October 29, 1997 (USA)
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.
Synopsis
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 resident Hope Gladstone, 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 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.
Movie Trailer
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, 35mm Still Camera 1 El PE178701
- Hollywoodedge, 35mm Still Camera 3 El PE178901
- Hollywoodedge, 1967 Plym Dopp Horn By PE738303
- Hollywoodedge, Air Brake Hiss Truck PE079201
- Hollywoodedge, Air Horn Blasts Truck PE079601
- Hollywoodedge, Air Horn Blasts Truck PE079701
- Hollywoodedge, Car Crash Light PE808801
- Hollywoodedge, Car Crash Small 1 Shor PE111901
- Hollywoodedge, Car Crash Small 2 Impc PE112001
- Hollywoodedge, Car Door OC64 Cad Rust PE075801
- Hollywoodedge, Car Door OCOld Creaky PE075701
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Car Flip Imp Rol PE111501
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Car Hood Glass PE111201
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Impact Wood Gla PE112301
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Metal Glass PE110801
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Metal Shatter PE110501
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Train Car Mix PE111601
- Hollywoodedge, Dog Large Angry Barks PE023801
- Hollywoodedge, Dry Skids Long Squeal PE297001
- Hollywoodedge, Electricity Arcing 3 PE200301
- Hollywoodedge, Glass Crash Sustaine PE112901
- Hollywoodedge, Half Glass Wood Door 5 PE181601 (The closing element is heard once in a low volume right before George asks "How you doing, Hope?".)
- Hollywoodedge, Highpitched Metal Sq PE188601
- Hollywoodedge, Large Ceramic Pot Bre TE023001/Pottery Drop Break PE112401
- Hollywoodedge, Lincoln Town Car In Sk PE073501
- Hollywoodedge, Truck Air Horn Numero PE270701 (Heard in a lower pitch.)
- Hollywoodedge, V8 Car Fast Skid To Sto PE072701
- Hollywoodedge, Window Pane Smash PE586402
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Break Or Shatter PE113401
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Crash Large PE113501 (Heard in a low pitch.)
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Door OC Bounce PE180501
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Door OCKnob PE180101
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Door OCKnob Ratt PE180201
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Door Open CloseH TE024001
- Sound Ideas, DOG, PANTING - HEAVY PANTING, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, EXPLOSION - LARGE EXPLOSION 06/07/08
- Sound Ideas, HORROR - HEAD CRUNCH, HUMAN 04
- Sound Ideas, HORROR - HEAD CRUNCH, HUMAN 06
- Sound Ideas, HORROR - HEAD CRUNCH, HUMAN 07
- Sound Ideas, SQUEAK, METAL - MOVE SIDE TO SIDE