Stephen King On Filming ‘Maximum Overdrive’: “I Was Doing a Lot of Cocaine”

Stephen King has opened up about his time directing “Maximum Overdrive,” the only movie he ever directed, and what he took away from the experience. The film, released in 1986, is a loose adaptation of his short story “Trucks” from 1978.
The plot revolves around an asteroid passing Earth, which causes machines to come to life with deadly consequences. Despite King’s success as a writer, “Maximum Overdrive” turned out to be a critical and commercial failure, and he later distanced himself from it.
Speaking on The Kingcast, King admitted that his struggles with addiction played a major role in how the film turned out. At the time, he was heavily using cocaine and drinking, which affected his ability to direct. However, he still learned a lot from the experience, particularly from working with cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi and his brother Daniele. King also shared a funny memory about learning to swear in Italian on set.
“I went into it, and the thing is, at that time, I was doing a lot of cocaine and I was drinking a lot. You can tell! But, the thing is, man, I thought I knew how to make movies, and I realized if I did that again, I learned so much making ‘Maximum Overdrive,’ it was like this intensive seminar.”
In the 1980s, King was at the height of his career. His books were bestsellers, and Hollywood was eager to adapt them into films. While some were hits, others missed the mark. Eventually, he decided to try directing himself.
Producer Dino De Laurentiis acquired the rights to “Trucks,” and the film’s production designer, Giorgio Postiglione, suggested King should direct. Despite having no filmmaking experience, King agreed and was given $70,000 to bring his vision to life.
King had a clear idea of what kind of movie he wanted to make. He described “Maximum Overdrive” as his own version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” except with killer machines instead of birds. He didn’t aim for deep storytelling, just something fast, violent, and explosive. “I wanted it to move fast,” King told American Film magazine.
“It’s a wonderfully moronic picture in that sense. It’s a really illiterate picture in a lot of ways. There isn’t a lot of dialogue in it. It’s fast. A lot of things explode. It’s very profane, very vulgar, quite violent in some places. We’re going to have trouble with the ratings board, I guess.”
But the ratings board was the least of his problems. When production began in 1985, King quickly realized how little he actually knew about filmmaking. His inexperience, combined with his drug use, made things even harder. “The problem with that film is that I was coked out of my mind all through its production, and I really didn’t know what I was doing,” he later admitted.
Adding to the challenge was the language barrier. Most of the crew spoke Italian, and King didn’t, making communication difficult. Simple conversations stretched far longer than they should have, further slowing down production. Still, King managed to finish the film, though the problems didn’t stop there.
When “Maximum Overdrive” hit theaters in the summer of 1986, critics tore it apart, and audiences weren’t interested. The movie bombed, and King’s attempt at directing was seen as a failure. At first, he tried to defend it, telling British magazine Knave that he never intended to impress critics. “It’s the kind of picture I’d go and see, the kind I’d pay money for,” he said.
As time passed, however, he admitted the truth. “I didn’t do a very good job of directing it,” he later told Cinefantastique. At one point, he even compared it to “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” often considered one of the worst movies ever made. Reflecting on the experience, he said, “I can’t see myself doing anything like this again.”
That turned out to be true—King never directed another film. While he once considered directing an adaptation of his novel “Gerald’s Game,” it never happened. Instead, years later, filmmaker Mike Flanagan successfully adapted the book for Netflix.
Despite its reputation, “Maximum Overdrive” has gained a certain cult status over the years. The loud AC/DC soundtrack, over-the-top action, and sheer absurdity of the premise give it a unique charm.
As King himself put it during a 1986 promotional interview, “I like movies where you can just, like, check your brains at the box office and pick ‘em up two hours later. Sit and kind of let it flow over you and, you know, dig on it. This movie is just sort of gaudy blaaaaah. It’s not a heavy social statement.”
Looking back, it’s almost funny that King, at the peak of his popularity, was able to get a movie like “Maximum Overdrive” made simply because he wanted to. It may not be a great film, but there’s something entertaining about its existence. So if you’re in the mood for some ridiculous, 80s-style fun, crank up the AC/DC and enjoy the chaos.
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