Trucks (film)

Last updated
Trucks
Trucks film.jpg
Release poster
Genre Horror
Based on"Trucks"
by Stephen King
Written byBrian Taggert
Directed byChris Thomson
Starring
Music by Michael Richard Plowman
Country of origin
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
CinematographyRob Draper
Editor Lara Mazur
Running time95 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network USA Network
ReleaseOctober 29, 1997 (1997-10-29)

Trucks is a 1997 horror television film directed by Chris Thomson, which follows the story of a group of tourists and locals attacked by autonomous trucks and other inexplicable phenomena in a rural town. It is based on Stephen King's short story "Trucks", which also served as the source material for Maximum Overdrive , the only film directed by King. Trucks aired on the USA Network on October 29, 1997.

Contents

Plot

Lunar is a small Nevada town kept alive by its military base (near Area 51), and urban folklore featuring aliens. One morning, local Phil is killed after a truck with no driver veers into his home. A transfer truck carrying frozen meats later starts swerving erratically. The driver notices this, exits the trailer and inspects it. The truck then locks the driver inside its trailer and drives off. Meanwhile, local Hope, who has a hiking and tourism business, picks up a group of tourists: Jack, Thad, and Abby. Hope and the tourists eventually come across Phil's truck, which is blocking the road. Then, the driverless frozen meat truck nearly hits them. Distraught, Hope calls local Ray, having found Phil's corpse lying nearby, lacerated. Ray takes the group in his own car back to Lunar. The car, however, is hit and nearly destroyed while by a yellow truck. The group eventually reaches a diner. Trucks with no driver are circling the lot between the diner, Hope's cabins and Ray's gas station. News reports are also coming in, all timed between bouts of static. A report reveals that a large black cloud is a leak from a chemical factory accident near the military base.

Two HAZMAT workers are called in to investigate the cloud. However, one HAZMAT suit in their truck inflates with air, picks up an ax and murders both workers. The truck then joins the others in Lunar. In a toy store, an RC Tonka dump truck breaks a window and eventually kills a postal worker.

As the group is split up between the cabins and the diner, Ray's teenage son Logan and Abby are trapped with tourists Brad and June. Brad attempts to repair a seemingly dead truck near the cabins, but it animates and kills him. June is then rescued by Ray, who brings her back to the diner. Abby and Logan attempt to reach the diner, but become trapped in a drain pipe beneath the lot as a truck attempts to dump silt over them and asphyxiate them.

Meanwhile, two rednecks beat Thad unconscious. One redneck is eventually knocked out by Jack while the second one runs outside.

Ray gets Logan and Abby out of the drainpipe, but cannot rescue the redneck, who is chased by the trucks and is forced to flee into the nearest building, where he proceeds to get drunk on beer left there. He uses the beers to create Molotov cocktails, but accidentally kills himself in the process, blowing up a building. The trucks then leave Ray alone, sparing him. This prompts the humans to create a plan: Thad will use a motorcycle stored in the garage to sneak up to the base and seek help, while the group will sneak out at night and venture through the forest as Ray distracts the trucks. June wanders up a hillside, where a truck kills her.

At night, Logan rescues the motorcycle and brings it indoors before a truck destroys the garage. An outdoor payphone rings, and Abby runs outside to answer it, causing Jack to shove her aside as a truck nearly hits her. However, Jack himself is crushed to death in the process. The trucks knock out the diner's water supply and electric generator; they spared Ray believing that, as the gas station owner, he is the only human who can refuel them. As Ray and Hope refuel the trucks, Thad and Abby sneak away on the motorcycle. Ray, Hope and Logan meet up in the forest. Police officer George does not make it, but shoots at the trucks, causing one to tip over and become stuck. The leader truck unhooks from the trailer, kills George and gets stuck in the diner after crashing into it. Ray finds a hunting rifle in a truck's body and shoots at the truck in the diner, causing the entire structure to explode.

That morning, the burned-up truck returns to chase the three survivors, who climb aboard a helicopter and are saved. There, they find a traumatized Abby. Ray later realizes that no one is piloting the helicopter, which starts tilting upwards further into the sky.

