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Maximum Overdrive

  • 19861986
  • RR
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,956
563
Stephen King, Emilio Estevez, and Laura Harrington in Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:23
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionComedyHorror
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.
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,956
563
    • Stephen King
    • Stephen King(a film by)
  • Stars
    • Emilio Estevez
    • Pat Hingle
    • Laura Harrington
    • Stephen King
    • Stephen King(a film by)
  • Stars
    • Emilio Estevez
    • Pat Hingle
    • Laura Harrington
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 255User reviews
    • 115Critic reviews
    • 24Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:23
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos126

    Emilio Estevez and Laura Harrington in Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Emilio Estevez, John Brasington, Frankie Faison, Robert Gooden, and Laura Harrington in Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Laura Harrington and Christopher Murney in Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Yeardley Smith in Maximum Overdrive (1986)
    Laura Harrington and Christopher Murney in Maximum Overdrive (1986)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Emilio Estevez
    Emilio Estevez
    • Bill Robinson
    Pat Hingle
    Pat Hingle
    • Hendershot
    Laura Harrington
    Laura Harrington
    • Brett
    Yeardley Smith
    Yeardley Smith
    • Connie
    John Short
    John Short
    • Curt
    Ellen McElduff
    Ellen McElduff
    • Wanda June
    J.C. Quinn
    J.C. Quinn
    • Duncan
    Christopher Murney
    Christopher Murney
    • Camp Loman
    Holter Graham
    Holter Graham
    • Deke
    Frankie Faison
    Frankie Faison
    • Handy
    Pat Miller
    • Joe
    Jack Canon
    • Max
    Barry Bell
    • Steve
    John Brasington
    • Frank
    J. Don Ferguson
    J. Don Ferguson
    • Andy
    Leon Rippy
    Leon Rippy
    • Brad
    Robert Gooden
    Robert Gooden
    • Barry
    • (as Bob Gooden)
    R. Pickett Bugg
    • Rolf
      • Stephen King
      • Stephen King(a film by) (written for the screen by) (based on the short story "Trucks" by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When asked why he hasn't directed a movie since "Maximum Overdrive", Stephen King responded "Just watch Maximum Overdrive."
    • Goofs
      The 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 versions
      There 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 Man At Bank ATM (Stephen King) greeting a few passer-byes just before sticking his bank card in the machine slot.
      • 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 was a rumor 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Cinemania: Stephen King: O vasilias tou tromou (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Who Made Who
      Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson

      Produced by Harry Vanda, George Young

    User reviews255

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Campy fun from King.
    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.
    helpful•6
    0
    • BA_Harrison
    • Oct 23, 2014

    FAQ1

    • Is the uncut version with head explosion available anywhere?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 25, 1986 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • EUE/Screen Gems Studios - 1223 N 23rd Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
    • Production company
      • De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 38 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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