Une proie pour la mort

Scream queen Soles features in a rare lead role (although still a victim) in this Australian film no less, playing the wife of a sadistic serial killer who emigrates down under after he escapes from the mental hospital.

Top-notch cast features locally well-known Australian TV actors Kit and Grigor Taylor (no relation) and Americans Balsam as a sheriff and Thurman in a small role as an oil investor early in the first act. Warnock is an interesting one, I was never certain whether he was sympathetic or sinister suffice to say the film doesn't leave you in limbo.

Cliched but intriguing, this rampaging Ozploitation thriller has a decent plot, taut suspense and is violent and gory just the way nature intended such films, an odd mix of southern slasher meets voyeuristic thriller that's better than you might expect.

Probably could've succeeded with a local cast/location, although the commercial benefits of Soles (and to a lesser extent Balsam) should've been bulletproof in 1983, which makes the fact it wasn't released until 1990 all the more confounding. Soles demonstrates she's more than a supporting ingenue, able to carry a film with two distinct plot lines (across two continents) and despite her character's suffering, still exudes a wholesome, cheery disposition potentially the result of enjoying herself on what was her maiden voyage to Australia (according to her on-screen interview in the Umbrella DVD extras, where she also speculates on the film's long gestation period prior to its belated release). Worthy viewing for slasher or Ozploitation fans.

P. J. Soles, so often cast as the second bad girl in films, finally lands a leading role in this wildly over-plotted Australian thriller about the Texas wife of an incarcerated prostitute-killer who flees to Sydney to stay with her girlfriend, only to be followed by her psychotic husband--and that's just the start of it! Brainless straight-to-tape slasher flick is so stupid, one can have a fairly good time laughing at it. Soles (sporting a disconcerting poof 'do that causes her to look matronly) is too lightweight a presence here. The actress is intrinsically good-natured, and in joshing spirits, but she's a scream queen by default. * from ****

Would you believe P.J.Sole's luck, not just starring in this stinker of a film, but with the men she falls in love with. She doesn't give a half bad performance (remember, she was one of those bitches from Carrie) as a Dallas girl, whose Aussie man, murders prostitutes. This insane Aussie guy, a successful oil worker, as I remember, is arrested, put in a hospital for the criminally insane, but escapes. A scared Soles flees to New Zealand, falls for a new guy, Mr Perfect (Grigor Taylor) who at the end, also turns out to be a nut, as is the young and little backward handy man, who works on this wealthy guys estate. If you can believe it, the only good thing to come out of this is Soles, not a major American import, but without her quite impressive performance, as a naive young lass, who's taste in men, is obviously terrible, this could of sunk much lower. An inane ridiculous film, honestly, although Taylor's last line of dialogue, serves as a classic and humorous one liner. Apart from that. PHOOOOOR!

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Innocent Prey; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.75 out of 10.00.

This movie shows just how bad luck works. Regrettably, for Cathy Wills, her luck's about to take an utterly unlucky fall into the abyss of badness.

Cathy and her new husband appear to be doing substantially well. However, hubby Joe has a secret or three that he's failed to share with his new missus. The first is that he's a con man. The second is that while grifting, the marks made him: They threaten to ride him out of the city on a rail. Third, his terrible temper takes over, and he hires a prostitute on whom to take out his angst. And fourth, he's a cold-blooded psychotic murderer; who slashes the working girl into her afterlife. But bad luck isn't only Cathy's burden to bear. She's on her way home after dropping a friend off and witnesses hubby's car pulling into a motel. Believing there would be a logical reason, she continues her journey. But curiosity finally nags her into action, and away she goes to the no-tell motel. She arrives in the nick of time to watch Joe administer the killing blow. By the time Joe gets home to find wifey knows a couple of his dark secrets, she's had time to call the local coppers. Who, unlike the cavalry, arrives before he slices through her pretty white neck. But being incarcerated doesn't slow Joey down much, and he's soon jumped the barbed wire fence and is tracking her down. Cathy decides it's high time to put some miles between them, so fly's to her friend in Australia. Will Joe follow her down under? Can she trust her new friends and neighbours completely? Is there a psychopath around every city corner? Or is Cathy simply a psycho magnet? To find the answer to these and other questions, watch the film. Luckily for the audience, the screenplay writer offers up decent characterisations to go with the bustling storylines. And though a lot is happening in Innocent Prey, Ron McLean does an admirable job of keeping it smooth enough to follow. This easiness is achieved, by and large, by the logical structuring of the plots. Each flows into the next, and each is logical in form and reasoning. I'll have to hunt out a copy of the novel.