Cast

Trucks used in the film

Production

Principal photography concluded on August 22, 1997. Shooting took place in Gunton and Winnipeg, Manitoba. [2] [3]

Reception

Trucks received very little critical attention outside of independent internet blogs. TV Guide rated Trucks 2/4 stars and wrote, "The film is all premise and no plot, a problem made worse by the clumsy addition of extraneous gory sequences." [4] Rob Dean of Daily Grindhouse commended the film's various actors, but gave an unfavourable review overall, stating, "Trucks doesn’t realize that it is a movie couched in real fears but would be better explored through a lot of vehicular action and exaggerated gruesomeness and insanity. It’s far too subdued, and not nearly loony enough. The constant attempt to ground the story in a “logical” explanation - mostly delivered by a TV set that shouldn’t work but does, and only gets the exposition channel - undercuts the fact that this could just be a goofy thing with some menace that people would overanalyze on the Internet 20 years later." Dean compared the film unfavourably to the cult horror film Rubber . [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Easy Rider</i> 1969 film by Dennis Hopper

Easy Rider is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South, carrying the proceeds from a cocaine deal. Other actors in the film include Jack Nicholson, Karen Black and Toni Basil. The success of Easy Rider helped spark the New Hollywood era of filmmaking during the early 1970s.

<i>Breakdown</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Jonathan Mostow

Breakdown is a 1997 American crime thriller film directed and co-written by Jonathan Mostow. It stars Kurt Russell, J. T. Walsh and Kathleen Quinlan. The original music score was composed by Basil Poledouris. The film was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis. Breakdown follows a man and his wife who are driving cross-country from Massachusetts to San Diego when their new car mysteriously breaks down. A truck driver stops and assists them by taking his wife to the nearest diner to phone for help but in reality is kidnapping her, causing her husband to track down his wife and the kidnapper himself.

<i>Torque</i> (film) 2004 film directed by Joseph Kahn

Torque is a 2004 American action film directed by Joseph Kahn, written by Matt Johnson and produced by Neal H. Moritz. The film stars Martin Henderson, Ice Cube, Monet Mazur, Adam Scott, Matt Schulze, Jaime Pressly, and Jay Hernandez. Its plot follows Cary Ford, a biker discovers and stows away motorcycles filled with crystal meth, but a gangster, Henry James, has plans to recover his drugs. He frames Ford for the murder of his rival Trey's brother, who heads the Reapers, a biker gang. Ford goes on the run in an attempt to clear his name, while the FBI and multiple groups of motorcycle-mounted marauders chase after him.

<i>Jack Frost</i> (1998 film) 1998 Christmas fantasy comedy film by Troy Miller

Jack Frost is a 1998 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Troy Miller and starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston. Keaton plays the title character, a father and musician killed in a car accident, only to be brought back to life in the form of a snowman via a magical harmonica. It received negative critical reviews and became a box-office bomb, grossing just $34 million against a budget of $40–85 million.

<i>Reindeer Games</i> 2000 film by John Frankenheimer

Reindeer Games is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III. The film revolves around ex-convict Rudy Duncan, who is dragged into a situation against his will: he must help a group of thieves rob a casino in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or he will be killed.

<i>The Inglorious Bastards</i> 1978 Italian Euro War film by Enzo G. Castellari

The Inglorious Bastards is a 1978 Italian Euro War film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Jackie Basehart, and Ian Bannen. The film, which concerns a group of prisoners who are drafted into a special war mission in 1944, is a loose (unauthorized) remake of the 1967 American film The Dirty Dozen.

<i>Jack Frost</i> (1997 film) American film by Michael Cooney

Jack Frost is a 1997 American direct-to-video black comedy slasher film written and directed by Michael Cooney. It stars Scott MacDonald and Christopher Allport.

"Johnny Cakes" is the 73rd episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eighth of the show's sixth season. Written by Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on April 30, 2006.

<i>The Nature of the Beast</i> (1995 film) 1995 American film

The Nature of the Beast is a 1995 American direct-to-video mystery horror film written and directed by Victor Salva and starring Eric Roberts and Lance Henriksen.

<i>Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except</i> 1985 American film

Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except, also known as Stryker's War, is a 1985 American action horror film directed by Josh Becker and starring Robert Rickman, John Manfredi, Tim Quill, Cheryl Hausen, Perry Mallette and Sam Raimi. It was written by Becker and Scott Spiegel from a story by Becker, actor Bruce Campbell, and Sheldon Lettich.

<i>Die Trying</i> (novel) Novel by Lee Child

Die Trying is the second novel in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 1998 by Bantam Press in the UK and by Putnam in the US. It is written in the third person.

