100 Bloody Acres (2012)

100 Bloody Acres (2012)                                   3/5

Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes

Damon Herriman, Angus Sampson

In this Australian horror-comedy, brothers Reg (Damon Herriman) and Lindsay (Angus Sampson) run a successful fertilizer business using a “special” blend of organic materials. While out on a delivery, Reg decides to pick up three stranded tourists, Sophie (Anna McGahan), James (Oliver Ackland), and Wesley (Jamie Kristian), but trouble arises when the trio discover the brothers’ secret ingredient.

The plot is a fairly standard set-up for the genre, but well executed. The writing is clever enough to successfully make such gruesome subject matter come off with a light humorous feel. The film is not terribly suspenseful, as it follows most of the archetypical pattern of a horror-comedy, but the film keeps the viewer entertained with a certain charm.

Thematically, the film is somewhat lacking, although the objective of the film does not seem to be any sort of artistic message; this film is pure entertainment that does not require much deep thought. One could make a case for the theme of loyalty and fidelity, or rather disloyalty and infidelity, as none of the characters really seem to care about one another. The message is contradicted at a few points in the film, however, furthering the impression that the film is not about making a particular statement.

Visually, the film accomplishes what it needs to with one or two artistic flairs. The cinematography effectively conveys the sense of space, be it a cramped and claustrophobic room or a wide open countryside. The film uses various camera and editing techniques for an interesting interpretation of the effects of LSD, and although this too is well executed, it is nothing that has not been done before. The blood and gore effects are particularly well suited to the style of film, using enough realism to come off as gruesome, but not so intrusive as to lose the comedic effect of the overall film. The costuming is also well selected, conveying a general sense of each character immediately as we see them.

The performances in the film are exactly what the film requires. The characters fit their archetypes perfectly, but without much depth. The actors are well cast for their roles, and they deliver exactly what you would expect from such a light film. In this case, the lack of depth is exactly what the film needs to keep itself charmingly entertaining. Herriman does a particularly good job as the naive yet oddly charming Reg, offering perhaps the greatest depth of any character in the film: Reg plays as a man who has a good heart deep down, but is overshadowed by his brother and conflicted by what the pair has done and must do to keep their farm afloat.

Overall, the film is pure entertainment. Witty, charming, and fun, with a gruesome dark-comedy twist. Do not watch this film expecting an artistic, thought provoking piece, but if you are looking for something to make you smile that appeals to a morbid sense of humor, this is definitely a good choice.