Wikipedia defines Night Flight as “An eclectic variety television show.” I have also been described as eclectic, but that usually means unhinged. In any case, the network endures in the era of streaming as Night Flight Plus. With their formidable roster of high-proof schlock like Raw Meat, Turkey Shoot and The Burning Moon, it was only a matter of time until I had to try a slice of that pie! (Vince Neil voice).
So, adopting the lyrical stylings of ace New Jersey-born filmmaker Glenn Danzig, I bring you: WHERE EAGLES DARE! Each installment will feature a pair of thematically connected flicks available to stream on Night Flight Plus as well as a “For Fiends Of” section highlighting similar movies available on the streaming service.
On this installment of Where Eagles Dare, I bring you post-nuke perverts two generous rations of diabolical, dystopian distractions from our current less-colorful dystopia. So throw on your hockey pads, and mount up or just walk away!
THE NEW BARBARIANS (1983)
When Mad Max: The Road Warrior hit the screens, there was an explosion of post-apocalyptic knock-offs. Quality varies wildly, but in terms of sheer insanity, your best bet is the works of the Italian schlock-masters. Enzo G. Castellari (The Last Shark, 1990: The Bronx Warriors) saw the dystopian adventures of Max Rockatansky and said, “Hold my can of Dinki-Di.”
In the post-nuclear hellscape of 2019 (at this point, fine, just do it), only one man can protect a group of colonists from The Templars, a genocidal death cult. His name is Scorption, and he has a new girlfriend (the ex-wife of Claudio Simonetti) and a mechanically savvy child-friend (Bob from The House By the Cemetery, mercifully dubbed by someone different). Unfortunately, Scorption also has the charisma of unpainted particle board, unlike his kick-ass moonroof car.
Have no fear, though; his sometimes rival is none other than charisma bomb Fred Williamson! Williamson dresses like a disco leather daddy and fires exploding arrows! Whenever Fred Williamson isn’t on screen, all of the characters should be asking, “Where’s Fred Williamson?” Did I mention the genocidal cult has haircuts fit for a Donna Summer video, and is led by George “Eat a fetus” Eastman?! Full of slow-motion body trauma, slower go-kart face-offs and tearing at the seams with (probably) unintentional homoeroticism, this one will have you saying Lord Who-mungus?
TURKEY SHOOT (1982)
While the Italian directors cooked up some tasty wasteland gravy, no one does dystopias like the country that created Max himself, Australia! Turkey Shoot (Or Escape 2000 if yer’ nasty) is a cruel little Ozploitation flick that was born to be a grindhouse classic. Featuring an international cast and having overcome a troubled production, it faced criticism for extreme violence on its release. In the year of our Satan 2026, it feels like a prescient tale of fascistic control and prison-system corruption… with a beast-man thrown in for good measure.
In 1995, a totalitarian government controls the entire world, sending anyone deemed deviant to re-education camps. The criteria for incarceration are fast and loose, resulting in numerous wrongful imprisonments. We are introduced to a new group arriving in Camp 47. Among them is shop owner Chris Walters (Olivia Hussey) and political radical Paul Anders (Steve Railsback). At the mercy of the sadistic warden Thatcher, the two new prisoners end up part of a group chosen as human prey for a turkey shoot. They’ll be hunted across the nearby wilderness by Thatcher and a cadre of equally depraved rich psychos (as well as the aforementioned monster-man Alph… No, not the cat-eating one). Left to their own devices, the prisoners are forced to fight back, and in doing so, prove that the feral spirit of a cornered animal is alive and well in a human pushed too far.
Like a vicious fusion of THX 1138 and Battle Royale, Turkey Shoot pulls no punches when it comes to showing off the boundless cruelty that an authoritarian regime creates. The party games of Camp 47 are equal parts inventive and barbaric, but the real fun begins when our diabolical warden commences his The Most Dangerous Game riff. Pushed to their limits, prey becomes predator, and the camera captures the feast of gruesome retribution. Now considered exploitation gold by directors like Quentin Tarantino, this flick deserves the accolades. Come for the unbridled violence, stay for the anti-fascist soul.
FOR FIENDS OF: Savage Dawn, Rats: Nights Of Terror, Endgame
