Indie film news, reviews, commentary, interviews, podcasts and more, updated throughout the week.
41. Maximum Overdrive (1986)
By IFC
on 06/25/2009
With apologies to Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle and Yeardley Smith, the true star of the truckapocalypse known as "Maximum Overdrive" was Stephen King. The film was King's first (and, to date, last) time in the director's chair, and the author featured prominently in its print advertising (where he appeared ripping apart the side of a truck with his bare hands) and in its trailer, where he speaks directly to the camera and invites people to come see his directorial debut.
The movie has since accrued a reputation as a laughably bad camp classic. So "Maximum Overdrive" may not be very frightening, but holy shit, Stephen King sure is. His speech begins pleasantly enough. He introduces himself, explains that he's directed his first movie. But as the trailer progresses, King grows more and more agitated. With his coy, bucktoothed smile and unblinking eyes, he looks like the psychotic love child of Norman Bates and the Domino's Pizza Noid. By cutting effectively between "Overdrive" and King's own demonic rant, the trailer builds to a crescendo of creepiness where the writer, lit on one side by an ominous green light, points wide-eyed into the lens and announces "I'm gonna scare the hell out of you!" Mission accomplished, Steve. --Matt Singer
I guess you guys haven't seen the trailer for The Hughes Bros.'s Dead Presidents, huh? What about Forest Gump? I think those are the 2 greatest of all time. Gump is better than the movie. And Dead Prez is the best ever.
Oh... what about the SW Ep 1 teaser? Maybe you should call this the best film trailers on YouTube! LOL. Dead Prez is probably too hard for you to locate.
I think The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and 300 should be included!
Clerks? No love for the Clerks trailer? Sigh.
Honorable mention for the Grindhouse fake trailers? "Don't" was brilliant.
Great list, by the way. Thanks for including 'Man Who Wasn't There'
Seriously? We have to click 50 times just to get the damn list? No thanks.
Like clicking 50 times is soooo hard, right? But you guys forgot about There Will Be Blood!!
50 PAGES?!!! Get back to work researching how to post an article. No Digg for you.
50 PAGES?!!! Get back to work researching how to post an article. No Digg for you.
GREAT article and flawless pick for #1. I actually did a lil piece on that trailer at our own movie blog, so I'm elated to see as your top pick. Yay trailers!