Who made who?

 

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Directed by Stephen King

  

This is one movie I've seen over and over again. You gotta love a movie about electronic devises coming to life and killing everyone in sight. Even the toaster and walkman try to kill people. Damn I forgot, a walkman is a way to listen to music in the '80's. It was like a ipod with a tape deck. Back to the flick...

Stephen King wrote this short story called Trucks in his Night Shift book back in the day. Mr. King thought it would be cool to do a zombie story but instead of cool zombies killing people it would be machines killing people. I think it took him one crazy coked up night to come up with this plot. Some of my favorite movies are when people are stuck in one place and are tormented by some evil force like big mac trucks. Especially one with the Green Goblins face from the Spider-man comics.

This is movie is so silly and strange a lot of people consider it the first of the horror/comedy movies that plague the theaters now a days. To add to the silly it is directed by King himself. It was his directorial debut and his last job as director...I wonder why? I read an interview with King where he states that he had no clue what he was doing and that he was coked up while making this classic.

The movie stars Emilio Estevez as Bill and that is the most exciting thing about his character. This movie has no stars, well I guess Pat Hingle is pretty big. He was in the original Batman movies as Commissioner Gordon. But beyond these two we don't have much to work with here.

As the title card states in the beginning the Earth passes the tale of a mysterious comet and all hell breaks loose. All the electronics come to life and begin to kill everyone in sight. That is just a Monday afternoon in King's world. A small group of people get stuck in a gas station and have to pump gas to their truck overlords. They decide that this isn't the life for them so they make a plan to head to an island that doesn't have cars or electronics. I have one questions can't planes get there?

Let's just say that a lot of people die and they try to get to safety. A great adventure is had by the heroes and viewer.

On a side note this movie has an amazing sound track provided by AC/DC. They were chosen because Mr. King is a big fan as am I. Having this sound track on tape, it is played in a walkman, I can say that it is a must have.

So check out Maximum Overdrive and enjoy a forgotten classic today before it is too late. It is only a matter of time before mac trucks take over the world and become our overlords. Maybe you can answer the age old question thrust upon us by AC/DC...who made who...

6/10