Trucks (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Chris Thomson

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (short story)
Brian Taggert (teleplay)

Release Date:

26 December 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

U-Turn, U-Die!

Plot:

Based on the short story by Stephen King, this tells the tail of trucks suddenly coming to life and attacking their owners.

Plot Keywords:

Truck | Remake

Cast

Timothy Busfield	...	Ray
Brenda Bakke	...	Hope
Aidan Devine	...	Trucker Bob
Roman Podhora	...	Thad
Jay Brazeau	...	Jack
Brendan Fletcher	...	Logan
Amy Stewart	...	Abby
Victor Cowie	...	George
Sharon Bajer	...	June
Jonathan Barrett	...	Brad
Rick Skene	...	Trucker Pete
Don Granberry	...	Sheriff (as Don Granbery)
Barbara Lee Edwards	...	TV Reporter
Gene Pyrz	...	Refrigerator Truck Driver
Kirk Harper	...	Lina

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence/terror and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

Australia:95 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:PG-13 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Gunton, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Credo Entertainment Group

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In several shots drivers are visible as the trucks corral the stranded characters inside the truck stop - specifically as they make sharp turns around the fuel pumps.

Quotes:

Ray: Get back inside!
Trucker Bob: No way.
Ray: [he points the gun at him] Now!
Trucker Bob: You're bluffin', and I know it.

Movie Connections:

References "The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Comedy gold!

While mining for comedy gold I found this nugget, it's a real beauty of a bad movie.

It's based on a Stephen King short story which surprisingly isn't about a writer in Maine who is stuck for ideas, which is his usual hero. Instead there's some people in a truck stop who get menaced by trucks that come alive. Already you've got a plot that wouldn't look out of place in a Garth Marengi novel.

In the short story there is little explanation as to why the trucks have turned hostile and that kind of works, well it works better than any explanation a rational person could come up with because it's patently a bit silly. Better to just leave it as a mystery hey? So what does the movie do? Delves right in there looking for answers.

Various explanations come up, each more risible than the last. One fat guy thinks the trucks have come alive because of pollution or something, someone else thinks its to do with aliens. What I love best about the explanations is the way the actors look totally shamefaced as they say their lines. They know this is the lowest point in their probably now dead careers.

You've already got one shiny nugget of comedy gold right there even before you factor in the bad acting but wipe it against your sleeve and you'll see it really shines with much more.

A guy gets attacked with the most rubber looking axe in the history of film making. Honestly, I swear I had to watch that bit five times. Another guy gets attacked by a toy truck he could easily drop kick across the street and has to pretend to be knocked over so it can ram him in the head a few times.

This is priceless straight-faced comedy the like of which you rarely see these days. It's so poor it really deserves a 1 but I can't bring myself to give it less than 2 because it made me laugh so much.

If you love bad movies this one needs to be on your shelf. I would love to have seen Stephen Kings face when he first saw this aired.