#5 Maximum Overdrive

The movie: Maximum Overdrive 1986-Written and Directed by Steven King. Staring Emilio Estevez Pat Hingle and Laura Harrington

You want to rock and roll, Pussbag? - a bible salesman to a Mack truck. Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Steven King is perhaps the greatest American writer in the modern era. His stories have made movies both incredible (shawshank, green mile, the shining) and terrible (pet cemetery, The mangler) however, 1986's Maximum Overdrive is something special. It is the only time King directed his own work.  

There is a pretty good reason for this. In recent years King has opened up about this film, and has said he barely remembers making it. And there were many accidents on set. The dp famously lost his eye in a botched stunt. 

(Programming note; um  not to show how the sausage is made, but I'm away from Wikipedia, atm writing this on my phone. Instead of a fact checked plot summary like usual, I'll be piecing this one together by memory.) 

The story is somehow both convoluted and overly simple. In a title card that would make Theodore Rex uncomfortable, we learn that earth will be in the tail of a comet for 8 days. 

Apparently this comet makes certain machines come to life.  Our story is cut in three, following a newlywed couple who keep getting chased by trucks, a kid on a baseball team (more on him in a moment)  and a bunch of people holed up in a truck stop, that is being circled (covered wagon style) by a bunch Mack trucks. The newlyweds are annoying, and thankfully their scene is cut short, as they drive to the truck stop and join the rag tag group of truckers. 

But the baseball scene. Oh the baseball scene. This movie has a lot of problems, but this scene made me give this movie so much leeway. I'll describe it verbatim: 

We cut to a boys little league baseball team during practice. The boys coach goes to get a soda, but it's not working. The machine launches a soda at the man's crotch and then his chest. And then his head. Killing him! The kids come to check on the coach, and the machine fires more and more cans at them. Then, out of nowhere, a steamroller breaks over the wall of the baseball field. A child hits a rock while biking away, and the steamroller rolled over the child. It is fucking bananas. 

The rest of the movie is a traditional horror film. People get picked off one by one, and the heroes eventually win. The best parts of this movie aren't plot based, it's how fucking weird it is. there is a weird montage of Emilio Esteves gassing up trucks, (while they threaten him with horns.) there's a moment where a waitress in the diner seemingly loses her shit out of nowhere and screams at the trcks "we made you!!!!" For like 5 straight min. This movie is truly bizarre. 

Should you watch this movie?: yes. If you can put up with a dumb story, and nothing characters there are a few moments that are quite rewarding. 

Where can I watch this movie?: Amazon.