Not to be confused with the Chris Farley movie of the same name, Black Sheep is the daffy and gory story of killer sheep. Mad science goes awry as genetically engineered sheep go on the attack in the New Zealand countryside. Both sweet natured and very bloody, Black Sheep will probably remind more than a few viewers of the kind of films Peter Jackson made prior to Heavenly Creatures. Hardly coincidental is that several members of the crew worked for Jackson, and many of the special effects were done by Jackson’s Weta Workshop.

Jonathan King’s film is about two brothers from a Kiwi sheep farm. Henry, the younger brother, returns to the home of his childhood. Older brother Angus has taken over the farm and has enlisted scientists to help develope the perfect sheep. Not only are the loose mutant sheep hungry for human flesh, but those who are bitten eventually turn into, er, sheep-men (?). Along the way, a couple of animal rights activists break into the farm, with the girl named Experience become Henry’s love interest.

The concept of killer sheep is not quite enough to sustain a feature film, and writer-director King is wise enough not to force the film beyond an hour and a half running time. Fans of past horror films may recognize humorous nods towards Night of the Living Dead and An American Werewolf in London. Along the way, King also skewers New Age philosophy, organic food, global warming and New Zealand culture. Somehow, the sight of sheep eating people remains more silly than sickening.

The DVD from Dimension Extreme includes a commentary track from King and star Nathan Meister, as well as deleted scenes and one very funny bonus scene. As one who lives where “Rocky Mountain Oysters” are a specialty, I can say that Black Sheep is wild and wooly fun.