In July 1986, Stephen King unleashed Maximum Overdrive, the only film he ever directed. Starring Emilio Estevez and fueled by an all-AC/DC soundtrack, the cult horror favorite has become an enduring rock-and-roll time capsule. And now, 40 years later, its explosive opening scene driven by “Who Made Who” has been named one of the greatest classic rock moments in movie history.
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The film begins with a mysterious comet causing the machines across Earth to come alive. An ATM gives King attitude in a memorable cameo from the writer/director. Gas pumps switch on by themselves. And everyday objects suddenly turn deadly.
View this post on InstagramThen, as the title card zooms onto the screen, AC/DC’s “Who Made Who” erupts, with Angus Young’s aggressive guitar riff cementing one of classic rock's most unforgettable movie openings. Watch the scene unfold here, but know there is some foul language involved.
Released July 25, 1986, King adapted Maximum Overdrive from his short story “Trucks.” Despite the helmer being on top of the literary world after publishing bestselling novels including Carrie, Salem’s Lot,The Shining, Cujo, and Pet Sematary, the movie tanked. Critics panned the film, calling it “minimum moviemaking” and “maximum crap.”
The film's director even agreed.
According to Louder, King admitted that he had no idea how to direct a film. He also said he directed the movie while heavily using cocaine and alcohol: “The problem with that film,” King said, “is that I was coked out of my mind all through its production, and I really didn’t know what I was doing.”
During production, Brat Pack star Estevez, who was visited frequently by his then-fiancée and fellow Brat Packer Demi Moore, knew that King’s film was a potential disaster. In an interview withVanity Fair, Estevez admitted as much but said he didn’t care; he just wanted to work with King.
“I’m not speaking out of class, because [King] knows it’s a terrible movie,” Estevez told the magazine. “The few times that I’ve connected with him over the years, he’s like, ‘Can you forgive me for that?’ I think at one point my mom said, ‘Why’d you do that movie?’ I said, ‘I wanted to work with Stephen King.’ And she said, ‘Couldn’t you have helped him paint his house?’”
Since its release four decades ago, though, Maximum Overdrive has become a so-bad-it’s-good favorite for genre fans. Part of the fanfare comes from AC/DC’s soundtrack. A longtime fan of the band from Down Under, King reportedly approached the band and even sang “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)” to prove how serious a fan he was.
At that time, the momentum Young and company built with For Those About to Rock (1981), Flick of the Switch (1983), and Fly on the Wall (1985) had cooled. So, the guys were looking for a creative jolt in the form of a comeback album, and the film collaboration with King gave them that opportunity.
After agreeing to create new material for the film, “Who Made Who” became the centerpiece of the soundtrack. Also included on the record were six classics, including “Hells Bells,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and “Ride On,” as well as new instrumental tracks, “D.T.” and “Chase the Ace.”
For the new recordings, AC/DC reunited with original producers Harry Vanda and George Young, which proved to be a good move. “Who Made Who” was a hit, reaching No. 23 on the U.S. rock chart and No. 16 in the U.K., with its parent album spending 42 weeks on the Billboard 200, climbing to No. 33 here and No. 11 across the pond. The album was also their first Platinum-selling record in five years, per American Songwriter.
Beyond chart tallies, however, the soundtrack introduced Acca Dacca to an entirely new generation of fans, with the film remaining the only feature film scored entirely with AC/DC music. In the end, Who Made Who became one of the most unexpected success stories to come out of an infamous Hollywood misfire, with AC/DC’s soundtrack effectively reigniting their career before Blow Up Your Video (1988) and The Razors Edge (1990).
“While Maximum Overdrive may not be a great movie,” American Songwriter said, “combining Stephen King and AC/DC was a fiendishly fun concept that gave us some unexpected new music from the famed group.”
Maximum Overdrive might be remembered as King’s maximum party foul, but his over-the-top opening sequence accomplished something much more monumental: It introduced what would become one of his favorite band’s signature hits of the decade, helped revive AC/DC’s commercial momentum, and proved that sometimes a movie’s greatest legacy isn’t the film itself; it’s the music that lives on after the credits roll.
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