Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Directed by Stephen King. Starring Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, John Short, Yeardley Smith, Ellen McElduff, Holter Graham, J. C. Quinn, Leon Rippy, Frankie Faison, Christopher Murney, Barry Bell, J. Don Ferguson, Patrick Miller. [R]

Imbecilic trash movie about a group of people holed up in a gas station after a comet passes Earth and electrical devices on the planet (including a fleet of big rig trucks) take on a life of their own, quickly demonstrating hostility toward their human designers. What little fun there is comes during the setup, with enough carnage and accidental laughs to satisfy fans of low-rent sleaze, but the pic runs out of steam early, doesn’t even bother trying to milk its silly but promising premise, and turns downright dull down the stretch. The actors either try too hard (McElduff repeatedly screaming, “We made you!” is worthy of a notation on the Overacting Wall of Shame) or not at all; it may seem pointless to gripe about performances in a movie like this, but that’s really all there is to focus on when the trucks just grumble and circle for hours at a time outside. Stephen King adapts his short story “Trucks” for the big screen himself, and also directs it (his only credit to date, for good reason), and, oh, what the heck, he also cameos at the beginning. Music by hard rock band AC/DC; soundtrack features the new single “Who Made Who,” but nearly all the other tracks are just past radio hits.

29/100