in 'Dressed to Kill', portraying a wide spectrum of character traits from awkwardness to instability. It’s notable how he absorbed techniques from some of the most significant figures in American cinema over the last 50 years as he matured in film and ultimately developed into a capable director himself. I'd give it a 9/10; Grade A Carpenter work. While I consider it excellent, it doesn't quite reach the pinnacle of his career—directors like Hitchcock, De Palma, and others have demonstrated an ability to achieve true cinematic perfection with films such as 'Halloween' and 'The Thing.'

Source on TMDB