Black Sheep (2006/I)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jonathan King

Writer:

Jonathan King (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 2007 (New Zealand)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Get ready for the Violence of the Lambs!

Plot:

An experiment in genetic engineering turns harmless sheep into blood-thirsty killers that terrorize a sprawling New Zealand farm. |

Plot Keywords:

Sheep | Farm | Genetic Engineering | New Zealand | Mutation

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Matthew Chamberlain	...	Oliver Oldfield (as Matt Chamberlain)
Nick Fenton	...	Young Henry
Sam Clarke	...	Young Tucker
Eli Kent	...	Young Angus
Nathan Meister	...	Henry Oldfield
Nick Blake	...	Taxi Driver
Oliver Driver	...	Grant
Danielle Mason	...	Experience
Peter Feeney	...	Angus Oldfield
Glenis Levestam	...	Mrs. Mac
Richard Chapman	...	Muldoon
Louis Sutherland	...	Winston
Tammy Davis	...	Tucker
Tandi Wright	...	Doctor Rush
Ian Harcourt	...	Brash

Runtime:

USA:87 min | Argentina:87 min | Canada:87 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R13 | Australia:MA | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 (edited version) | Ireland:15A | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Germany:18 | Germany:16 (cut) | USA:Unrated | Argentina:16 | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | USA:TV-MA | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Italy:VM18 (cinema rating)

Filming Locations:

Wairarapa, New Zealand

Company:

New Zealand Film Commission

Trivia:

Released in Spain as a double feature with Severance (2006).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the line 'Now get the fuck off my land' is delivered, it is unsynced.

Quotes:

[Henry panics while under attack from a sheep]
Experience: What is wrong with you?
Henry: Ovinophobia, my therapist calls it.
Experience: Well, what's that?
Henry: Just the completely unfounded and irrational fear that one day *this* is going to happen!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Dog Soldiers (2002)

Damn fine film.

After reading an extremely negative review of this, which COMPLETELY missed the point, I thought I'd write a far more 'accurate' review. In my opinion, this is one of the best of this type of horror movie i've seen. It's right up there with Peter Jackson's early work and Evil Dead. All the negative things the other reviewer was saying, the poor dialogue, and acting, the unrealistic effects, were deliberate, after all, the effects were done by highly skilled and trained effects people at WETA Workshops - who of course did Lord of The Rings. It is a horror comedy packed with clichés and subtle allusions, and full of New Zealand humour, which i concede probably doesn't translate well internationally. NZ is primarily a farming nation, we're a huge exporter of lamb, Farming is a huge part of our culture, and this blends that with our history of offbeat, slightly dark, and idiosyncratic cinema. It is a clever, quintessentially kiwi, homage to such previously mentioned horror comedies (or comedic horrors). That's what i like about it, it is a lot cleverer than it looks. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the film. If you like Peter Jackson's early stuff, you'll like this. Just don't expect it to be s***-your-pants scary.