Bizarre

Nothing Runs Like a Deere: Driverless Tractor Terrorizes Walmart Parking Lot

I saw this amazing video of a runaway John Deere tractor destroying the parking lot of a Walmart outside of Toronto. I would love to see how the liability issues emerge on this one. Product liability may be one given the ability of the tractor to run amok without a driver.

For many years, one of my sisters, Jennifer, and I had an annual competition of finding the worst movies ever. One year I won with Killdozer, a 1974 film of a bulldozer that becomes possessed by a strange glowing power from a meteorite. The bulldozer proceeds to chase six construction workers around an island off the coast of Africa. Cinema genius. (My other winner was Nazi zombie film, Shock Wave, where Nazi zombies inexplicably come to life on an island wearing swimming goggles and chase a ship wrecked group around the grounds of a mad Nazi scientist).

This video clearly shows the need for a sequel to Killdozer. Indeed, lawyers for Deere should look into any sightings of mereorites in the area.

25 thoughts on “Nothing Runs Like a Deere: Driverless Tractor Terrorizes Walmart Parking Lot”

  1. Marc,

    Sturgeon’s name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. A quick glance at his bibliography shows that he wrote one of my favorites, “The [Widget], The [Wadget], and Boff.” Thanks for reminding me of something I need to re-read.

  3. Hmmm, well my copy and paste skills are apparently lacking.

    Instead of the trailer for the Mangler it should have been This:

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS63VQLk9KE&w=640&h=390]

    Buddha,

    I don’t know I sort of enjoyed the unresolved nature of the original novella. I mean, how often does King just leave something hanging like that? Of course that’s part of why I like short stories in general, they just throw you into the world without having to explain it first, and they don’t necessarily tie up the ending in a neat little bow.

  4. Gyges,

    I agree about King. Mostly doesn’t translate well, however, there are a couple of exceptions that come to mind. The TV version of “The Stand” wasn’t bad considering the confines of TV, “The Green Mile”, “Stand By Me” (based on “The Body”), “Apt Pupil”, and “The Mist” (which I thought actually was more horrifying than the original short story with Darabont’s modified ending).

    I just hope they don’t screw up “The Dark Tower”. Ron Howard is bringing it to TV and the big screen in a cross-platform opus. I’ve heard they’ve offered the part of Roland Deschains to Javier Bardem. Am interesting and viable casting choice if Ron can hold the whole project together.

  5. Buddha,

    I’ve long held the position that very few King stories make good movies. Heck, the only reason that The Shining was so good was that Kubrick ignored the book for everything but the basics.

    Rafflaw,

    You’ve obviously never seen

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogRIPeUfe_A&w=640&h=390]

  6. It wasn’t a King story, but an old film from the 70’s? called Night of the Lepus, is far and away the worst film I have ever seen. It is horror movie about killer bunnies! Yes, you read that correctly, killer bunnies. It isn’t even a film that you enjoy by laughing at it!

  7. Ooooo. I had mentally blocked out that film, Gyges. One of King’s best short stories ever, but that film was just painfully sucky.

  10. OS,

    It could be just as bad. Check out the clips of “Maximum Overdrive” on YouTube. It’s odd that both terrible movies are based upon good short stories by great writers. Theodore Sturgeon wrote the story “Killdozer” is based upon just as Stephen King wrote “Trucks”, the basis for “Maximum Overdrive”. The whole machine-comes-to-life trope is hard to make work on the big screen even when it works on paper. I also point to the films “Demon Seed”, “Virus” and “Saturn 3” as examples of where this idea has gone terribly wrong.

  11. I, for one, applaud that liberal, pinko commie tractor for taking a stand against Wal-Mart and its cheap crap from China!

  12. Professor Turley, I have to know. Did you actually watch “Killdozer” all the way through? After just watching that clip I felt like washing my eyes out with bleach.

    1. Of course, Otteray, I watched the whole thing. It would be like leaving Richard III before the final battle. You cannot claim to be a fully invested American until you watch Killdozer from beginning to end.

  13. Metro Cowboy,

    I honestly expected to see fifty cop cars chasing this tractor around in a circle.. You know an OJ Simpson police chase.

    Helicopters overhead, Fox news etc etc.

  14. I loved watching the cops….never seemed to give a thought to getting their fat asses out of their patrol cars and attempting to stop the tractor…around and around they go and where they stop nobody knows.

  15. WOW… The other bad film…that Sinking Feeling…where people steal toilets… British…bad…it is really bad….

    OS….good point…

  17. Were a guess made (guesses are never correct?), the report in the National Post (the police are looking for whoever started the tractor and did whatever kept it running in circles?), means someone may yet face a jolly good time with law enforcement.

    John Deere is liable for a criminal act not their doing?

  19. Personally, I think at least one or two of these should be furnished to EVERY Wal-Mart. Maybe even use some of that stimulus money to buy them and furnish free of charge to all Wal-Marts. That might stimulate the small businesses on Main Street that had to close when the new Wal-Mart opened.

  20. Clean up in aisle 6 please….

    I heard that make it tough to return something at Wal Mart.

    Things must be “dear” at Wal Mart

    It moves and the cops didn’t shoot it????

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