Shoot The Hostage

Wake in Fright - S15 E120

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Don’t Wake in Fright because you’ve got a massive hangover; wake up and join us in The Yabba for a cold midi! This week on Shoot the Hostage, we are continuing Sarah’s Liminal Spaces season with a journey into the sun-drenched beer-soaked nightmare of Australian cinema: Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 film, Wake in Fright.

In our 6th episode of the season, we follow Gary Bond as John Grant, a bonded schoolteacher who finds himself trapped in a nightmarish cycle of substance abuse and aggressive hospitality in the outback town of Bundanyabba. If you’re looking for weird movies where the heat is as sticky as the floors in the local pub, this one might be for you. We explore how a simple overnight stop transforms into a personal purgatory of horror and nihilism, featuring a terrifying performance from Donald Pleasence and the final screen appearance of the legendary Chips Rafferty.

The cinema of Australian new wave doesn’t get much more brutal than this, as we tackle the sausage fest of toxic masculinity and the infamous, real-life kangaroo hunting footage. It’s a bond you can’t escape and a reminder that sometimes the most terrifying thing in the outback is a bloke who just wants one more skooner.

What to expect from this episode:

  • Dan kicks things off with a pop quiz about the decimal currency system and espresso machines.
  • We discuss why Wake in Fright is arguably the most Australian movie ever made, despite the director being Canadian.
  • A look at director Ted Kotcheff’s career, from First Blood to the philosophy of Weekend at Bernie’s.
  • We explore the liminal space of Bundanyabba and why it feels like a dusty, inescapable purgatory.
  • The mystery of the aggressive hospitality and why Dan is suspicious to any cars that give way to pedestrians when it conflicts with the highway code.
  • We tackle the elephant in the room: the brutal and controversial kangaroo hunting scene.
  • We break down the repressed feelings and the Socrates of the Outback vibes of Doc Tydon.

    • This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

    Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

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