Turkey Shoot (film)

Turkey Shoot is a 1982 dystopian futurist exploitation film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith notable for its extreme violence, sadistic prison sequences and plethora of 1980’s Australian soap opera stars.

Plot

In the totalitarian near future, ‘social deviants’ are sent to prison camps for re-education and behaviour modification. The new arrivals at Camp 47 are Chris Walters (Olivia Hussey), a shopkeeper accused of helping a rebel; Rita Daniels (Lynda Stoner), a suspected sex worker; and Paul Anders (Steve Railsback), a dissident who has escaped from several other camps. After suffering brutal treatment at the hands of Camp Master Charles Thatcher (Michael Craig) and his chief enforcer, Ritter (Roger Ward), the prisoners accept a deadly deal. They will be human prey in a ‘turkey shoot’ Thatcher has organised for Secretary Mallory (Noel Ferrier), and VIPs Jennifer (Carmen Duncan) and Tito (Michael Petrovich). If they can evade the heavily armed guests in the surrounding jungle until sundown, Chris, Rita and Paul will be set free. As the ‘turkey shoot’ progresses, the tables are turned and the prisoners become the hunters culminating in a free for all slaughter terminated by a government napalm airstrike.

British Release

The film was released in the UK under the opportunistic title Blood Camp Thatcher referring to the cold camp commandant Charles Thatcher, rather than the then British Prime Minister.

Turkey Shoot was produced during the Australian film tax exemption scheme 10BA. Under 10BA film costs where subsidized by the Australian Government and Directors tended to cast foreign leads in the hope of boosting success in Europe or the Americas.

The film reached number 1 at the UK box office.

Despite being set in 1995, Turkey Shoot was released in the US as Escape 2000. The film was praised by Quentin Tarantino when he visited Sydney in 2003 to promote .

2008 Melbourne International Film Festival

Turkey Shoot featured in a Focus on Ozploitation collection of 70's and 80's Australian exploitation films including, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Dead End Drive-In and Razorback. These over-the-top B grade films where charaterized by lashings of gratuitous sex, violence and fuel-injected muscle car mayhem which pushed the boundaries of audience tast to new limits. cite web | title = 2008 Melbourne International Film Festival | url =http://www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/2008/focus_on_ozploitation]

Cast

* Steve Railsback — Paul Anders
* Olivia Hussey — Chris Walters
* Michael Craig — Charles Thatcher
* Carmen Duncan — Jennifer
* Noel Ferrier — Secretary Mallory
* Lynda Stoner — Rita Daniels
* Roger Ward — Chief Guard Ritter
* Michael Petrovitch — Tito
* Gus Mercurio — Red
* John Ley — Dodge
* Bill Young — Griff
* Steve Rackman — Alph
* John Godden — Andy
* Oriana Panozzo — Melinda

References