Trucks (1997) -
Weasello Rating:
{>>--} (whee)
Please note that this review is laden with spoilers.
Posessed-Truck Count: 6 on-screen, 5 of which were "killed." (Plus one
helicopter, implying that more vehicles were "posessed" elsewhere in the country... or the world!)
Body count: 8, plus one
implied death.
Plot Outline: Though classified as a
Horror, I couldn't find it in me to take this movie as "
scary" for even one second. It was suspenseful at a few times, but suspense and death does not mean horror.
The plot is very simple: Trucks are driving themselves and trying to kill us all! The entire movie takes place a few hours drive from Area 51, so the cause of this could be some secret military test. However, a
character in the movie suggests that it could be "alien rays" released from a meteor shower the week before. Who knows the cause, but these trucks sure are evil.
After trapping all of the main characters into a small truck-stop cafe, the trucks force the attendant to re-fuel them and thusly (and ironically) enslaving the humans to do their bidding.
A particularly funny moment in the movie occurs when one of the trucks "dies" and the other vehicles surround it, wiping their windshields (shedding tears?), honk at each other, and flash their headlights. It's a very sad scene,
I almost cried.
Though the movie makers did a good job of making the vehicles look driver-less, the special effects were limited and the plot hokey. Acting wasn't that hot, either. This movie ranks up there with
Killdozer in lame-car-comedy-horror. Worth watching at least once though!
Interesting Notes:
- This was a made-for-TV movie and never appeared in theatres.
- This movie was filmed in Manitoba, Canada. Figures.
- A redneck truck driver scratches his crotch and really digs those fingers in for a full 3-5 seconds in full sight of the camera. Eugh.
Fun Quotes!
- "Parents can be a serious haphzard to your health." - Abby
Lead roles:
Directed by: Chris Thomson (I)
Writing credits: Stephen King (short story) &
Brian Taggert (teleplay)
Tagline: U-Turn, U-Die!
Sources: The oh-so-wonderful IMDB, my head, and the box.