Black Sheep

October 9, 2007

Rated: NR Runtime: 87 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Someone once said that they couldn’t define art, but that they knew it when they saw it. For me, the same can be said about the absurd and the sublime. I doubt I could give you complete and accurate definitions of those terms, but I wouldn’t have to. I could just hand you a copy of this movie.

From the depths of New Zealand has arisen Black Sheep, a movie about mutant zombie sheep and the people they kill. Yes, I said sheep. Killer sheep. Killer mutant zombie sheep. It just doesn’t sound right, does it? Better get used to it, though, because this is one film that is destined for cult greatness! There are a ton of films out in the world that are better than this one in most every way possible. But seldom have I felt such an overwhelming sense of affection for a movie before. It just *rocks*.

The story begins as young Henry is coming back from herding sheep with his father. He soons discovers the mutilated body of his beloved pet, Dudley, a sheep that Henry’s older brother Angus killed out of jealousy. Just at the height of Henry’s grief and shock, Angus adds an even more cruel coup-de-gras.

Fast forward to the present day as Henry, apparently away from the family farm for many, many years, is returning to sell his half of the ranch to his brother. Personally speaking, if it were me I’d have beaten my older brother to death by this point, but apparently Henry is a kinder, gentler soul…who now has a serious phobia about sheep. Just as Henry arrives, a couple of misguided animal rights activists cause problems at Angus’ private lab on the property…problems that lead directly to a highly infectious agent to get out and start infecting the hundreds of sheep on the ranch. And thus are born the mutant zombie sheep.

As a monster gore fest, it’s competent enough. It won’t win any mainstream awards, but then again this isn’t a mainstream movie. What elevates it to its lofty place in my heart is the fact that they used perhaps the worlds most harmless animal, the sheep, and turned it into a most murderous, bloodthirsty beast. The levels of absurdity build and stack on one another like legos and provide some fabulous moments of fun and laughter. The idea for this was simply a stroke of genius. This is a movie I’ll be buying for the collection, for sure.

Posted by Alex | Filed Under 5 Stars, Comedy, DVD, Danielle Mason, Horror, NR, Nathan Meister, Peter Feeney, Tammy Davis