6th March 2009

As March the 7th rapidly approaches and FrightFest returns to its spiritual home at the Prince Charles for the Spring Awakening, what better time to catch up with Aussie legend Brian Trenchard-Smith, the director of Turkey Shoot, the closing film of the event.

Why do you think the 70s and early 80s were such halcyon days for Australian exploitation films?

We followed our instincts, there were no so called experts at the studio level telling us what to do, as there is now in US genre film making.

What attracts you to those types of films?

I want to give audiences laughs and gasps. It’s fun to celebrate and quietly satirize the conventions of these different genres and genre geeks.

Talking of geeks, how was it when someone like Quentin Tarantino expresses a love of one of your films?

It obviously flattering, Quentin explained his Turkey Shoot dedication by offering his predilection for sticking a lighted weed in the arse of the snob. It's a hobby of mine too.

When did you first meet Tarantino?

I was at the premiere party for Norma Jean and Marilyn, written by Jill Isaacs, a friend of mine, starring Mira Sorvino, whose father Paul Sorvino I had directed in my who-dunnit Escape Clause with Andrew McCarthy. Quentin was there as Mira Sorvino's date. When I gave my name, with the added qualification “You don’t know me” Quentin immediately said: " Yes I do. You made Turkey Shoot! He went on to list all the things he liked about the film, including, “I loved that scene where Roger Ward beats that girl (the wonderful Oriana Panozzo) to death on the parade ground while she tries to recite the dissident’s mea culpa.” Which he then recited verbatim!

What was your original concept for Turkey Shoot?

1984 meets The Camp On Blood Island where they play The Most Dangerous Game. A genre cocktail. Fast paced total action and mayhem, with a little black humor, this time on a substantial budget.

But it didn’t turn out that way did it? I hear you had major budgetary problems?

A serious budget shortfall due to the Government changing its previous position on tax rebates for investors was causing the producers and I considerable difficulty as the shoot date approached.

I had to keep modifying the scale and number of set pieces to trim the original 44 day schedule to 28 x 10 hour days. Cut were the first 15 pages set in a corporate fascist city of the future where the heroes are captured in a series of chases. Next, a 4 page helicopter chase had to go, along with its pilot character to be played by the late actor and TV personality Graham Kennedy, because terms could not be agreed. So I had to quickly distribute his function to other characters in the story. This all brought the script down by a quarter of its length. I made stuff up every shooting day to fill out the contracted running time. But all the action I came up with had to be achieved without incurring loadings for any stuntman. The prison camp had been built for 500 extras, but now we could only afford 75 on our biggest day. How could I ensure an audience? I decided to increase the level of blood and black hearted laughs into a sort of Lucio Fulci high camp splatter movie. Blood is cheap.

How did you attract actors like Michael Craig and Olivia Hussey, she had just made Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet. You could not imagine two more different films!

Steve Railsback and Olivia Hussey stood up to the pressure remarkably well. Roger Ward contributes a Warden From Hell performance worthy of that category’s hall of fame. He's a Gentle Giant and a National Treasure. He should have his own radio show. I love Roger. All the cast deserve praise. But Michael Craig is wonderful as the smoothly sadistic Thatcher. Michael had recently moved from UK to Australia. I had admired him since he was a rank organisation contract player in the 50s. He made a big contribution as Thatcher, devising some lines I used as voice over announcements. I love his delivery of the Re-Education Camp’s mantra: “Freedom is Obedience. Obedience is Work. Work is Life.”

Turkey Shoot is full of horrifically violent moments. The exploding head more than matches the more famous blood bath in Cronenberg’s Scanners and the toe chomping moments with Alph always raise a laugh. Was it your intention to make an ultra violent film?

One of my more hilarious memories was the day we cut Steve Rackman in half at the trouser belt level with a bulldozer. You know, the way people do. I wanted a shot of his bottom half, kneeling trapped against a tree, wriggling beneath the dozer blade. (True, I am a sick puppy.) We had the pants suspended by monofilament, but we were running very short on prosthetics. We had eaten sausages and steak for lunch; there were uncooked leftovers and lots of ketchup. Everyone pitched in to fill the Traveling Pants with a convincing set of innards, and squirt individually designed trails of tomato sauce. The things we do for our art!

Turkey Shoot remains probably your most controversial film – derided by critics for its “senseless” violence and yet embraced in a weird way by genre fans – I love the story on your blog about sending the turkey foot to the London critic. How do you feel about that film today

Mission accomplished. I maintained my balance as the playing field constantly shifted and made something that has an expanding fan base 27 years later.

Well that’s it from me and Brian, enjoy all the Ozploitation thrills that Spring Awakening will bring.

Be lucky.
Keep watching.

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