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Black Sheep
IFC Films
MPAA RATING: Not Rated
Starring
Nathan Meister,
Danielle Mason,
Peter Feeney,
Tammy Davis,
Glenis Levestam,
Tandi Wright,
Oliver Driver,
and
Matthew Chamberlain
Terrified of sheep and dosed up on therapy, Henry Oldfield (Meister) returns to his family's farm to sell out his older brother Angus (Feeney), unaware that something baaaaad is going on: Angus' reckless genetic engineering program. When a pair of inept environmental activists release a mutant lamb from Angus' laboratory onto the farm, thousands of sheep are turned into bloodthirsty predators. (IFC Films)
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
Foreign
|
Horror
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Jonathan King
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Jonathan King
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: October 9, 2007
Theatrical: June 22, 2007
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
87 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
New Zealand |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
78
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
It's smart; it's silly; it's – kill me now – shear terror.
75
Portland Oregonian
M. E. Russell
It manages the weird feat of making a flock of sheep bounding across a meadow seem vaguely menacing.
75
Premiere
Eric Alt
You'll laugh, you'll groan, you'll never buy wool again.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Hartlaub
Never very frightening, but it's clever and fun, with a memorable amount of humor and gore.
75
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
Horror buffs in search of a fresh take on the usual grue should embrace it wholeheartedly.
70
Los Angeles Times
Sam Adams
The cast, including Tammy Davis as a handyman and Glenis Levestam as a housekeeper with a taste for innards, hits its marks flawlessly, even when the material isn't first-rate. Like "Shaun of the Dead," Black Sheep is at once exhilarating and self-deprecating, knowledgeable without being fannish, clever but not too clever.
70
Village Voice
Jim Ridley
The cartoonish overkill that often makes Black Sheep a hoot proves wearying over an entire movie: The broad comedy and one-note characters eventually cancel out the horror, leaving elaborate set pieces that are more frantic than funny.
70
The Hollywood Reporter
Luke Sader
A giddily subversive addition to the age-old cinema tradition of the horror comedy.
70
Variety
Jay Weissberg
Endearingly amusing horror pic.
70
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
Jolly good fun.
70
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
Once you have seen a sheep munching on a bloody human leg, you may think twice about your next leg of lamb. On the other hand maybe you'll be inspired to seek vengeance. To provoke one of these responses -- vegetarianism or a defiant meat eating -- may be the point of this odd, amusing film.
63
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Both the humor and horror are as broad as the side of the Oldfields' barn, but King and the cast are clearly having fun.
63
New York Post
Kyle Smith
This is a one-joke skit that trots in a straight line, and your enjoyment of it will depend entirely on how many times you need to see gonzo sheep rip out human entrails.
50
Film Threat
Pete Vonder Haar
Unfortunately, Black Sheep takes so long to get going and misses so many easy opportunities for classic comedy it has to be regarded as a noble failure.
50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Noel Murray
The gold standard for the modern monster movie remains "Tremors," which combines genuine thrills with clever plot twists and distinctive characters. By contrast, Black Sheep has a bunch of one-note living jokes running around willy-nilly while being chased by killer sheep.
50
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
I did like seeing the (fakey-looking) sheep take flying neck-high leaps at various human throats, in scenes recalling the killer rabbit in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." And I enjoyed the Kiwi dialects. And I suspect King's next film will be better.
30
Chicago Reader
Andrea Gronvall
Stunning vistas of New Zealand's rolling countryside aren't enough to carry this lame 2006 horror spoof.
 The average user rating for this movie is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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