Maximum Overdrive
Directed by Stephen KingWhen Earth passes through the tail of Rea-M rogue comet, the machines come to life and start to kill mankind. A group of survivors is under siege from fierce trucks at the Dixie Boy truck stop gas station and they have to fight to survive.
Maximum Overdrive Ratings & Reviews
- RichardNovember 9, 2025This is the cinematic equivalent of a fever dream in a truck stop. Stephen King, riding high on fame and other substances, decided to direct his own short story (Trucks) and turn it into a full blown movie. The result? A glorious mess of killer machines, AC/DC riffs and Emilio Estevez trying to act his way out of a vending machine apocalypse. The plot is simple: Earth passes through the tail of a rogue comet and suddenly all machines come to life and start murdering people. Lawnmowers, arcade cabinets and most famously, a demonic semi truck with a Green Goblin face. It’s chaos. Glorious, greasy chaos. King himself later admitted he was “coked out of his mind” during production and it shows. The tone swings wildly between horror, slapstick and accidental comedy. The pacing is erratic, the dialogue is bonkers and the direction? Let’s just say it’s enthusiastic. The cast does their best, Estevez is stoic, Yeardley Smith screams a lot and Pat Hingle looks like he wandered in from a Tennessee Williams play. The soundtrack? Pure AC/DC, blasting like it’s trying to drown out the script. This was King’s first and last time in the director’s chair. The production was reportedly a nightmare, with injuries, technical failures and a crew that probably aged five years in five weeks. It’s a cult classic now, but back then? Critics roasted it like a malfunctioning toaster. Still, it’s a must watch. Not because it’s good, but because it’s King unfiltered. A cinematic car crash you can’t look away from. And honestly? That truck face is iconic.
Maximum Overdrive Trivia
Maximum Overdrive was released on July 13, 1986.
Maximum Overdrive was directed by Stephen King.
Maximum Overdrive has a runtime of 1h 38m.
Maximum Overdrive was produced by Martha De Laurentiis.
When Earth passes through the tail of Rea-M rogue comet, the machines come to life and start to kill mankind. A group of survivors is under siege from fierce trucks at the Dixie Boy truck stop gas station and they have to fight to survive.
The key characters in Maximum Overdrive are Bill Robinson (Emilio Estevez), Hendershot (Pat Hingle), Brett (Laura Harrington).
Maximum Overdrive is rated R.
Maximum Overdrive is a Horror, Action, Science Fiction film.
Maximum Overdrive has an audience rating of 5 out of 10.
Maximum Overdrive had a budget of $10M.
Maximum Overdrive has made $7.4M at the box office.