Truck or Treat! Make That “Threat”- Dennis Weaver VS Sinister Semi in “Duel”- Tonight!

We kick off Halloween month  with a road trip-  on a dangerous desert highway  where  a traveling salesman finds himself the target of  a mysterious mass of moving metal - a terrifying tanker truck-  as it stalks his vehicle! This bumper-bashing behemoth takes on Dennis Weaver in a pedal-to-the-metal one-sided demolition derby-  it's a deadly “Duel”!

David has had better weeks- he's late for a big business meeting, and on the outs with his wife  after an incident at a party. The solace of a drive on the wide-open, lonely two-lane desert highway could almost be mediation for him- but he finds himself stuck behind a tanker truck, whose noxious exhaust makes him cough, while its slowpoke driving delays his progress. He tries to pass the truck, whose driver appears to be toying with him- blocking his attempts to pass-and finally squeezes past the tanker- only to have it barrel down the road and pass him!  David makes a pit stop at a gas station, only to see the truck parked opposite his car at the pumps.He makes a quick call to his wife, which only pours more gas on their argument (see what I did there?)- and is pretty steamed by the time the goofy service attendant tries to get him to replace a radiator hose. He pulls away from the station, as the trucker blasts his horn trying to get the attendant's attention.

David’s Plymouth Valiant heads down the highway, only to find the truck accelerating towards him, overtaking him and passing him- but it again slows down, and keeps blocking any attempt to pass! More cat and mouse motoring ensues, with David starting to realize that  he's definitely being targeted by the blacktop bully. David's drive deteriorates into a high speed chase, with the truck playing "bumper cars" as it tailgates the fearful salesman.Spotting a diner, David swerves off the road, giving him some bumps and bruises, and his car some new dents. Shaken and with his nerves shot, he stumbles into the diner to try and calm down.

Once inside, and seated- he looks out the window-only to see the truck parked right outside- and paranoia strikes, as David scans the diner's patrons, feverishly trying to guess which one of them might be his nemesis!After an uncomfortable  case of mistaken accusation, David returns to his battered vehicle, and is on the road again- only to find the tanker truck waiting for him- and the chase is on again, with David seemingly unable to escape from the monstrous eight-wheeler out to deal him mechanized death!

We're happy that Universal  has permitted us to again bring you Steven Spielberg’s legendary 1971 early full-length directing effort. Yes, it was originally made for TV, but we have an expanded version put together for theatrical showing. Dennis Weaver's raw emotions as the driver faced with the inexplicable  threat of treacherous road rage builds  a truckload of tension that will have YOUR adrenaline pumping. We’ll tell you a little about the production and the somewhat limited cast, serenade you with a Sven song, and bring back not only a classic Sven take-off on another Weaver role but also a favorite insurance commercial parody that many Sven viewers would award a citation!

"Duel" starts rolling at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central on MeTV- if you're unsure of time  and channel in your area,check your local listings, or at www.metv.com . MeTV invites you to live-Tweet along with the show- just head to twitter and use the hashtag #svengoolie . It seems like we're rending nationally every week! Our Chicago area viewers can get a second look at "Wolf Man" at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

And- if you're reading this early enough , and in that Chicago viewing area, you can also come meet me at the Chicago Ghost Conference at the Brauerhouse in Lombard, IL. from noon to 2 pm. More information on this and other upcoming events are under the "appearances" tab on this site.

We're honored to have been interviewed for an article in the prestigious New York daily newspaper "Newsday" - it looks like the article will be in the Saturday October 14th edition-  out in one week.

Buckle up your seatbelt for freeway fright tonight on MeTV!