Turkey Shoot (1982 film)

In a near-future totalitarian state, so-called "social deviants" are sent to mass prison camps for re-education and behaviour modification. The new arrivals at Camp 47 are Chris Walters, a shopkeeper accused of helping a rebel; Rita Daniels, a suspected prostitute; and Paul Anders, a political dissident who has escaped from several other camps. Camp Master Charles Thatcher subjects his wards to brutal, inhuman treatment; Chris barely avoids being raped by the sadistic guards, and Paul is tortured for intervening. Their cellmates Griffin and Dodge separately plot escapes, but their on-going attempts is unknowingly surveilled by the guards.

Every year, Thatcher and his circle of VIPs; Secretary Mallory, Jennifer, Tito, and Tito's beastly accomplice Alph, select five prisoners to be human prey in a "turkey shoot"; a deadly 12-hour hunt in which defenseless quarries are released into the nearby wilderness to be stalked and killed by the armed hunters. Paul, Chris, Rita, and Dodge are chosen to be the prey, told that they will be freed should they survive the time limit. Griff is added to the group after starting a fight with Dodge in the dorms.

With a three-hour head start, the prisoners are sent out at half-hour intervals and quickly become separated. Dodge is the first to be caught, Alph breaking off and eating his little toe under Tito's instructions before chasing him down and beating him to death. Thatcher toys with Paul by firing near-misses with a sniper rifle, forcing him to scale a difficult rock formation and preventing his scramble to find Chris. Paul manages to redirect Thatcher's pursuit by causing a rock slide, while Griff jumps Red and takes his assault rifle, placing him in a trap that later kills him. He tries to mount a counterattack, but is pinned down by Jennifer and Thatcher and incapacitated with arrows before being run over and killed. Jennifer proceeds to stalk Rita on horseback, trapping her before raping and killing her.

Tito attempts to bisect Paul with the tractor shovel attached to the front of his buggy, Paul manages to get out of the way and Tito inadvertently kills Alph. Mallory and his guide, Chief Guard Ritter, track Chris through dense jungle into a sugarcane field. Ritter attempts to smoke her out by setting the field aflame, when Mallory stumbles into Chris. Before he can rape her, Paul jumps him and gets his gun, shooting him in the groin and escaping with Chris as he burns to death. The two run to what they think is the end of the wilderness, only to realize upon reaching coastline that they're on an island, and that there is no way out. Ritter catches up to them, but Chris manages to kill him with his own machete. The two resolve to fight back, killing Tito and stealing his buggy. Armed with a mounted machine gun, they storm the camp and free the other prisoners.

The uprising leads to the RAAF scrambling a bomber to destroy the camp and quash the revolt. The prisoners raid an armory for arms, fending off the guards while Chris destroys the communications centre and kills Jennifer with an explosive arrow. Thatcher attempts to lead a counter-attack, but is killed by Paul, and the prisoners flee into the jungle just as the camp is destroyed by a napalm airstrike. Armed with supplies, the now-rebels led by Paul and Chris make their way into the mountains.

According to Brian Trenchard-Smith, the film was always meant to be a satire.

The original script was sort of like I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang meets The Most Dangerous Game, with 70 pages of Chain Gang and Most Dangerous Game lasted about 35 pages. I didn't think that was good balance. Also it was set in the depression era Deep South. We had tax based financing in place on condition that it was supposed to be set in Australia. So I suggested we set it in the future, and make it more universal. We wanted to make a tongue in cheek but gutsy action movie with subtext about corporate fascism at the beginning of the Reagan era. (He had Australia frightened...Ronald Ray Gun cartoons were often spray painted on Sydney walls in 1981) So we hired Neill & Jon to redo it. Then of course, there were days when I was writing pages myself during the shooting.[4]

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

The movie was shot in northern Queensland near Cairns. According to Brian Trenchard-Smith the schedule was slashed from 44 days to 28 just prior to filming.[5] David Hemmings was one of the executive producers and shot some second unit which Trenchard-Smith says caused some tension:

He did not think much of me. He knew that a Completion Guarantor had me waiting in the wings to take over an earlier film Hemmings was directing if he continued to remain behind schedule. He was having an on again off again affair with a member of the cast. When he made fun of me in front of my wife and new born son once in the production office, I poured beer on his head. He was a little more careful with me after that.[4]

Lynda Stoner had insisted on no nudity when accepted the role, but when she arrived on set she found out she was required to do some. She objected, pressure was put on her, so she compromised and did a back shot but says she always regretted it. Olivia Hussey had a miserable time during filming, hating coming to work and being terrified of the Australian bush.[6]

Turkey Shoot grossed $321,000 at the box office in Australia,[7] which is equivalent to $984,110 in 2009 dollars.

The film was released theatrically in the United States by New World Pictures as Escape 2000 in October 1983.[8]

The film was released in the UK under the opportunistic title Blood Camp Thatcher[9] referring to the cold camp commandant Charles Thatcher, rather than the then British Prime Minister.

The film was released on special edition DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[10]

Joe Baltake, film critic for the Philadelphia Daily News, gave the film a negative review, describing it as a "vomitous offering" and "unfit for human consumption".[12] Bill O'Connor from the Arkon Beacon Journal called the film "garbage" and highlighted the excessive use of gore and the "wooden acting".[13] Australian film critic David Stratton also condemned the film as "a catalogue of sickening horrors", adding that "the actors involved should have been ashamed for appearing in such trash".[14]

Filmink magazine said "versions of the classic story Most Dangerous Game appear at least once a decade...This was Australia’s 10BA version directed with great pace by Brian Trenchard-Smith and featuring an excellent cast and perhaps Australian cinema’s most notable werewolf."[15]

A remake of Turkey Shoot was released in 2014. It was directed by Jon Hewitt and also produced by Antony I. Ginnane, with Trenchard-Smith serving as executive producer.[16]

Olivia Hussey cheekily mentions shooting this film in her 2018 autobiography, "The Girl on the Balcony."[17]

• Cinema of Australia
• Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, documentary that featured Turkey Shoot

• Turkey Shoot on IMDb
• Turkey Shoot at Australian Screen Online
• Turkey Shoot at Oz Movies
• No Film for Chickens: Director Brian Trenchard-Smith on the making of Turkey Shoot and Dead End Drive In Australian Centre for the Moving Image
• Turkey Shoot at Box Office Mojo
• Turkey Shoot at Rotten Tomatoes
• Article by Brian Trenchard Smith on the making of the film on The Talkhouse