10 Bad Films That You Absolutely Must See

10. Maximum Overdrive

When the Earth passes through the “Extraordinarily diffuse” tail of Rhea-M, a rogue comet, machinery comes to life with demonic intent, causing steamrollers to squash kids and pinball machines to electrocute their players.

For reasons unexplained, a bunch of 18-wheelers, whose leader has a Green Goblin face (with glowing red eyes) on its front grille, have started circling the Dixie Boy Truck Stop until they’re gassed out, after which they demand to be refuelled so they can, er, keep on truckin’. Circle of life, you know.

Like that year’s Howling II and King Kong Lives, Overdrive isn’t completely humourless, but it’s never funnier than when it isn’t supposed to be. Trucks sneak up on people unawares, victims brace themselves against being run over by holding their hands in front of their faces and sub-Bernard Herrmann strings are heard whenever someone is attacked.

Then there’s the dialogue. The biggest howler comes when girlfriend Laura Harrington tries to dissuade Emilio Estevez from refuelling the trucks. “You can’t do this,” she tells him. “It’s like Neville Chamberlain giving in to the Nazis!”