Title: “100 Bloody Acres”
Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Cast: Damon Herriman, Angus Sampson, Anna McGahan, Oliver Ackland, John Jarratt
There’s a small trend going on in the world of horror as the self parodying movies of this genre have given us a little bit of breathing room compared to the heavy gore that we’re so accustomed to as a desensitized audience “100 Bloody Acres” is one of those rare horror comedies within the past couple of years that stands out not only as another clever horror film that pokes fun at there stereotypes but also showcases what a little bit of development on the characters end can really do to enhance a movie, no matter how bloody it can be.
Reg (Herriman) and his brother Lindsay (Sampson) have their own fertilizer business, but the younger brother has always stood second in command, never gaining the sort of recognition or acceptance from his brother like he’s always wanted. In order to upgrade their fertilizer product, and to show his brother he can think well by himself, they resort to kidnapping and possible murder as they scoop up a couple of youngsters stranded on the side of the road. It’s only when they all are faced with each other does Reg struggle to find out whether or not he’s got what it takes to become a cold blooded killer. Now the overall story for “100 Bloody Acres” is really what makes the movie stand out. Instead of being fed a couple of nameless young faces that the audience knows will be dead soon enough, they’re given a real personality. There are a couple of characters have clever little story arcs, including our hero/possible villain Reg who struggles to get the murdering part of his job done.
Damon Herriman does a fantastic job emulating all the clashing emotions that his poor character is going through while dealing with all of the madness that surrounds him thanks to his own actions. then there’s the remainder of the cast who shine as they take advantage of breaking out of the normal stereotypes riddled within horror cinema and each share their own comical memorable moments in the movie. What’s great about “100 Bloody Acres” is the combination of clever writing and some fun direction from Colin and Cameron Cairnes, brothers who have been working in the field for years. They’re able to properly convert a good dea onto the pages of a script to the big screen. Their style may not be the most unique out there in the horror genre, but they get the job done. What makes the film stand out a bit more is it’s daytime setting which leaves us with a crisp high-definition look on the film. And there’s also the fact that the movie leans a little bit more into comedy than it does horror so the brighter setting really does help and does slightly deafens the scares to a degree when they show up.
What a lot of horror movies have been missing a lot within recent years is the entertainment factor. “100 Bloody Acres” is a fun horror comedy that brings some life back into the genre with a few limbs cut off here and there.
Technical: A-
Story: A-
Acting: B+
Direction: B
Overall: A-
“100 Bloody Acres” is out in limited theaters and VOD now.
