Teenage Rina Crane (Hanna Tevita) returns home from a school break to learn her Maori parents Margaret (Nicola Kawana) and Hemi (Temuera Morrison) have embraced a new lifestyle. But it isn't new age spirituality, and definitely not veganism. Their carnivorous ways have turned into cannibalism! Rina is understandably shocked and very hesitant to embrace it herself, particularly when she discovers brainwashed younger brother Glenn (Kahn West) has joined their dad in making the basement into a human abattoir. Things get even worse when a gang of bumbling burglars target the Crane household, not realising they could soon be on the menu.
There are movies that could only have been made in one country, and the devilishly bloodthirsty but entertaining Fresh Meat from New Zealand is such a flick. Debuting director Danny Mulheron takes to the mix of horror and comedy like a kid with a new toy, infusing Briar Grace Smith, Brad Abraham and Joseph O'Brien's screenplay with ferocious energy and letting the blood flow with relish. He and his cast also, thankfully, work hard to keep equal emphasis on the Cranes' dynamics and the performances are all great fun with real chemistry to be seen. The one and only Temuera Morrison particularly spices things up as a comic spin on his Jake "The Muss" Heke role in 1994's Once Were Warriors, with Hemi getting more and more dangerous as the film progresses. Another contrived but very appropriate and funny set-up involves Rina's white, wannabe Maori, vegetarian friend Shaun (Will Robertson), who's madly in love with her, joining the Cranes for dinner.
Obviously, you yourself would never want to be in Shaun's position (unless you were Dr. Hannibal Lecter), or the robbers'. But if you can stomach it, this Fresh Meat will leave you wanting seconds.
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