12 Horror Movies That Are Unintentionally Hilarious
2. Maximum Overdrive (1986)
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 theyre gassed out, after which they demand to be refuelled so they can, er, keep on truckin. Circle of life, you know. Like that years Howling II and King Kong Lives, Overdrive isnt completely humourless, but its never funnier than when it isnt 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 theres the dialogue. The biggest howler comes when girlfriend Laura Harrington tries to dissuade Emilio Estevez from refuelling the trucks. You cant do this, she tells him. Its like Neville Chamberlain giving in to the Nazis!
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
