10 Stephen King Film Remakes Needed To Erase The Terrible Originals

7. Maximum Overdrive

When Stephen King can't even get a Stephen King adaptation right, you have to wonder if it's worth reexamining. Still, reports of King's cocaine-fueled, inchoate directing endeavor make me wonder what could have been in the hands of a more talented filmmaker (King would swear off directing again shortly after its release). Unfortunately, that answer did not come by way of the first remake back in 1997. Accompanied by an AC/DC-penned soundtrack, Maximum Overdrive tells the story of machines coming to life after Earth passes through the tail of a rogue comet. It stars Emilio Estevez as a recent parolee coping with this brave new world. It might be difficult to tell from the above photo, but the original is a tad campy. Unfortunately, the film is a complete mess and fails to reach so-bad-it's-good territory, even for 80's horror crap. Right now, you're justifiably wondering what the point is of subjecting audiences to this abject suffering for a second time. And the most level-headed answer you'll likely get to that question is "morbid curiosity." And it's safe to assume most directors would consider it the professional equivalent of fishing your cell phone out of a toilet bowl. Still, this absolutely prime territory for Paul Verhoeven, even if it doesn't read as such on the surface. No one does tongue-in-cheek camp better and it's been way too long since he's directed anything. Throw in James Franco in the role not really made famous by Emilio and you could have a recipe for a cult classic. Or, failing that, something so bad it's good.