Colin Eggleston doesn't have to do much to keep the audience's attention because of the engaging narrative. So it came as a surprise that he didn't sit back on his laurels and let the tale do all the work. Eggleston uses a varied pace to turn the story into the rollercoaster ride it deserves. He is a master of timing. He utilises longer pauses to build suspicion, suspense, and characters. The quick cuts and close-ups accelerate the excitement and tension. And though he doesn't get over creative, Eggleston possesses a keen eye for composition, lighting, camera angles, and viewpoints.

The cast, though lacking in big-draw names - the only one who'd pull me towards this picture would be Martin Balsam, as I've always admired his work - is still a pleasure to watch. And though I disliked her portrayal of her character in Halloween, P J Soles, as the lead, Cathy does a commendable job of adding credibility to her. And I have to say, John Warnock as Philip is brilliant. Not only does he bring a spooky nervousness to him, but it appears Warnock can sweat on cue, which adds a tangible freakishness to the character.

If you love your crazy psychos slashing and stalking, then Innocent Prey is the movie for you. If you like elaborate, logical, and entertaining storylines, Innocent Prey is for you. And should you merely want a movie to kill an hour and a half...well, Innocent Prey wouldn't be an awful choice.

Cathy, I'm coming for you. You can't hide from me. I can see you wherever you are. So be a good girl and sit down and read my IMDb list - Killer Thriller Chillers to see where I rated Innocent Prey. And, when I get there, we'll have some real fun.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Australia's addition to the 80s psychotic slasher market, "Innocent Prey" is a surprisingly modest foray by writer / director Colin Eggleston. Who'd be remembered for his eco-horror; "Long Weekend" (1978) and then two years later after prey he gave us the highly stylish supernatural slasher "Cassandra" (1986). It's as customary as you can get, but its selling point would be that of American actress P.J Soles (Halloween, Carrie) taking on the heroine role. For most part of the movie she looks bemused in the face (that's when your eyes are not distracted by her permed hair), but it's no wonder why, as she has two… yep not one but two psychotic nut-jobs that are seeking her attention. These two aren't working together either! One is the perfect husband with a real dark side and the other is a wealthy, loner weirdo who likes to watch.

Living in Dallas Cathy is happily married, well that's how it seems but one night she curiously discovers her husband murdering a prostitute while peeking through a motel window. She aids the police in his arrest, where he's taken to a prison for the criminally insane. Soon he escapes and goes back after her, but after another encounter she decides to move in with her best friend in Australia, Sydney. But here in her new place, might just be another threat in the shape of her new landlord.

The low-budget production is sturdily presentable, as there's nothing too flashy if some professionally expressive camera-work. Other than that it's quite plain, but even during its slow progression Eggleston delivers moments of tension grabbing jolts, more so in the first half and there's no hiding its quite unpleasant in its details. Far from graphic, but it's still sleazy, voyeuristic and suitably uneasy. This tone can be attributed a lot to the creepy performances of Kit Taylor and particularly the sly turn by John Warnock (who has an inventive way to knock some one off) as the psychos. It was an interesting if overblown set-up, especially how it dresses things up before twisting and turning upon itself with the dangers that Soles' character faces and then a smarting closing frame to end on. The soapy hysterics remain elaborately amusing; as it seems to get a lot darker, tighter and even trashier the further it goes along. Some questionable actions shoot up (in regards to Cathy), and the dialogues can be awkwardly goofy. The thing that disappointed me more than anything was Brain May's inconsistently overwrought music score, which simply seemed to be going through the motions.

Soles is simply sub-par in the lead, as her beady character is not all that sympathetic despite the ordeals she finds herself in. The support features some familiar faces; Martin Balsam is likable as the town sheriff and Debi Sue Voorhees as an unlucky prostitute. Also there's decent show-ins by the locals Grigor Taylor, Susan Stenmark and Richard Morgan.

A conventional, but endearing Aussie slasher.