6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In a totalitarian society a few years from now, innocent 'deviants' like Paul (Steve Railsback) and Chris (Olivia Hussey) are forced into government camps where their 'rehabilitation' includes beatings, rape a and torture. But the most shocking brutality is still to come when they are chosen fofor the 'Turkey Shoot,' a hohrrific hunt by the sadistic warden and his wealthy friends using prisoners as human prey.
Starring: Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig (I), Carmen Duncan, Noel FerrierHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
What constitutes a film disaster, as opposed to a disaster film? There have been a lot of iconic supposed catastrophes in the annals of cinema, including such high profile affairs as Heaven's Gate (whose reputation has attained a certain luster over the years) and lesser remembered if still interesting “failures” like The Island of Dr. Moreau, a film whose troubled pre-production and shooting history is documented in the fascinating Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau. Chances are, though, that relatively few film fans are even aware of Turkey Shoot, a film which trundled through theaters under a variety of titles, also including Escape 2000 and Blood Camp Thatcher, the latter alternative of which points clearly to the film’s genesis in the roiling early eighties, when Conservatism was all the rage on both sides of the pond. Brian Trenchard- Smith, a journeyman director whose oeuvre contains a lot of Australian television as well as less than stellar film entries like Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun 4: In Space and Megiddo: The Omega Code II, is repeatedly on record throughout the supplements included on this Blu-ray as stating he’s more than well aware of how “awful” Turkey Shoot supposedly is, at least according to critics who reviewed it at the time of its initial release, and who accused Trenchard-Smith (according to the director himself) of something akin to felonious assault. Trenchard-Smith frequently mentions the film’s fractious production history, including having a huge chunk of his budget ripped from his hands right as the film was about to start shooting, a decision which caused all sorts of ripples to spread out over the production period, including the excision of vast quantities of the screenplay, since there was no longer the funding to actually shoot several sequences. Trenchard-Smith also relates some understandable if questionable decisions that were made during the writing and pre- production phase of the film, which initially was conceived as a sort of update of (again in Trenchard-Smith’s own words) I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang crossed with elements culled from The Most Dangerous Game. Financing issues that depended upon credits offered by the Australian film industry ultimately necessitated changing the film’s era from the Depression to a kind of unspecified (near) future Down Under, where perceived antisocial behavior by citizens is not suffered gladly, resulting in concentration camp stays for the unruly types where they can supposedly be “reeducated” (to purloin a term from 20th century Communism). What’s really going on at the prison camp run by nefarious Charles Thatcher (Michael Craig), though, is decidedly less “educational” than provocative, with inmates subjected to all sorts of violence and torture, including being literally targeted as prey for a hunting expedition set up to entertain wealthy elites.
Turkey Shoot is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Elements are in generally excellent condition, with very little in the way of damage. There are some color temperature variances at play, as well as somewhat variable clarity, some of which is due to the film's use of stock footage and split screens. A lot of Turkey Shoot looks nicely vivid, with good, convincingly deep blue skies and a nice reproduction of the yellows of the inmates jumpsuits. The opening scenes are a bit pallid looking, with minimally less commendable saturation. Grain is natural looking and encounters no resolution problems. Contrast is generally very good and the exterior footage boasts some very good depth of field.
Turkey Shoot features a basic sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track which capably supports the film's dialogue, effects and kind of funny score by Brian May. Prioritization is fine, but the overall ambience is shallow sounding at times.
This is one of those releases where the actual film involved may well be less interesting than the supplemental material. A lot of the extras on this disc paint a picture of a production in about as much disarray as that discussed in Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau. While the film is pretty lamentable, those with an interest in film disasters (as opposed to disaster films) will find this Severin release rather interesting. Recommended.
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The Fun House / The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell / At the Hour of Our Death
1977