The recent Stephen King thread got me thinking about the film “Maximum Overdrive”, one of my personal favorites and maybe the most quotable film of all time. Any fans out there?
Yes.
“Maximum Overdrive” was King’s first and only directing effort, and it shows; the guy was more than a tad out of his depth directing a movie, and by his own admission, he was upside down much of the time on cocaine and a variety of other dangerous drugs that may have impaired him just a tad.
As such, it feels more like a parody than the original story, which was rather grim. The use of Yeardley “Lisa Simpson” Smith as comic relief ranges from genuinely funny to a little irritating in spots.
Nevertheless, it hearkens back to the old AIP double feature monster movies, and manages to feel a bit like one. I liked it.
But for the life of me, I can’t understand why they paid Marvel Comics to put a Green Goblin head on the lead truck. Couldn’t they have got off cheaper making up their own character in order to anthromophize the truck villain?
Good point, but I don’t think King was thinking clearly enough at the time to come up with that idea. 
Mr. Hendershot’s my favorite character.
I paid to see it opening weekend, and enjoyed it. Most of my friends were disappointed, as they expected a dark, scary movie, but I enjoyed as a horror-comedy cheese-fest. Some of the humor was a tad juvenile, like discussing the escape plan in the restroom while a guy is taking a noisy gassy dump.
Soundtrack album was great, though. In those pre-digital download days, it was the only way to get the good stuff from some of AC/DC’s lesser albums without getting the filler. It’s the closest AC/DC has ever come to releasing a compilation album.
“Martha! The machine’s calling me an asshole!”
If you don’t get your hand off my leg, you’re going to be wiping your ass with a hook next time you take a dump! - Brett Graham
The best part: Marla Maples gets killed by a flying watermelon!
Here’s the site of most of the action-was and is "The Kickin’ Mule near Leland, NC. Actor Pat Hingle so loved the area, he settled there (Wilmington, NC, area until he died last year.
Same site was used in “Domestic Disturbance” with John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Buscemi. John still lands his 707(?) often at area airport. Steve was stabbed in the neck in a downtown bar fight.
Fewer flix will be made at the local ex-Dino DeLaurentiis film studio (EUE) now that the legislature has cut film incentive funding.
One of my favorite King based movies. It wasn’t conventionally good compared to other films based on his work but I enjoyed the film for some reason.
I have to disagree and say that this was an atrocious movie. Just a steaming pile of crap.
I even saw it in the theater when it came out and had really enjoyed the book.
Was Maximum Overdrive a full length novel or a novella even? I thought it was a short story.
Yeah. A short story. ~15 pages long.
I loved it as a kid. Haven’t seen in in almost 30 years, so I don’t know if I’d still like it so much.
I would guess people are just remembering the cool scenes. I rewatched this about 6 months ago and it really didn’t age well. The performances are really really bad. The cool scenes are still cool though.