After the accident, Ballard becomes involved with Remington, attracted not so much by her, as by the possibilities, suggestions, and opportunities she brings about.  Vaughan arrives on the scene a little later as some kind of avenging angel – dangerous, somewhat mad. 

In the movie we are introduced to Vaughan’s actions, and the character of Seagrave, during a reconstruction of the James Dean crash.  As has been mentioned previously, the connection between celebrities and crash fantasies is toned down within the movie.  With the exception of two deaths, both occurring sufficiently in the past to make them at least palatable, talk of a celebrity vehicular death is not broached.  

Still, in the novel accidents with pedestrians, to people in the street, are also of interest, and are certainly worthy of re-enactment.  Cleverly, JG Ballard manages to include a celebrity element even in these instances. 

Chapter nine opens with an accident re-enactment that occurs at a stock car racing course.  Members of a stunt team, working on Elizabeth Taylor’s film, have come together to perform ‘hell-driving’ for the public.  This is to take place at a stadium in Northolt.  A segment of this driving is a re-enactment performed by Seagrave and the stunt drivers.  They are to perform a show based on a five car accident that had occurred in London the previous summer.  By making the deaths abstract, purely fictional, it allows the horror of a car accident, with seven reported deaths, to be replayed as spectacle.

The ring master for this re-enactment is Vaughan.  This brings Vaughan back into the sphere of Ballard’s life.  They had met at the hospital, in the aftermath of the accident in which Remington’s husband had died.  Now Ballard would be present during someone else’s accident, and play a role in their recovery and transport to hospital.   

If we contrast this with the movie adaptation, where we are suddenly faced not only with a celebrity re-enactment, but a scene in which Vaughan places himself amidst the action, we can begin to appreciate how much more insular the movie experience is.  Gone is the stadium, replaced by seating that seems incongruous.  What is this location near the woodland?  Where did they get the vehicles from?  Who built the stand?  Who invited all the other people who were attending?  The movie avoids answering these questions, instead introducing the scene almost as something casual, some backstreet hobby such as skateboarding. 

Also, by this stage of the novel, there is self-awareness on the part of Ballard that he’d not quite reached by the time of the re-enactment in the film.  Take, for example, this dialog:  “[Remington] “Strange – I thought this would be more popular.”  “The real thing is available free of charge.”  As we saw in the previous chapter, Ballard had already been able to take in cars, accidents, and even derelict vehicles, and to include them in his sexual acts.  In this chapter he’s almost cavalier about it. 

We learn that Seagrave is a “former racing driver”, and Vaughan directs him as a movie director places his actors and extras to illicit maximum response.  Here we have dialog that is moved, to the more intimate setting within the movie, with minor adjustments:  “Is he a photographer?”, “Of a special kind.”, “I thought he was doing some sort of accident research.  He wanted every conceivable detail about the crash.” 

The script reads: 

JAMES

Oh yes. I thought he was a medical photographer, doing some sort of accident research. He wanted every conceivable detail about our crash. 

HELEN

When I first met Vaughan, he was a specialist in international computerized traffic systems. I don't know what he is now. 

Along the same lines of what we saw earlier, the novel then follows a more naturalistic set of actions.  After the accident Seagrave suffers a concussion.  In the movie he is taken home to his drug ridden wife’s care.  In the novel the story follows a more natural progression, with Seagrave being taken directly to hospital.  Vaughan acts as an ambulance driver in his car, with Ballard following on his own.  Remington has taken on the role of carer, looking after Seagrave on the journey, and then accompanying him into the emergency room. 

Once again Ballard describes Vaughan in the context of what he is trying to be, and his position to various elements of his car.  Ballard comments on Vaughan’s various posing across headlights and in his driving seat, pre-supposing Vaughan melding his genitals with the instrument panel.  Vaughan is portrayed as an actor, playing the role of a celebrity.  

As we saw in the previous chapter, there are elements in the novel that would resonate with an audience more keenly.  If someone is injured in an accident, or while working, one would expect the victim to be taken to a hospital.  This occurs in the novel. Cronenberg on the other hand decides to move the action along.  By going directly from the James Dead crash (missing entirely in the novel) to Seagraves home, we can be more readily introduced to the main characters.