Turkey Shoot
Who’d have thought that Zeffirelli’s Juliette (Olivia Hussey) would be sentenced to a stint in a reform centre/prison camp for social and political non-conformists located in the Australian countryside? And Michael Craig probably didn’t bank on compromising his respectable career in Britain to migrate to the Antipodes and star in this appalling but vastly entertaining z-grade horror flick.
In the world of this boldly futuristic film (the year is 2000), society demands that its citizens be unquestioningly obedient. If not, they’ll be sent to a prison (mis)managed by a corrupt and sadistic administration headed by Charles Thatcher (Michael Craig), and guarded by violent and abusive thugs … er, wardens.
Blink and you’ll miss the political premise of the film. It hardly matters. Suffice it to say, the inmates of this prison are subjected to harsh treatment. In the beginning of the film, a burly guard shadow boxes menacingly (and hilariously) in front of a young female inmate, before letting loose on the hapless girl. Don’t be disturbed, though. This film is pure schlock, and the violence is far from realistic.
Thatcher and his cronies indulge in the ultimate exploitation of the inmates by occasionally selecting prisoners for a “Turkey Shoot”. The prisoners are given a three-hour head start before being hunted down: each one having been selected as a specific target by individual members of the hunting party, in what appears to be an ironically civilised arrangement.
There’s no accounting for how the prisoners are all found with surprising speed, despite having had a few hours to disperse and secrete themselves in any direction, in the middle of the countryside. But then this film isn’t overly concerned with logic. Or storyline.
The focus is on action, and there’s a fair bit of it to be had. Oh, and monster fans won’t be disappointed, either, thanks to the inclusion in the cast, of a “freak” - a sidekick that one of the hunters obliquely accounts for by saying that he picked him up at a circus. At least, I think that’s how he explained the sudden appearance of a hirsute and bloodthirsty aide with strange eyes and pointy teeth, restrained by a leash, and his new owner’s authoritative commands.
As it turns out, each of the hunters has his or her own distinctive approach to this “sport” (not everyone has the opportunity to pick up a freak from the circus). The sole female hunter, Jennifer (Carmen Duncan) – a lesbian, of course, opts for the tradition of pursuing her prey on horseback – presumably a more rustic choice than a Harley, and a chance to repay her parents for all those years in pony school during her youth. She’s armed with a crossbow that shoots explosive arrows (because stabbing people with a crossbow, it seems, is not enough).
Thatcher relishes the feel of a rifle, and savours his kill by shooting the rocks surrounding his target. There’s no rush. The thrill of the chase, and all that…
This is a film that nobody in their right mind could have thought was any good. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an entertaining if somewhat guilty pleasure.