A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.
- Awards
- 4 nominations
Robert Gooden
- Barry
- (as Bob Gooden)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen asked why he hasn't directed a movie since this one, Stephen King responded, "Just watch Maximum Overdrive."
- GoofsThe image of the Earth shown at the beginning of the movie is reversed.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Man At Cashpoint: Honey, come on over here, sugarbuns. This machine just called me an asshole.
- Alternate versionsThere are many deleted scenes from the film that are mentioned throughout literature and seen in photo stills from the film. Stephen King has mentioned on several occasions that the film was heavily cut to avoid an X rating from the MPAA. King has also spoken of showing the uncut version to fellow horror director George Romero and was quoted as saying that it made Mr. Romero sick. The removed shots were:
- Three Seconds of Bubba Hendershot getting shot up by the military vehicle in the Dixie-Boy Truck Stop shoot out scene.
- Three seconds of the steam roller running over Bobby.
- Three seconds of the bible salesman's face falling into his lap.
- Few Seconds of the motorcyclist throwing his arms over his face, exactly shown in the film-trailer, just before plunging into the water.
- Additional seconds of Steve Gayton at Duncan's aid after getting sprayed by diesel-fuel in the eyes.
- Six seconds of the electrical cutting knife slicing off Frank's right index finger.
- Three seconds of the ill-fated video-player saying "Wooow!" just before getting zapped, as shown in the theatrical-trailer.
- Few seconds of the pop can leaving an imprint on the Coach's forehead that expands into a huge bladder on his forehead and spraying blood.
- Few seconds of the Coach's forehead-bladder popping.
- Additional seconds of the Coach warning Deke to get away just before he dies.
- Additional seconds of the steamroller riding through a nearby parking lot and Bobby's father getting squashed by it.
- A shot of a half of a chewed up body by the lawnmower in a backyard.
- An additional shot of the dead gas station attendant at the gas station.
- As Deke comes riding along on his bike, he comes to a stop. We can see a full back view of a car off in the distance on the right side of the road. As the Ice Cream Truck comes, we can still see it.
- We see a dead ice cream man in the ice cream truck.
- The Videoplayer escapes the Dixie-Boy unseen and hides in the drainage ditch
- Another guy hides in the drainage ditch.
- Additional seconds of the bible salesman getting attacked by the Videoplayer and his buddy who attempts to cut off his face with a straight razor. But the two run unseen off with his knife because the bible salesman screamed.
- A few seconds of the bible salesman's noggin pealing down revealing his blooded skull as he rises up in the drainage ditch.
- As Brad runs to a nearby car with the dead woman, we can see a full back view of a school bus on the left side of the dirt road. And when Brad screams as he is about to die from the HappyToyz truck, we can still see the bus.
- The last close-up of the Happy-Toyz truck's GreenGoblin face is re-flipped, exactly shown in the theatrical trailer, instead of the "backwords-flipped" view. There are reports of a mat-painting of a infamous American city destroyed by the machines. There are reports that in a international version, Hendershot, and truckers Harry and Frank are among the survivors; leaving only trucker Rolf and waitress Wanda June as the casualties of the sentient gun-jeep. Reports also indicate that Duncan Keller is a survivor as well. There was a rumour about a supposed uncut VHS tape having been released by Lorimar in the early '90s but this is false. The uncut version has never been released on any format, in any country. This was a false rumor started on the Internet. Only Stephen King holds the original print of the uncut version and as of 2013, has not released it in any format.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cinemania: Stephen King: O vasilias tou tromou (2009)
- SoundtracksWho Made Who
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson
Produced by Harry Vanda, George Young
Featured review
Maximum Overdrive, bestselling novelist Stephen King's one and only foray into directing (thus far), is far from a classic of either the sci-fi or horror genre, but it is good fun, a typically dumb piece of '80s B-movie nonsense that makes very little sense when dissected, but which still proves enjoyable thanks to a light-hearted, knowingly daft approach, comical characters, plenty of silly deaths and mucho vehicular carnage.
Based on King's short story Trucks, the film sees the world's machinery turning on the human race after Earth passes through the tail of a comet. Lawnmowers, electric carving knives, ice cream vans, steamrollers, arcade machines, vending machines: all pose a threat to mankind. At the Dixie Boy Truck Stop, a group of people become trapped by malevolent trucks intent on the eradication of all human life—but only after they've been topped up with fuel!
'80s brat-pack heartthrob Emilio Estevez stars as short order cook Bill Robinson, and there are solid performances from sexy babe Laura Harrington as Bill's love interest Brett (hey, that's a bloke's name!), Pat Hingle as the truck stop's grouchy owner, and Yeardley 'Lisa Simpson' Smith and John Short as newly married couple Curt and Connie, all of whom pitch their performances perfectly with tongues firmly in cheek. The film also benefits from a rocking soundtrack courtesy of AC/DC, a fun cameo from King himself (who establishes the film's goofy style in his opening scene), numerous ridiculous and reasonably bloody kills, and a really cool truck with the face of the Green Goblin on the front.
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for the having the guts to run over a kid with a steamroller.
Based on King's short story Trucks, the film sees the world's machinery turning on the human race after Earth passes through the tail of a comet. Lawnmowers, electric carving knives, ice cream vans, steamrollers, arcade machines, vending machines: all pose a threat to mankind. At the Dixie Boy Truck Stop, a group of people become trapped by malevolent trucks intent on the eradication of all human life—but only after they've been topped up with fuel!
'80s brat-pack heartthrob Emilio Estevez stars as short order cook Bill Robinson, and there are solid performances from sexy babe Laura Harrington as Bill's love interest Brett (hey, that's a bloke's name!), Pat Hingle as the truck stop's grouchy owner, and Yeardley 'Lisa Simpson' Smith and John Short as newly married couple Curt and Connie, all of whom pitch their performances perfectly with tongues firmly in cheek. The film also benefits from a rocking soundtrack courtesy of AC/DC, a fun cameo from King himself (who establishes the film's goofy style in his opening scene), numerous ridiculous and reasonably bloody kills, and a really cool truck with the face of the Green Goblin on the front.
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for the having the guts to run over a kid with a steamroller.
- BA_Harrison
- Oct 22, 2014
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- 8 días de terror
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,433,663
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,205,644
- Jul 27, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $7,433,663
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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