Trucks (1997)

Have I seriously never reviewed this movie, which is the knock off of the seriously superior and very coke-fueled Maximum Overdrive?  Today I have a rare 24 hours off, with no family or work, and I'm determined to do some writing.  I got in a nostalgic mood early on, and trolled through Netflix and Amazon looking for comfortable sequels of my favorite franchises, to no avail.  So it will be time to dig for more obscure nostalgia, and first I have landed on Trucks. 

In this iteration, it's not just a truck stop, but also some cabins that house a hiking tour, which compels this group of people to end up together, surrounded by the now-possessed trucks.  There's all the stereotypes - the grizzled old war veteran, the hippie, the redneck, the strong beautiful woman returning to her hometown, the bickering couple,  the shy teen, the mouthy rebellious teen, and the hero (the much-touted Timothy Busfield).  If you've read the story, it follows pretty closely, if not in a somewhat clunky manner.  Sadly, there are no skeletons driving trucks as depicted by the poster art.  The ending was definitely more of a "woah!" than Maximum Overdrive. 

While they try to recreate it, the wonderful campiness and environment (Dixie Boy 4 EVAH!)  of Maximum Overdrive just isn't here, even though it's a decent rendition of the SK story.   The story itself is just kind of bizarre, and it lends to overacting and giant green demon trucks, not just a regular movie.