


“Stephen King’s masterpiece of terror directed by the master himself.” the tagline for Maximum Overdrive promises the masterpiece horror film of 1986. Hell, the trailer amped up that pledge with Mr. King proclaiming he would “scare the hell out you!” However, when the machines take over the world, shit gets real. Christopher G. Moore is joined by Stephen King aficionado, Dave Dreher.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 140 — Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, Maximum Overdrive brought not only the Stephen King short story Trucks to the big screen but also had the maestro himself behind the wheel providing the screenplay and sitting in the director’s chair. While the film tanked at the box office upon its 1986 release, it has garnered a cult following over the years with the “Green Goblin” truck becoming iconic, the bombastic AC/DC soundtrack, and the legendary rumors of on-set turmoil & chaos. The cast includes Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, and Laura Harrington.

Christopher G. Moore and Dave Dreher revisit the classic/no-so-classic monster-piece recounting the time they saw the film for the first time and how it holds up today. They discuss its path to becoming a cult classic and the troubles and rumors along the way. The cast and the effects are examined along with the conflicting internal logic the film sometimes follows. It’s all here for a special episode demanded by the DoH listeners: Maximum Overdrive.

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.


Doc Rotten