Turkey Shoot

Brian Trenchard-Smith's Turkey Shoot is a typical 80's Aussie horror film, that is, you should not watch this expecting a masterpiece of the genre! You should expect, however, a brainless blood and boobs-fest with dodgy acting and story. And there is a story, surprisingly, although it reeks of George Orwell (a not very good Orwell though). Basically, civilians are sent to concentration camps (in the near future) to be turned into model citizens. Paul Anders (Steven Railsback), Chris Walters (Olivia Hussey) and Rita Daniels (Lynda Stoner) are sent to a camp run by Charles Thatcher (Michael Craig). Of course, this is a cruel camp with a sadistic Chief Guard (Roger Ward) and zany people. Thatcher decides to create a game, a "turkey shoot" in which a few nutcases select prisoners to hunt for sport. As to be expected, our three heroes are selected, along with the resident loon and the tough escapee. What follows is an onslaught of blood and gore which is incredibly enjoyable and odd at the same time.

The lead up to the hunt is a tad slow, but some nudity and random violence helps the pacing. The two leads, Railsback and Hussey are pretty good, as is Ward but most others are terrible. None of the characters are that likable, and the werewolf circus freak was so incredible random! But with a film like this, all you can do is sit back and watch the body count rise and the bras come off! This is not great film making, but for an exploitation it is fun while it lasts (it is also one of the best Ozploitation flicks out there).

3½/5