435 Turkey Shoot

[MichaelB]

TURKEY SHOOT
(Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1982, 94/79 mins)
Release date: 16 November 2026
Limited Edition 4K UHD (World premiere)

Pre-order: UK 4K UHD/UK Blu-ray/US 4K UHD/US Blu-ray (four separate releases)

From director Brian Trenchard-Smith (BMX Bandits) and producer Antony I Ginnane (Patrick, Snapshot) comes the controversial Ozploitation classic Turkey Shoot, starring Steve Railsback (The Stunt Man), Olivia Hussey (Black Christmas), and Michael Craig (Mysterious Island).

Under a brutal fascist regime which imprisons ‘social deviants’ in hellish concentration camps, the sadistic warden Thatcher (Craig) organises a ‘turkey shoot’, in which prisoners are hunted and killed for sport. Political prisoner Paul (Railsback), falsely imprisoned Chris (Hussey), and prostitute Rita (Lynda Stoner, The Young Doctors) are amongst those who fight for survival as they lead a rebellion against Thatcher’s brutal reign.

Released to a worldwide storm of critical opprobrium and official censorship, Turkey Shoot is a dystopian sci-fi thriller which retains all of its power to shock and outrage.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD SPECIAL FEATURES

• Brand-new 4K HDR restoration from the original negative by Powerhouse Films - HDR exclusive to 4K UHD version;
• 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) - 4K UHD version only;
• Two presentations of the film: the original Australian theatrical version (94 mins) and the shorter US version, Escape 2000 (79 mins);
• Original mono audio;
• Audio commentary on the Australian version with director Brian Trenchard-Smith (2003);
• Audio commentary on the Australian version with producer Antony I Ginnane and filmmaker Mark Hartley (2021);
• ‘Turkey Shoot’: Blood and Thunder Memories (2003): ‘making-of’ documentary directed by Hartley, featuring cast members Michael Craig, Lynda Stoner, and Roger Ward;
• A Good Soldier (2003): Trenchard-Smith looks back at the chaotic production and controversial release of Turkey Shoot;
• ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ Interviews (2008): outtakes from Mark Hartley’s acclaimed documentary on Australian cinema, featuring Trenchard-Smith, Ginnane, special make-up effects artist Bob McCarron, and actors Steve Railsback, Gus Mercurio, Stoner, and Ward;
• The Ozploitation Renaissance (2026): Ginnane, Trenchard-Smith and acclaimed cinematographer Vincent Monton discuss Turkey Shoot and the golden age of Australian genre cinema;
• Critical appreciation by the academic and Australian cinema specialist Stephen Morgan (2026);
• Original theatrical trailer, teaser and TV spot;
• Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2016);
• Sympathy in Summer (1970): Ginnane’s sole directorial work, heavily influenced by the nouvelle vague;
• Image galleries;
• Script galleries;
• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by David Michael Brown, an exclusive extract from Antony I Ginnane’s unpublished memoirs, an archival interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
World premiere on 4K UHD;
• Limited edition of 10,000 individually numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US;
• All features subject to change.

#PHILE435U
BBFC cert: 18
REGION FREE
EAN: 5060697923759

[GaryC]

I honestly didn't expect anyone to release Sympathy in Summer, as I wasn't sure to what extent it still existed. The NFSA don't appear to have any holdings for it other than publicity material, so I presume this came from Ginnane himself. I have seen clips from it, and by all accounts it's a lot artier than the films he went on to produce.

[olmo]

I've been through Thatcher's brutal regime before, I don't wish to go through it again.

As allegories go, it's a bit on the nose isn't it?

[ryannichols7]

I honestly didn't expect anyone to release Symphony in Summer, as I wasn't sure to what extent it still existed. The NFSA don't appear to have any holdings for it, so I presume this came from Ginnane himself. I have seen clips from it, and by all accounts it's a lot artier than the films he went on to produce.

literally one log on Letterboxd. officially beats Pemini as the most obscure Indicator release, no?

[Aunt Peg]

I may consider double dipping into Turkey Shoot which is probably my all time favourite Ozploitation film. I saw it back in 1982 at the Barclay where many Australian films of all genres were buried for a week. Just think over the period of 1977 to 1987 everything from Midnight Spares, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Race to the Yankee Zepher, Tenebrae, Eyes of a Stranger, The Hearse, Straight Time, The Big Fix, The Jericho Mile, amongst many others only ran one week.

Turkey Shoot was met with the most hostile of reviews. Philip Adams described how once Lynda Stoner got stabbed in the breast by a crazed lesbian played by Carmen Duncan they he got up and walked out of the cinema in utter digust. Despite all this free publicity the film tanked at the box office and finished the following week. Even having a non-restrictive rating of 'M' which allowed children to view the film. without an adult to accompany them didn't help the film find any kind of audience. However, the following year, 1983, VHS really took off and Turkey Shoot proved very popular with renters. Word of mouth really got out about this one (ditto I Spit On Your Grave, 48 HRS, The Blues Brothers, Tenebrae and other cinema flops).

Personally, I love the film and it always gives me a good chuckle. I will seriously consider doing an upgrade. For me and my hubby, Turkey Shoot rocks.

[GaryC]

David Stratton in his review in Variety called it a "sadistic bloodbath". Antony Ginnane blamed that review for the film's ban in Malaysia.

God knows what the OFLC were smoking when they gave it a M. In the UK it's always been 18 and its first release on VHS was cut by something like six minutes.

[therewillbeblus]

I have no interest in this film, but I'm very intrigued by Sympathy in Summer... very cool inclusion considering it's nowhere on the web