100 Bloody Acres

100 BLOODY ACRES 

Directors : Cameron and Colin Cairnes
Year : 2015
Genre : Horror Comedy
Rating : ***

 

Very briefly popping it's head into cinemas to coincide with it's simultaneous DVD/Blu Ray release, the long-awaited '100 Bloody Acres' is a very cliched yet undeniably fun horror comedy from Australian writers/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. Telling the story of a group of annoying teenage hitchhikers who fall under the wrath of two psychotic organic farmers who have resorted to using human flesh and bone in their famous fertilizer mix, the movie clearly owes more than a narrative debt to both Tobe Hooper's 1974 notorious classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and Wes Cravens 1977 controversial exploitation 'The Hills Have Eyes'.

But while its plot has been seen hundreds of times before, the wonderfully unhinged performances from its two central villains (hilariously played by Damon Harriman and 'Insidious' almumi Angus Sampson) as well as the witty script from the Cairn brothers which helps to keep things moving at a steady pace, '100 Bloody Acres' manages (for the most part) to balance it's raucous comedy with a full-blooded horror edge - usually at the same time. Many laughs are to be had in the gross-out slapstick of it all while the story, despite being generic, has enough invention and charm to hold interest for its relatively snappy running time. It's certainly no 'Shaun Of The Dead' as some promotional posters ridiculously boast but it most certainly is a sick, twisted and very entertaining slice of delightfully gory pie - complete with blood sauce and severed fingers for garnish.