Le Drive in de l'enfer

Australia makes some zany films in the 80s; from what I've seen they're often full of rebel punks who wear crazy things & go wild brawling. They're colourful & you can tell everyone is having fun making the film.

This is one of those highly stylized films, full of painted up cars & 80s hair & clothes. It's grungy & hyper pigmented.

There were scenes that I enjoyed the visuals for & the kick back to an 80s soundtrack, but the plot of a young teen or/20something? couple who get stranded at a drive-in that becomes a wasteland of cars is a bit of a limiting plot that literally doesn't go anywhere fast.

I can see this being a cult classic for some, but aside from appreciating visual stills or clips, I'm personally not persuaded by it's particular taste of cheese.

You'all, Yes it was a kind of silly movie...but I was in it!!! I was Shirl the Girl,dispensing contraception in the toilet block. Hey, we had such a hoot making this movie. The explosion scenes were fabulous and the people I worked with were great. My family hasn't seen the film (husband and kids) because I've always been embarrassed by it...but so many people found it so much fun so in that way it was a success albeit cultish. I think I'll try to pick it up on e-bay and try to watch it again after all these years. Thanks to all you international folk for being so adventurous and watching such an obscure flick!!!

Nikki McWatters

P.S All I remember about Brian Trenchard-Smith was that he kept talking about another actress who he thought was destined for big things - Nicole Kidman! So I guess he had an eye for talent!

I really enjoyed Dead End Drive In. This is a sci-fi film with great looking sets, decent acting and an illogical story line. Put it all together and add a few explosions and you have a fantastic ride.

The film tells the story of Crabs a young man who borrows his brother's car and goes to the drive in with a date. Then the government steals his tires and he is forced to live at the Drive In with about a hundred other teens who are also stuck there. It is never clearly explained WHY the government wants them to stay there (or even which government). Director Brian Trenchard-Smith makes the most of the story and pulls off some rather clever camera work. An aside from a racism subplot that is never really resolved, the story never drags. The sets are very extravagant and include some very funny touches (a poster for Rambo 8 hangs in one scene). Overall, the film is fun and is really good for anyone who likes futuristic, tongue in cheek sci-fi flicks.

What we have here is a genuinely oddball, atmospheric and undeservedly obscure apocalyptic-themed adventure from the land of the Aussies and directed by no less than the dude who brought us the ultimate guilty-pleasures "Blood Camp Thatcher" and "Night of the Demons 2". Brian Trenchard-Smith's "Dead-End Drive In" combines practically all the greatest elements of the 80's decade in one giant derivative yet surprisingly refreshing and entertaining film. The grim plot and disturbing undertones are more than obviously inspired by "Escape from New York" as well as that other Aussie cult landmark "Mad Max", but at the same time there's also a lot of light-headed comedy and cheesy 80's tunes in the film. You simply have got to love any movie that opens with depressing newspaper headlines about mass murder and economic crisis and then subsequently plays an exaggeratedly cheerful pop song during its opening credits! The story, albeit severely flawed in some departments, is very well elaborated and I even daresay quite ambitious since it even offers some effective social mockery that assaults issues that are timeless, like racism and the typically human herd mentality. In the year 1990, when the entire world is rotten and there ain't much left resembling law and order in the streets, Jimmy – or "Crabs" like the friends tend to call him - invites his funky voluptuous girlfriend for a night at the Star drive-in theater. The romantic date quickly turns sour when someone steals the wheels from underneath his "borrowed" 1956 Chevy and they're forced to spend the night at the drive-in. Only in the morning it becomes obvious that the drive-in serves as a prison camp for punks and juvenile delinquents. Crabs refuses to accept his situation and plans and escape, but all the other prisoners – including his girlfriend – seem to like the place because they have easy access to fast food and plenty of free movie. Quite the contrary, whilst Crabs is risking his life trying to get out, the rest of the drive-in crowd complains about the increasing number of Asians in the prison camp. "Dead-End Drive In" is a vastly amusing and often wittily scripted cult gem that is ripe for rediscovery by fans of Sci-Fi and action cinema all around the globe. It's available on DVD already, so what are you waiting for? The locations and set-pieces are convincingly grim, the soundtrack is – as said – quite exhilarating the Nathalie McCurry's female curves are a joy to look at. As briefly indicated before, the screenplay does have its shortcomings, though. The first, say, fifteen to twenty minutes of the film are in fact entirely pointless since they revolve on Crabs' "family" situation which is completely irrelevant. Also, the actual reason for his and Carmen's admission remains somewhat unclear. My biggest (but still forgivable) complaint about the movie is that it isn't as violent and bloody as it should have been. There are some notably sadistic moments, but – seriously – an exploitative and unscrupulous "Mad Max" clone like this ought to feature more sickening carnage, despicable rape sequences and relentless footage of mass destruction. Although I disagree, I can easily understand why some people think "Dead-End Drive In" is disappointing and even a bit boring. It's a fun and unexpectedly intelligent movie, but a little more panache would have been welcome.

DEAD END DRIVE IN is set in a sort of post-apocalyptic 1990. That's a bad thing, to date your movie like that. They should've known better, they're from Down Under, for god sakes. This is the land THE ROAD WARRIOR came from! So if you're going to take a chance on this film, try not to think of it as 1990. Also try not to think about the mid-80's synth soundtrack. There's nothing futuristic about it either. You really have to suspend your disbelief on this one.

After you've done that, DRIVE IN moves along a nice pace, getting in some required nudity, violence and car crashes. Crabs and his girl go to the Star Drive-In for some hanky-panky and realize they can't leave. It's a government program that traps the youth inside and shows them exploitation films and feeds them junk food. No reason why, guess it keeps part of the population off the streets. After awhile, social significance starts creeping in with allusions to welfare states and institutional racism. This is where it begins to falter. It's too heavy handed and frankly, quite embarrassing. Trenchard-Smith is a decent B-movie vet, and he should know better to pile it on like this. A great car jump saves the day though and takes you home, and you realize that even though you could've lived without DEAD END DRIVE IN, you really enjoyed the heck out of it. Look for the director's own ESCAPE 2000/TURKEY SHOOT playing on the drive-in screen during the film. If you enjoyed this, you'll dig that too.