100 Bloody Acres

I saw this film at the Brussels fantastic film festival 2013 (BIFFF). It was announced as a Horror movie, but you are mistaken if you want something sinister. Everything happens in broad daylight. On the other hand, there was sufficient blood&gore to let it fall under the Horror category. Still, I found it more of a Comedy rather than anything else.

The plot elements were cleverly employed, like the use of human bodies (from travel accidents, at first) to "improve" the fertilizer that the two brothers produce. They have a lot of success with it, and demand is rising. Due to the latter, any human body that is found along the road that does not move, is carried away without proper medical review. That is where the story starts, soon involving three hitch hikers who pose an imminent danger to their secret operations. They thus become potential ingredients for their fertilizer production process. Though the cutting up of bodies is only shown once and not very directly, you can expect an abundance of blood sprayed around, tainting most of the bystanders who have every reason to assume they are next in line. Those movie lovers fainting on the sight of blood, are better off when they avoid this one.

The real secret ingredient of this film, however, is the humor that is incorporated all over the story, and works very well in hiding there is no real story to tell. Things happen in a logical sequence, though, but different from what we expected upfront. That is precisely the most important feature of this film. It is a Comedy rather than a Horror movie, is my conclusion, with the blood&gore only as binding element.

All in all, I found this Horror very enjoyable. I usually try to steer clear of blood&gore movies, but this time it is not the central theme that binds the scenes, unlike some other movies with no recognizable story line other than providing for reasons to miserably end other people's lives. In other words, the blood&gore is more entourage here than anything else. The relationship between the two fertilizer making brothers is much more important, as is the hasty and uncoordinated way they try to cover their tracks when the darker side of their business might be exposed. Along the line we witness various ways in which the younger brother tries to show initiative, in an attempt to outsmart his brother who obviously has the lead in everything. And the people who are so unlucky to get involved in their "factory", mostly fail to survive the encounter with all limbs intact, or even to escape alive for that matter. Hilarious scenes throughout, in spite of the darker aspects of the plot.

What this movie has going for it, is that it is an impressively funny comedy, and the gore isn't really that disturbing, because it looks very fake, but this is exactly how the film, was meant to be taken. It wonderfully succeeds in that department, making for a 2013 ocker hit. The always talented Herriman and his domineering brother, a real deeply dark, and disturbing performance by our Angus Sampson who played Prozac in Dags, run a dark organic fertilizer business, and have a guess what gets mixed in with the fertilizer. It's a little bit Motel Hellish, but far far better. There's some classic moments, and there's some of that real sharp cutting humor that made Two Hands the hit it was, and we do see a greater loss than hands go astray, and too we too have one gross, abhorrent, repellent, and gross, sex scene you'll never see coming, where if like Herriman, trying to acquire those keys, you'd want to parry your eyes as much as you could, or may'be sneak a peek in morbid fascination. Yes this film is a little morbid, and likable Anna Gaghan as one of the hostage witnesses to Herriman's and Angus's insane operation, again shows her natural and realistic acting as a two timing sl.. no I won't say that word, who now falls in love with Reg, (Herriman) and you probably, thinking they live happily ever after right. Well I wouldn't want to ruin it for it. It's no surprise Jarratt shows up in this as a motorcycle cop. I loved the pom, one of Gaghan's lays, he was a hoot and really attributed to the life of the film, especially in the humor area, which this indie film rides high on. Sampson's performance rules the film though.

It's bit of everything but not subtle. Watchable if you have time. Mildly entertaining. Nothing special or memorable. Acting, directing was good, though. 5.5/10.

Co-writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes, in their feature film debut, successfully deliver all the essential elements needed to both make you laugh & squirm in their new black comedy "100 Bloody Acres". A story of two unscrupulous brothers, Reg(Damon Herriman) and Lindsay Morgan(Angus Sampson) and their quest to be the unrivaled top dogs of the local fertilizer industry, a status that they will stop at nothing to achieve. After a tragic accident claims six lives in town, the two swipe the bodies from the scene and after adding them to their special "mix", they become the champions of the fertilizer biz.

Our story starts out with Reg, while out driving one day he encounters a trio of kids, Sophie(Anna McGahan),James(Oliver Ackland) and Wesley(Jamie Kristian) who happen to have the bad luck of having car trouble and are looking for a ride into town to attend a local music festival. At first Reg resists, but after some thought & a little nagging, he reluctantly welcomes James & Wes into the back of his cube truck & Sophie up front to ride with him. Any good intentions soon vanish as the guys discover the body of a man Reg previously collected from an accident scene. Thus the film descends into a quite comical & altogether gory fight as the trio does their best to remain "unprocessed" at the brother's fertilizer factory.

While the plot consisted of conventional & somewhat clichéd ideas it used those elements to their maximum potential. With fine acting from the entire cast, skillful gore effects and proper production values, the film managed some serious laugh out loud moments while also delivering a few bona fide quirky uncomfortable scenes of horror, all of which were delivered in fun, as it stayed mainly on the black comedy track. If you don't mind gore and have the urge for a hilarious Aussie dark comedy, I absolutely recommend it.

--^--7.4/10--^--

At the Festival I saw this, many compared it to "Tucker & Dale", but I think that is not an accurate assessment. Both are comedies with horror elements if you will (or the other way around), but the way they are presented is more than different. Not to mention the facets of the characters involved here.

Tucker and Dale is simpler, which is not supposed to be a judgment, I loved the movie. I'm just saying that I thought this is great in its own right too. The comedy has different, sometimes uneven, but therefor darker tone. It's a movie you have to be in the mood for I guess and I totally was. Thought almost every joke worked in this and the changes in pace were nice too (changes in genres too sometimes).