Inspired by the terrific new documentary Not Quite Hollywood, the Screengrab is proud to present Ozsploitation!, our own survey of the golden age of Australian drive-in movies. Pop a tube, throw another shrimp on the barbie and try not to chunder.
Our Australian friends sure love their post-apocalypses. Maybe this is because so much of their country already looks like the apocalypse has come and gone. (I mean this in the most admiring way, of course.) Or maybe it’s just because Mad Max made a shitload of money, paving the way for on-the-cheap end of the world scenarios. Ozsploitation titan Brian Trenchard-Smith is certainly a fan of what he calls “What if?” stories, and here’s another one that’s worth a look, depending on your tolerance for the sights and sounds of the mid-80s.
A quickie opening crawl advises us of a near-future in the throes of global economic crisis. (I know – crazy!) Society is breaking down, roving gangs of “carboys” are making the streets unsafe for law-abiding citizens, and the government is resorting to desperate measures to keep the peace. Our hero Crabs (Ned Manning) learns just how desperate when he takes his girl Carmen (Natalie McCurry) out for a romantic evening at the drive-in. He makes the mistake of purchasing two “unemployed” tickets, which sounds like a bargain until you realize this is a signal to law enforcement that you are not to be allowed to leave the drive-in – ever.
While Crabs is getting it on with Carmen in the backseat of the ’56 Chevy convertible he borrowed from his brother, two of his tires are stolen. He reports the incident to the theater manager, who informs him there are no spare parts, no phones and no way to leave the theater without an operational vehicle, since pedestrians are illegal on the freeway. Furthermore, Crabs and Carmen are not alone in the drive-in; indeed, it’s a veritable concentration camp of disenfranchised youth, albeit one with a fully stocked concession stand. Crabs soon learns he is virtually alone in wanting to leave the drive-in and get back to real life, which is understandable. The drive-in seems like a pretty fun place to me, although I reckon I’d get sick of the ongoing Brian Trenchard-Smith film festival eventually. (Turkey Shoot is among the features that can be glimpsed on the drive-in screen.)
Still, Dead End would make for a fun night at the drive-in, especially if the theater owners were willing to spring for replicas of the movie’s paddy wagons to patrol the grounds as the flick unspools. Sure, it’s made up of spare parts from Mad Max, The Warriors, A Clockwork Orange and Repo Man, but that’s a testament to Trenchard-Smith’s good taste. A testament to his bad taste is the incredibly dated look of the film, a mosh pit of punk and new wave styles, junkyard production design – heavy on the neon – and admittedly bargain-basement Casiontone score. Then again, if you spent your formative years in this era like me, you’re probably a sucker for this stuff. Trenchard-Smith lays the social commentary on too thick in the waning moments as the youth of the drive-in revolt against the influx of Asian immigrants, but there’s a reasonably entertaining car chase to cleanse the palate. I’ll give it three Foster’s.
Previously on Ozsploitation!
Roadgames
Long Weekend