There will be Blood and Laughs: That’s a Morgan Brothers Guarantee.
Co-writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes, in their feature film debut, successfully deliver all the essential elements needed to both make you laugh and 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.
The 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 and a little nagging, he reluctantly welcomes the three to ride in his truck. Any good intentions soon vanish as the group discovers the body of a man Reg previously collected from an accident scene. Thus, the film descends into a comical and altogether gory fight as the trio do their best to remain “unprocessed” at the Morgan’s fertilizer factory.
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While the plot consisted of conventional and 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.
Grade B+
Reviewed by Jim Davis, Special to Influx Magazine.
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