<i>Lake Placid 2</i> 2007 film by David Flores

Lake Placid 2 is a 2007 American made-for-television comedy horror film directed by David Flores. It is a sequel to Lake Placid (1999) and the second installment in the Lake Placid film series, telling the story of man-eating crocodiles who terrorize the local community. The film premiered on April 28, 2007 on the Sci-Fi Channel and was released direct to video on January 29, 2008.

Throttle is a novella written by Joe Hill and Stephen King. It was published in February 2009 by Gauntlet Press in a limited edition anthology honoring Richard Matheson titled He Is Legend, and in a mass-market audiobook titled Road Rage, also containing Matheson's short story "Duel", which served as inspiration for Throttle. A comic book adaptation by IDW Publishing was published in the spring of 2012.

<i>Hobo with a Shotgun</i> 2011 film

Hobo with a Shotgun is a 2011 exploitation black comedy action film directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies. Based on Eisener's fictitious trailer of the same name from Grindhouse (2007), it is the second feature-length adaptation of a fictitious Grindhouse trailer, following Robert Rodriguez's Machete (2010).

<i>Sixpack Annie</i> 1975 film by Graydon F. David

Sixpack Annie is a 1975 American comedy film directed by Graydon F. David. The film was aimed at the drive-in theatre circuit that was advertised with tags "Lookout... She's Legal Now! She's Out to Tear the Town Apart!" and "She's got the boys glad and the sheriff mad", amongst others. Another tagline used was "She's the pop top princess with the recyclable can." It starred Lindsay Bloom in the title role of Annie Bodine and Joe Higgins as Sheriff Waters. Other actors included Larry Mahan, Ray Danton, Louisa Moritz, Bruce Boxleitner, Doodles Weaver and Stubby Kaye. Adverts depicted a pre-Daisy Duke kind of character, a buxom country gal in a tied-front top and tiny cut-off jeans opening an oversized can of beer. The picture carried an MPAA R rating due to language and one nude scene.

<i>Bunnyman</i> (film) 2011 film by Carl Lindberg

Bunnyman is a 2011 American slasher film written, directed and produced by Carl Lindbergh. The film spawned two sequels, Bunnyman 2 released in 2014, and Bunnyman Vengeance which was released on October 20, 2017 on VOD, and November 21st on Blu-ray and DVD.

<i>DC Showcase: Catwoman</i> 2011 film directed by Lauren Montgomery

DC Showcase: Catwoman, also titled as simply Catwoman, is a 2011 short animated superhero film, directed by Lauren Montgomery and written by Paul Dini. It was released on October 18, 2011, as a bonus feature and continuation of the Catwoman story line on Batman: Year One Blu-ray and DVD. It is the fifth installment in the DC Showcase series. The film features Eliza Dushku as Catwoman / Selina Kyle in her first solo tale, as she attempts to bring both a Gotham City crime boss called Rough Cut and his smuggling ring to an end, stumbling upon a mysterious cargo shipment far worse than just smuggled diamonds.

<i>Rolling Vengeance</i> 1987 Canadian exploitation film

Rolling Vengeance, also known as Monster Truck, is a 1987 Canadian exploitation film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern and starring Don Michael Paul and Ned Beatty. The movie follows a truck driver who builds a special, eight-ton truck to help get revenge against the rednecks who killed his family and raped his girlfriend. The film script's initial premise centred on a young boy who created special monster trucks in order to eliminate drunk drivers.

<i>One Crowded Night</i> 1940 American film

One Crowded Night is a 1940 drama film directed by Irving Reis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GMC Hummer EV</span> Battery electric pickup truck and SUV

The GMC Hummer EV is a line of battery electric heavy-duty vehicles produced by General Motors since 2021, and sold under the GMC marque. The Hummer EV is offered in two variants: a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle (SUV), unveiled in October 2020 and April 2021 respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 "Trucks (1997)". AllMovie . Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  2. ↑ Walker, Morley (August 6, 1997). "Gunton Taking Trucks In Stride". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hindes, Andrew (1997-08-22). "Trimark ups telepic ante". Variety . Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  4. ↑ "Trucks". TV Guide . Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  5. ↑ Dean, Rob. "[KING OF ALL MEDIA] TRUCKS (1997)". dailygrindhouse.com. Daily Grindhouse. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.