100 Bloody Acres

In 2012's 100 Bloody Acres we are introduced to a couple of hitchhikers, that find themselves in the hands of two brothers who own a fertilizer business using a secret ingredient. It's an Australian movie and that is made obvious right from the start and we immediately get thrown into a humorous chaotic mess that gets worse and worse, but in a good way. But only for the viewer of course because the movie is funny, bloody and definitely has some gore to show. The characters are all twisted and none of them are perfect and the movie had similar vibes to "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" but without the fact that the two brothers are actually innocent. An even though these characters all have their sins and mistakes you will root for them in the end.

I definitely had my fun watching this and I thought the movie was highly entertaining, but obviously not flawless. And there's actually cameo from John Jarratt and it was a pleasure to see him in a movie like this. If you enjoy bloody horror comedies I can definitely recommend to watch this. [6,2/10]

I saw this film at the Brussels fantastic film festival 2013 (BIFFF). It was announced as a Horror movie, but you are mistaken if you want something sinister. Everything happens in broad daylight. On the other hand, there was sufficient blood&gore to let it fall under the Horror category. Still, I found it more of a Comedy rather than anything else.

The plot elements were cleverly employed, like the use of human bodies (from travel accidents, at first) to "improve" the fertilizer that the two brothers produce. They have a lot of success with it, and demand is rising. Due to the latter, any human body that is found along the road that does not move, is carried away without proper medical review. That is where the story starts, soon involving three hitch hikers who pose an imminent danger to their secret operations. They thus become potential ingredients for their fertilizer production process. Though the cutting up of bodies is only shown once and not very directly, you can expect an abundance of blood sprayed around, tainting most of the bystanders who have every reason to assume they are next in line. Those movie lovers fainting on the sight of blood, are better off when they avoid this one.

The real secret ingredient of this film, however, is the humor that is incorporated all over the story, and works very well in hiding there is no real story to tell. Things happen in a logical sequence, though, but different from what we expected upfront. That is precisely the most important feature of this film. It is a Comedy rather than a Horror movie, is my conclusion, with the blood&gore only as binding element.

All in all, I found this Horror very enjoyable. I usually try to steer clear of blood&gore movies, but this time it is not the central theme that binds the scenes, unlike some other movies with no recognizable story line other than providing for reasons to miserably end other people's lives. In other words, the blood&gore is more entourage here than anything else. The relationship between the two fertilizer making brothers is much more important, as is the hasty and uncoordinated way they try to cover their tracks when the darker side of their business might be exposed. Along the line we witness various ways in which the younger brother tries to show initiative, in an attempt to outsmart his brother who obviously has the lead in everything. And the people who are so unlucky to get involved in their "factory", mostly fail to survive the encounter with all limbs intact, or even to escape alive for that matter. Hilarious scenes throughout, in spite of the darker aspects of the plot.

This movie is well acted with just the right amount of humour to offset the dark theme.

Everyone plays their parts well and the story never gets boring.

A great cast and great direction.

Recommended.

It's bit of everything but not subtle. Watchable if you have time. Mildly entertaining. Nothing special or memorable. Acting, directing was good, though. 5.5/10.

Co-writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes, in their feature film debut, successfully deliver all the essential elements needed to both make you laugh & 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.

Our 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 & a little nagging, he reluctantly welcomes James & Wes into the back of his cube truck & Sophie up front to ride with him. Any good intentions soon vanish as the guys discover the body of a man Reg previously collected from an accident scene. Thus the film descends into a quite comical & altogether gory fight as the trio does their best to remain "unprocessed" at the brother's fertilizer factory.

While the plot consisted of conventional & 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.

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