In a post-apocalyptic parallel future of 1997, an orphaned teenager called The Kid scavenges the Wasteland searching for relics from a better time (the 80s). During one of his expeditions he meets Apple, a mysterious girl with a rather large secret. As their relationship deepens, they accidentally run afoul of Zeus, the self-proclaimed leader of the Wasteland. Zeus, a sadistically droll maniac who murdered The Kid’s parents, now controls the Wasteland’s most precious commodity: fresh water. When Zeus’ gang kidnaps Apple, The Kid joins forces with Frederick, the laconic leader of the legendary Arm-Wrestling Clan. Armed with little more than blind faith and an ancient turbo-charged weapon, The Kid must fulfill his ultimate destiny: destroy Zeus, avenge his parents’ death and get the girl of his dreams.

Why we’re looking forward to this: Aside from garnering rave reviews at the annual SXSW festival earlier this year, what’s not to look forward to about a movie that has been described as a cross between a coming of age tale, a post apocalyptic action romp, and a Charles Band flick, the director who gave us the awesomely cheesy Puppetmaster, Dollman and Gingerdead Man films.

The trailer features buckets of gore, a masked villain who fires saw blades from a contraption strapped to his wrist, a dude in Clint Eastwood / Man With No More getup, and best of all, Michael Ironside playing a crazy big bad with an eyepatch.

Turbo Kid comes from the same production stable as the surprisingly entertaining Hobo With A Shotgun and has that wonderful lo-fi indie feel that is reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste and the original Evil Dead, and which makes a nice contrast to the polished to within an inch of its life sheen of the summer blockbusters that are currently stomping and terminating their way through your local multiplex.

Turbo Kid is racing into selected theaters and also to VOD this August.

RICHARD COSGROVE