Stephen King is an author who needs no introduction. His horror and thriller novels, including “IT,” “Misery,” and “The Shining,” are not only beloved classics, but they have also made for some exceptionally memorable films and television. As many of his books have become movies, an interesting movie-trivia factoid is that King has directed only one of his stories when it was adapted to film. That film was 1986’s “Maximum Overdrive,” and his choice to do so was more out of curiosity than anything.
“Maximum Overdrive” is loosely based on the short story “Trucks” from King’s “Night Shift” collection, and it tells the story of a group of human survivors under attack by machines, appliances, and vehicles that have been brought to life by alien influence. The aliens are led by a semitruck wearing a Green Goblin mask, and it’s one of the best starring roles for a tractor trailer behind Cledus’ 18-wheeler in “Smokey and the Bandit,” Optimus Prime in “Transformers,” and the T-1000’s big rig in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day.”
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Maximum Overdrive is a thriller about people trying to survive a machine uprising
Scene from “Maximum Overdrive” showing front end of the alien semi-truck – De Laurentiis Entertainment Group/Rialto Pictures
Originally released in 1986, “Maximum Overdrive” begins with a mysterious comet passing by the Earth. Immediately after, machines all over the world spring to life with malicious intent, such as a vending machine launching soda cans with deadly force and arcade machines firing off electrical sparks. In the midst of the chaos, a group of survivors, including ex-convict Bill (played by Emilio Estevez), take refuge in a truck stop in an effort to survive the menacing self-driving vehicles.
Estevez and the green-faced semitruck are the stars of this movie, but King himself makes a cameo in the film as the first victim of the machine attacks; Other familiar faces include Yeardly Smith (the voice of Bart Simpson) and Giancarlo Esposito, who later starred as Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad.” While not exactly a high point of King’s works, it’s still fondly remembered as a classic ’80s popcorn flick.
King directed the project largely out of curiosity
Promotional movie poster for “Maximum Overdrive” – De Laurentiis Entertainment Group/Rialto Pictures
In an early interview promoting the release of “Maximum Overdrive,” King was asked why he opted to direct the picture himself rather than simply hiring a director whom he knew he could trust. King’s reasoning was, in a single word, curiosity. According to King, following the release of “The Shining,” he received letters from fans proclaiming that Kubrick’s treatment of the novel had ruined it and bemoaning King’s own perceived lack of involvement. He wondered if headed up this project himself would net the same results or give the fans exactly what they wanted.
Of course, King wasn’t a director professionally, and his lack of experience in the matter made the production very difficult overall. By King’s own admission in an interview in the book “Hollywood’s Stephen King,” he didn’t really know what he was doing in the directorial role, and for a large part of the production, he was taking large doses of cocaine to keep himself going. While he considered taking another shot at directing someday — as of this writing though at King has not directed another film since “Maximum Overdrive.”
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