Killdozer

I watched a great movie last night. It's based off of a story by Theodore Sturgeon called Killdozer. The story is a good read. If you can find it, read it. You won't be sorry.
Filmed in 1974, Killdozer takes place on an island. A construction crew is there to build a base camp for an oil company. The boss (played by Clint Walker) tries to remove a rock (actually a meteorite) that is embedded in the ground. It releases some sort of entity or energy that takes over the bulldozer. The bulldozer goes on a rampage and tries to wipe the men out. In a way, the movie reminds me of Maximum Overdrive (another movie that I like), except it's just the bulldozer that's affected instead of all of the machines.

Here is the IMDB page for it: Killdozer

Here is the movie for those that want to watch it. Enjoy!

Don't laugh but I watched this film back in the seventies when I was a kid. For a long time after me and all my mates who saw it went around giving all tracked construction vehicles a wide berth, I think it kind of triggered off some temporary phobias in some of us. I remember being pretty freaked out by the film and have never forgotten the bit where the guy tried to hide in the corrugated steel pipe.

I kind of don't want to watch because it will probably seem quite tame, or even laughable and I worry that I might just loose one more bit of my childhood innocence figuratively speaking.

a reply to: hotel1

I can see how that could freak you out. Killer machines and all.
I've found that some movies I liked when I was a kid were dumb once I got older. Then again, some were still really good. I guess it's hit or miss. Thanks for the comment.

Great movie! I had the pleasure of working at the location while they were filming. All of the cast were such great people. I was just a kid and a "gofer," but, they treated me just like one of the guys. I remember Neville Brand drove to the set every day in a green Jag XKE.

a reply to: Skid Mark
Maybe the Granby Colorado person Martin Heemeyer watched this movie? He was a Muffler afficianado business man that knew how to weld. He had a beef with the city council and refitted/armored a bulldozer as a KILLDOZER. He destroyed most of the downtown area, 13 major buildings (made a statement); it did not end well as was a suicide mission. Google Colorado/Killdozer. The vids are awesome if not horribly tragic.

a reply to: SonofaSkunk

That's really cool. It must have been fun to watch.

a reply to: vethumanbeing

I heard about that. I actually saw some of the videos of it when I did a search for the movie so I could post it in this thread.
I think maybe he did watch it. Too bad he couldn't think of another way to take care of his problem.

a reply to: Skid Mark
It involved an eminent domain clause in his property lease/ownership of his muffler business. I agree, the man was desperate and had no other solution but to state his grievance and in the process; knowingly up his life (by his own hand) after he had a hydraulics leak on the dozer.

a reply to: vethumanbeing

So they took his property? That's a reason to get angry. I wouldn't do anything as extreme as he did but wow.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I will check it out.

On a side note, I have always been obsessed with killdozers. People who take an excavator or other construction machine and fortify it and basically make a rolling tank of destruction.

I have a good friend who is a certified mechanic that works on large axle stuff and used to work on heavy construction machines with his dad growing up that had a welding shop and general repair shop for anything motorized. They used to play around allot when I used to work for them and showed me how easy it is to build a killdozer. Some steel plating, revamped hydraulics, some exotic weapons like flame throwers or other blunt force weapons that work off the hydraulics...hell you can even make a cannon that fires non chemically propelled projectiles...and tada you have a killdozer that will take a tank or heavy explosives to take out.

LOL

There was that one guy in some town down in the south that destroyed an entire police departments cruisers and then proceeded to ramp up millions of dollars in damage to the town. He only stopped when he ran out of gas....

Not even swat could stop him.

Always made me think....what if people started to build these things?

Anyways, looks like a cool movie. I will definitely check it out.

a reply to: tadaman

Wow! Who said that creativity couldn't be destructive? I noticed that I never once saw one being used to take out zombies in movies. Now, that would be something.
I hope you enjoy the movie. Thanks for the laugh.

This must have been made after the bear market in 73 when they famously had to recruit pensioners to do construction work.

Times were hard, I tell you...

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: vethumanbeing

So they took his property? That's a reason to get angry. I wouldn't do anything as extreme as he did but wow.

They disallowed a prior agreement by citing 'immanent domain' (we want the property and do not have to abide by original contracts drawn). This is done when highways need to be expanded from 2 lanes to 4. Its common; usually one is compensated; in this case it was get out! no compensation for the business he built. I like the dozer though; truly inspirational in how he transformed it; google 'Colorado Killdozer'.