Spooky Season 2023: Maximum Overdrive Review

Everybody knows about the writing exploits of Stephen King, one of the most notorious horror authors of all time but some may not know that he wrote and directed a film. 1986’s Maximum Overdrive, saw King adapt his own short story entitled “Trucks” into this campy genre mashup that is part horror, part sci-fi, part thriller, and part dark comedy. While a film like this had no business working on paper, it somehow does in a way that despite its campiness, it becomes hard to look away. A film that very much feels like a product of its time, King has a decent eye behind the camera telling a story that only he could come up with. As silly as it is, it is somehow also restrained. Perhaps due to budgetary restraints, the majority of the film takes place in one location which only enhances the tension, reinforces the feeling of isolation, and also highlights the human element through the lens of its wacky premise. In the end, King certainly makes the most out of the circumstances for a film that most importantly, doesn’t wear out its welcome.

When it comes to Maximum Overdrive, it’s best to not think too much and accept whatever is going on. What is going on is that as a mysterious comet found itself passing by earth, machines all around the world suddenly began to develop minds of their own and became homicidal towards their makers. Setting the stage in exciting fashion, much of the action focused on a North Carolina truck stop where dumbfounded employees and customers found themselves trapped by a series of escalating events as seemingly random occurrences and small mishaps leading to minor injuries developed into something more deadly where a series of parked trucks began circling the perimeter. As those stranded at the truck stop fumbled in trying to figure out what was going on, big personalities often clashed, some near-caricaturish. Though some of those characters may rub some people the wrong way, those moments were fun to watch for the most part. That being said, a large part of the film takes place in that middle part where many of the stranded were picked off by the rebellious machines.

However, the real story was about ex-con named Bill Robinson (Estevez) who was on parole and working at the truck stop ran by a redneck named Hendershot (Hingle) who systematically look advantage of his parolee employees by exploiting them. To keep his workforce in check, he threatened to send them back in prison unless they were compliant. Unlike the others, Bill was not going to take it anymore as their new predicament was an opportunity for him to take charge. In contrast to the other characters, he was arguably one of the only rational people in the room. As the situation at the truck stop continued to worsen, Bill had a plan as the story moved to a redemption story of sorts, however, the film never fully commits to it. Ultimately, the film was about putting a group of characters in a ridiculous situation and seeing if and how they could get out of it. Though that formula came with plenty of tension and some laughs, the outcome was clear and it was nothing more than that, for better or worse.

While Maximum Overdrive is likely more than enough to entertain audiences, adapting a short story into a feature film does come with its own pitfalls, especially trying to extract more story than what is on the page. Wanting more is only natural, however, on the other side, more would only hurt its simple mystique. Meanwhile, for 1986, the special effects are quite decent. Finding inventive ways to independently control the film’s various rebel machines in service of the plot, including a lot of vehicles, was an undertaking and is commendable considering its presumably lower budget and resources. One would be remissed to not mention the awesome soundtrack provided by AC/DC. Sure, hearing some of their songs playing over key moments in the film does feel a little odd at times but is nonetheless cool.

In terms of performances, while they weren’t necessarily good or bad, the cast across the board understood the assignment. The dialog wasn’t that great but that was par for the course and that only added to its charm. Estevez shines as Bill by default where his charisma helps to keep the film going and interesting to watch. In a film full of unsavory characters, he was easy to root for and therefore, care.

At the end of the day, Maximum Overdrive is a delightful and entertainingly-campy genre mashup that makes the most out of its inherently wacky premise.

still courtesy of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.