DVD Review: "Black Sheep"

For many years Horror movies have often contained comedic elements. In fact, there exists a sub-genre within horror films that purposely push the humor to it's extreme. Director Peter Jackson's classics "Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive" certainly fit into this category. And Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead 2" is perhaps one of the most recognizable horror films of all time. However, the trick with this type of film is knowing how to temper the horror with the comedy to create a genuinely scary film, that also makes us laugh. First time Director Jonathan King's "Black Sheep" certainly has the concept and genre detail down, but the overall product still lacks some of the the charm of it's predecessors.

The story follows Henry Oldfield (Nathan Meister) as he returns to his family farm after being away for many years. He soon discovers that not only is his older brother now running the farm, but he has secretly begun genetically mutating his sheep. His experiments have transformed the animals from mild mannered grazers, into blood thirsty monsters. Now it's up to him and a pseudo-Peta protester that he found trespassing on the farm to stop the sheep before they overtake the country. Did I mention that Nathan suffers from severe Ovinophobia, or fear of sheep?

Director Jonathan King took full advantage of the beautiful landscapes of the New Zealand farm on which the film is set, which gives it a tremendous setting, and a truly big-budget feel. The film makes no attempt to be taken seriously, nor should it; It's a horror/comedy from the start. However, I feel American audiences are sort of left out of the main joke of the film-- the fact that New Zealand is a land where the sheep outnumber the people 10 to 1, which makes the premise of the film all the more humorous.

There are plenty of bad one liners, ridiculous jokes and gross out set-pieces to keep fans of the genre happy. Though, the scenes dealing with the film's main monster were suspiciously dark, prompting me to wonder whether that was a conscious decision on the part of the director to hide special effects that weren't exactly impressive.

Originally released as a double-bill, playing alongside UK horror film "Severance", this one will no doubt find a long life on the shelves of video store "cult classic" sections far and wide. Though not quite as over-the-top as the films that seem to have inspired it, "Black Sheep" is well worth the viewing, especially for fans of the horror/comedy genre.

Score: 3 out of 5