When I read the term “comedy horror” in relation to Aussie flick “100 Bloody Acres” my first thought was: this could all go horribly wrong. I had visions of “Scary Movie part 115” and the like, but then remembered that the film was Australian - a nation who do dark very, very well.
I must admit that knew nothing of "100 Bloody Acres," the debut film by sibling writer-directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes, until I saw it in preparation for writing this blog. However the legendary Roger Ebert calls it “the best low-budget horror comedy since ‘Shaun of the Dead’,” so I went in with high expectations and a strong stomach for gore.
When I read the term “comedy horror” in relation to Aussie flick
“100 Bloody Acres” my first thought was: this could all go horribly wrong. I had visions of “Scary Movie part 115” and the like, but then remembered that the film was Australian - a nation who do dark very, very well.
I must admit that I knew nothing of "100 Bloody Acres," the debut film by sibling writer-directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes, until I saw it in preparation for writing this blog. However the legendary Roger Ebert calls it “the best low-budget horror comedy since ‘Shaun of the Dead’,” so I went in with high expectations and a strong stomach for gore.
Set in a reasonably unspecified part of the Outback (hello, “Wolf Creek”!), it’s the story of local brothers Reg and Lindsay Morgan - and unusual pair, to put it mildly - who are struggling to keep their organic blood and bone fertilizer business moving ahead after an initial rush of early success due to the addition of a very “fresh” ingredient. Their secret "recipe" we soon discover was using dead car crash victims in their product, leading to a surge in potassium levels and a general boom in business. When that batch sold out supply was hard to find, apart from some random ‘roo road kill here and there and the odd dead dog. A key customer starts crying out for stock and the pair is stumped about how to fill the order with the same bang as his first.
It’s all rather convenient then when junior partner Reg (a tortured Damon Herriman of “Justified”) stumbles upon three travellers stranded on a remote country road. It’s a classic horror plot to the core, especially as one of the travellers is a nubile young woman by the name of Sophie, who isn’t afraid of flirting a little with a yokel in order to engineer the desired end result. When things start to go horribly wrong - and the gore factor really amps up - things begin to get complicated as Reg starts to fall for Sophie, and a bloody good time is soon had by all…
So, as for my verdict - I think this fun and gore-filled outing blends sly Australian humour, a great retro soundtrack, pop cultures references to Aussie Mother of the Nation Rebecca Gibney (AKA Reg’s “city slicker girlfriend Becs”) and general shock value really well, and its appeal lies in the fact that it never quite takes things TOO far. Having said that, there is a scene between the elder brother Lindsay and the boys’ elderly aunt that I really wish I could un-see, but the less said about that the better.
As a member of the horror genre it is definitely not as hardcore as it would have been had our own Peter Jackson been at the helm, and I think even those with weaker stomachs than I could still get through the length of the movie without grabbing a sick bag or covering eyes with a throw pillow.
Reviews for the film when it first came out were extremely polarising - clearly in critics’ eyes, you either love it or you hate it - and I’d say I found it a bloody fun watch. In Reg Morgan’s own words: “We're not psychos. We're small business operators…” so don’t be afraid to get stuck in.
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