Stephen King’s Only Directed Movie Is Now Streaming Free, 39 Years After Its Epic Flop

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Numerous films have been based on stories, but only one was directed by the legendary author himself: “Maximum Overdrive.” Initially met with negative reviews upon its release, it’s now considered an underappreciated cult classic by many fans nearly four decades later. Now, fans of Stephen King will get a chance to rewatch “Maximum Overdrive” for free, 39 years after its initial premiere.

The movie titled “Maximum Overdrive” is now available for free streaming on Tubi, as it has been recently added to their collection (as per the source). However, it’s unlikely that Stephen King will be watching it. Though he had the chance to direct it himself, the writer of “Carrie” and “Pet Sematary” was ultimately unsatisfied with the final product. After the movie failed at the box office, King distanced himself from “Maximum Overdrive” and never tried his hand at directing another film again.

In his reflections on the movie’s production, King admitted, “I found myself deeply involved in using a lot of cocaine and drinking excessively at that time. It’s evident if you look back!” However, he added, “I thought I knew how to direct films, but making Maximum Overdrive taught me so much that it felt like an intense learning experience.

Stephen King Adapted His Own Story With Maximum Overdrive

The film is adapted from Stephen King’s short story “Trucks,” originally published under the anthology “Night Shift.” In this tale, machinery gains consciousness and launches a global rampage, turning ordinary objects like trucks and vending machines into deadly pursuers for humanity. What sets it apart from other King stories is its use of campy humor instead of focusing solely on horror. Additionally, the movie gained notoriety for featuring AC/DC as its soundtrack.

In my humble opinion as a movie enthusiast, I must confess that “Maximum Overdrive” was met with less-than-warm reception from the critics. This Stephen King adaptation, featuring Emilio Estevez in the lead role, has an abysmal 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a figure that speaks volumes about its quality. Notably, esteemed critics like Leonard Maltin gave the film the lowest possible score in their reviews.

The movie’s lackluster performance didn’t stop at critical acclaim; it also garnered nominations for Worst Director (King) and Worst Actor (Estevez) at the Golden Raspberry Awards, a testament to its less-than-stellar portrayal. To add insult to injury, it managed to gross only around $7.8 million at the box office against a production budget of $9 million. Needless to say, it didn’t quite hit the mark with audiences or critics alike.

Some people still enjoy watching the film “Maximum Overdrive“, finding it entertaining despite its poor initial reception in 1986. Notably, one of these fans is Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son who has gone on to achieve success as an author. Interestingly, Hill has hinted at the possibility of him being involved with a potential remake or reboot of “Maximum Overdrive“.

Hill stated on the podcast that the moment is perfect for this, and essentially, we’re talking about self-driving vehicles here. The trigger isn’t a comet but rather a virus in the electronics that causes them to malfunction. This scenario involves massive Tesla semi trucks causing chaos on the roads. I find it quite intriguing.

Maximum Overdrive is .

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2025-07-07 04:52