Maximum Overdrive
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Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.
Cast
- Emilio Estevez
- Pat Hingle
- Laura Harrington
- Yeardley Smith
- John Short
- Ellen McElduff
- J.C. Quinn
- Christopher Murney
- Holter Graham
- Frankie Faison
Letterboxd User Reviews
2.5
75.5K
25.6K
14.5K
- Mar 17, 2022
The cinematic equivalent of being served a Mountain Dew with blood in it because you ordered it that way.
anna nomalyNov 22, 2020Stephen King famously became clean of all drugs and alcohol in 1987, due to an intervention from his family and loved ones. This movie came out in 1986. I do not feel the two are disconnected. I can imagine his family concerned for him during all his work. Reading his…
Paul ThomasMay 10, 2014If this is supposed to be a horror film, it is an abject failure. It's not ever scary, even for a second. But if it's supposed to be a comedy, then it is a masterpiece, sort of like a parody of King's THE MIST by King himself, about people tortured by trucks (who act like…
Matt Singer - Jan 13, 2026
one of those movies that SHOULD be good
David SimsJul 10, 2020The only film Stephen King ever directed, and I can see why! Apparently King was so coked out making this, he blinded his DP with a lawnmower. Not great! It's basically Night of the Living Dead but with trucks instead of zombies. About as scary as you'd imagine. Giving…
Will MenakerJul 30, 2019All those rigs and not a single pair of truck nutz
Liz - Oct 20, 2023
Thought based on its maligned reputation and the opening few minutes that show a real blacked-out cocaine addict's creative energy for a world where our machines have gone violently mad and turned against their makers (the blunt force vending machine can murder of a dad…
Josh LewisMay 23, 2026bad movie 🙄🙄🙄 bad movie, 1980s 🫨🫨🫨
SpencerOct 9, 2021“You can’t! We made you!” Seeming out of character among his usual books and film adaptations, author Stephen King’s only directorial effort Maximum Overdrive is a strange and tedious comedy-horror that has regrettably little to offer other than truck explosions and AC/DC…
braden
Queue Community Reviews
81%
Community 582
Top Reviews
- hornets_nest6 dislikedMaximum Overdrive
God Awful. It was one of those movies you laugh at. A terribly unsafe set and working conditions, combined with awful acting, and a cocaine fueled Stephen King was this movies demise. The movie had many plot errors and issues. Not to mention a score composed by AC/DC (hilarious)⭐️
ChungiBoi is "meh" onMaximum OverdriveAt the points where this film leans into the absurd stupidity that I came to it for it is a lot of fun, unfortunately, it spends a large amount of it’s time meandering and not executing many creative ideas given the fun premise
SpindlyMan is "meh" onMaximum OverdriveHad potential but falls flat. Several inconsistencies in the story line, weak acting, and a slow pace hinder this movie greatly. It’s a one and done.
- Morgan is "meh" onMaximum Overdrive
the pacing of this movie is so weird and all over the place i really wanted to like it too… 💀 all it needed was to back up the insane premise with some good kills and fun moments… but no… unfortunately it was just a snoozefest i liked the design of the toy truck though
Katharine lovedMaximum OverdriveI absolutely love this movie! My dad and I both love Stephen King and his film adaptations are almost always perfectly spot on because he helps the directors and producers create the entire thing.
Mickerdoo is "meh" onMaximum OverdriveTerribly decent. Shocking that AC/DC provided soundtrack. Good for some chuckles and cheap fun. What about the motorized boats…?
- adaley02 likedMaximum Overdrive
It’s a silly movie about cars, trucks and other electronics coming alive. It’s so dumb but fun
Dayton McShane lovedMaximum OverdriveCars infected by asteroid?!?! Explosions!!!! Awesome!!!! Watch please!!!!
Dark Sun likedMaximum OverdriveIt had moments of genuine “so-bad-it’s-good”, but it was way too long.
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
Maximum Overdrive is the classic botch. Good idea, nice effects, bad pacing, porous script, no punch...Too bad. As usual, the premise has promise. [26 July 1986, p.C1]
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
A mess of a movie, a no chills nightmare about what happens to a group of rubes at a Carolina truck stop when the machines go nuts. [29 July 1986, p.3]
Rick Kogan
Chicago Tribune
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maximum Overdrive (1986) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Maximum Overdrive (1986)?
The movie is 1hr 38min long.
What's Maximum Overdrive (1986) about?
A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.
Who's the cast of Maximum Overdrive (1986)?
- Emilio Estevez as Bill Robinson
- Pat Hingle as Bubba Hendershot
- Laura Harrington as Brett
- Yeardley Smith as Connie
- John Short as Curtis
- Ellen McElduff as Wanda June
- J.C. Quinn as Duncan Keller
- Christopher Murney as Camp Loman
- Holter Graham as Deke Keller
- Frankie Faison as Handy
Who's the director behind Maximum Overdrive (1986)?
Stephen King directed Maximum Overdrive (1986).
Who produced Maximum Overdrive (1986)?
Martha Schumacher, Dino De Laurentiis and Don Levin produced Maximum Overdrive (1986).
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