STACK May 2016 Issue 139

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FEATURE DVD&BD
DVD
&
BD
declares the tagline to this genuinely creepy
two-hander, which unsettles through a sense of
escalating dread and eerie ambience.
No introduction to Ozploitation would be
complete without a look at Mad Max (1979)
and its knockout sequel, Mad Max 2 (1981),
which sent Australian cinema hooning down an
exciting new highway. Set in futures dystopian
and post-apocalypse, respectively, Dr. Miller's
motorised masterpieces epitomise the maverick
moviemaking synonymous with Ozploitation,
and Australia's love affair with the automobile.
And he's still doing it: Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015) has a massive budget
and six Oscars, but it's still an
Ozploitation film at heart.
No Ozploitation education
would be complete without
Brian Trenchard-Smith's
"blood and thunder shocker"
Turkey Shoot (1982), which
the director describes as "a
genre cocktail". And it's an
intoxicating brew of graphic
violence, sleaze
and explosive
action, as
prisoners are hunted by the elite
in a most dangerous game. Critics
despised it and star Lynda Stoner
calls it "puerile crap" – what more
recommendation do you need?
FURTHER VIEWING
By now you should be well and
truly hooked on the wild and wacky
world of Ozploitation, had your brain
fried, your senses assaulted, experienced a
fierce surge of patriotism, or all of the above.
You're ready to "take the trip" that is Stone
(1974) – Sandy Harbutt's cult biker movie and
drive-in perennial about
an undercover cop who
infiltrates a Sydney biker
gang, the Grave Diggers,
to catch a killer.
Aussie monster
movie Razorback
(1984) is also required
viewing. Touted as
"Jaws in the outback"
and shot like a music
video by director
Russell Mulcahy, this tale
of an oversized feral boar on the rampage also
features appropriately hammy performances
from its human cast.
"Rear Window through a truck windscreen"
is one way to describe Road Games (1981), an
anitipodean Hitchcock homage from Patrick's
Richard Franklin. Trucker Stacy Keach plays
mateur sleuth to catch
killer on the Nullabor
this quality thriller
hat transcends its
xploitation pedigree.
nd scream queen
amie Lee Curtis is
along for the ride.
Local distributor and
Ozploitation specialist
Umbrella Entertainment
will re-release the DVD,
together with a Blu-ray
edition, on July 6.
Antony I. Ginnane
Described by Richard
Franklin as "Australia's Roger
Corman", this enterprising
producer was a driving
force in Ozploitation during
its heyday, recognising the
potential of homegrown
exploitation flicks with an
eye on the foreign market.
His credits include Patrick,
Thirst (1979), Harlequin (1980),
Dead Kids (1982), and Turkey Shoot (1982).
Brian Trenchard-Smith
Former promo director for
Channel 9 and documentary
maker who turned his hand
to Ozploitation with the STD
exposé The Love Epidemic
(1975). A favourite of
Quentin Tarantino, BTS has
contributed classics like
The Man from Hong Kong
(1975), Turkey Shoot, BMX
Bandits (1983) and Dead
End Drive-In (1986).
Everett De Roche
A TV writer for Crawford
Productions in the early '70s
before penning screenplays
for some of the very best
Ozploitation films: Patrick,
Long Weekend, Harlequin,
Road Games , and Razorback.
Sadly, De Roche passed
away in April 2014, aged 67.
Grant Page
Stuntman and
sometime actor, Page
left an indelible imprint
on Ozploitation action
as stunt co-ordinator
on The Man from Hong
Kong, Deathcheaters
(1976), Mad Max and
Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome (1985).
KEY
FIGURES