As the horde move to install a dictatorship of the sheep, converting whatever humankind they come across to their cause (by way of a swift bite to the jugular and a subsequent transformation of the bitten into towering Sheep People), young Henry and his newly acquired ego-warrior girlfriend must mount the resistance necessary to overcome the threat. Cue running, guns, splatter and wisecracks.

Wisecracks? Indeed, would you not say that such a narrative deserves the comedic touch? Naturally Black Sheep sees fit to enwrap itself in the fabric of comedy horror, the sort that enjoyed life in abundance during the 80s but that’s sadly diminished in the intervening years. The film shares with its Antipodean kin – a wealthy canon comprising such numbers as the Aussie Body Melt or the youthful outings of Peter Jackson – a love of black comedy mixed with self-deprecation and hyperbole. The irreverence of the Evil Dead series, the rubber violence of Troma, the Dr Moreau tapestry of Freaked – all are evoked by the absurdist logic of Black Sheep. It’s all pulled off with a keen cinematic expertise: the director clearly knows when to pull back and allow a Birds-esque menace to build. The action sequences are tackled with great success and the visual palette is most fetching.

For the non-Kiwi, the national specificity in which many of the gags are cloaked may prove daunting. However, the jokes are still effective and affecting, the air of blackened comic genius remains after any local subtext is stripped away. And with a cast featuring charming players such as a Kiwi Naomi Watts, what’s not to love? Certainly the special effects courtesy of WETA yearn for affection, as does the thought newly inserted in spectatorial heads of spin-offs concerning Sheep-Human hybrids attempting to become integrated into society, Meet the Applegates-style, maybe getting jobs as insurance salespeople. The possibilities are endless. Hell, they could even get roles as extras in a sequel to Dog Soldiers.

Finally we can converse with our brothers and sisters in New Zealand without having to mention that guy who made those films with the orcs and elves and assorted small people. All thanks to Black Sheep.