Movie Review: 'Black Sheep'

A baa-rmy splatter-fest reminiscent of early Peter Jackson – not in the least thanks to the New Zealand setting— Black Sheep is a fun and charming lo-fi comedy horror.

Knowingly stupid and never once asking to be taken seriously, Black Sheep has its tongue firmly in its cheek and wears its influences on its fleece. Obviously indebted to Jackson, writer/director Jonathan King should also be putting in phone calls of thanks to zombie king George A. Romero, Dog Soldiers' creator Neil Marshall and Tremors' director, Ron Underwood, from whom he unashamedly steals his two cheeky men and an eco-lady-versus-monsters premise.

The film's set-up sees sheep-phobic farmer's son Henry (Nathan Meister) returning to the family farm to collect his cut of the profits. Upon arrival he finds that all is not well thanks to his brother's (Peter Feeney) exploration of genetic experimentation, which has turned the normally placid ovines into ruthless, flesh-hungry killers. Now living his worst nightmare, Henry is forced to team up with farm manager Tucker (Tammy Davis) and environmentalist Experience (Danielle Mason)—who is partially responsible for the outbreak—to stop the zombie sheep infection from spreading and prevent the stricken ones from escaping the farm alive.

Whilst never reaching the heights of its influences, Black Sheep 's script is witty enough, its Weta-designed effects gory enough and its tacky acting relevant enough for what it's hoping to achieve. Starting slow and utilising the, frankly creepy anyway, sheep for all their worth, the build-up to the gore-fest that follows is well paced. Then once the sheep hits the fan, the fun begins. Devouring the—deserving for their meddling—scientists and the besuited businessmen looking to make a quick NZD, King's environmental/don't mess with Mother Nature message is obvious but not overbearing. His direction offers up enough to show he's probably more than just a one-trick… umm, sheep? (Especially the inspired shot of a charging flock emerging over the crest of a hill).

Despite the dubious premise and the fact that the entire film contains nothing particularly original, big or clever, Black Sheep is nevertheless a distracting enough creature feature. It only begs one question: how hasn't anyone thought of this before?

Three stars out of five