Black Sheep (2007)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Baa Deal

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Coming from New Zealand, this impeccably filmed comedy horror film echoes An American Werewolf in London and early Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson, but it has its own unique energy, and it's a must-see. After a horrifying incident as a child, Henry Oldfield (the appealing Nathan Meister) now lives in the big city, harboring an intense fear of sheep. He returns to his family's farm to sell his share to his brother Angus (Peter Feeney), hoping to put it all behind him. At the same time, two environmental activists, the cute Experience (Danielle Mason) and the none-too-bright hippie Grant (Oliver Driver), sneak onto the farm to expose Angus's sinister biological experiments. They inadvertently free a discarded, mutated sheep, causing an outbreak of carnivorous sheep zombies. Henry and Experience must team up to save their own lives. Writer/director Jonathan King turns in a highly skilled debut, with amazingly clear editing and a gorgeous use of widescreen, rural spaces. He has an eye for old-fashioned horror, using latex effects instead of CGI, but also turns up the gore for modern audiences. He also has a terrific deadpan comic touch, and the film had me giggling more than once.

DVD Details: The DVD from IFC and Dimension, comes with deleted scenes, blooper and a "bonus" scene, a commentary track, a making-of featurette and a trailer.