| “ | Henry had a little lamb, its fleece was as white as snow, and wherever his lamb went, Henry was sure to go! | „ |
| ~ Angus mocks Henry's pet lamb before cruelly decapitating it |
| “ | It's farm life, Henry. Accidents happen | „ |
| ~ Angus leaves Henry to fall in his disposal pit |
Angus Oldfield is the main human/true main antagonist of Jonathan King's 2007 movie Black Sheep. He is portrayed by actor Peter Feeney.
Origins
Angus Oldfield comes from a farm deep in rural New Zealand. He had a farming accident when he was twelve which led to his leg being damaged. Whilst recovering, he witnessed his brother, Henry, being congratulated by his father on his skills at herding sheep.
Angus grew jealous and believed his father preferred Henry. Muttering in contempt about Henry's love for his pet lamb, Angus grabbed an axe and decapitated Henry's pet lamb, and viciously mutilated the lamb's corpse with his axe. Angus then wore the lamb's decapitated head as a death mask and then waited in the farm shed for his brother to show up. When Henry, his brother, appeared to seek out his lamb, Angus jumped from the darkness wearing the severed lamb's head, thus resulting in Henry having a complete emotional breakdown. Unfortunately, this happened at the same time their father was killed by farm machinery, and these two instances led to Henry developing a fear of sheep.
Success
Angus grew up to be a successful businessman and eccentric millionaire, as he used a private jet to fly to work. Angus seemed to be conducting ultra-secret experiments with a sinister team of scientists, which involved disposing of mutant lambs and other sheep carcasses. Angus' brother, Henry, returned to the farm ten years later for an investment. Angus showed his contempt for his brother by imitating sheep noises, thus reminding Henry of his phobia. Angus got mad when Henry asked for his share of the family fortune.
When the scientists were about to throw a mutant lamb into a disposal pit, two activists named Grant and Experience, broke into the laboratory courtyard and stole the lamb, but were noticed by the scientists and pursued through the woods. In a hurry, Grant collapsed on a tree root, and the mutant lamb's container smashed, allowing the lamb freedom. The lamb turned out to be carnivorous, and bit off Grant's ear. Grant swiftly developed a taste for raw meat, and ate whatever small animals he came across.
Grant came down to the farm and was confronted by Angus, who ordered him off his land. Grant retaliated by saying he knew all about Angus' immoral experiments, but Angus wouldn't listen. Overcome by his infection, Grant bit Angus on the hand after Angus dismissed him, thus infecting Angus. Angus, now infuriated, went into his house and told his reflection: "It's my money! The baa-stard!" thus realizing he was infected with the virus contained in the saliva of his mutant lambs.
Investment
| “ | The business community didn't take well to it | „ |
| ~ Angus cold-bloodedly insults the dead business people who had just been killed by his own sheep |
Across the farm, Henry met with animal activist Experience and farmhand Tucker. Experience told them of Angus' evil experiments. When chased by infected, carnivorous sheep that the lamb had infected and turned carnivorous, Henry and Experience found themselves trapped in the disposal pit. (Tucker had been bitten by a sheep and his foot was transforming into a sheep's, thus prompting Angus' scientific team to conduct experiments on him.) Angus was standing amidst the carnivorous sheep, but was noticeably not being attacked, as he had already been bitten by Grant. Henry begged Angus to help him, but Angus merely watched Henry fall into the pit and said "It's farm life, Henry. Accidents happen", reminding Henry of their father's death.
Investors arrived, and Angus started his much-anticipated presentation about his genetically-engineered sheep. The presentation went well at first, but was interrupted by Angus himself due to his infection. His hand was by now transforming into a sheep's hoof, so he hid it in a bandage. When the prize sheep was unveiled, the sheep began bleating, thus attracting every carnivorous sheep on the farm. The sheep ate/infected a dozen investors, leaving the rest to flee in panic. Angus' investment was destroyed. Halfway through the carnage, Angus was approached by an infected sheep, which noticed his hoof, and thus didn't attack him. Angus finally came to his senses and ran off back to his house.
Succumbing to infection
When Henry, Experience and farm manager Mrs. Mac took shelter in the farmhouse from the invading carnivorous sheep, Henry wanted to contact the authorities and notify them of the attack, and Mrs. Mac told him that the nearest phone was in Angus' study. Henry broke in and found Angus with his prize sheep, and realized he had an animal husbandry syndrome. Angus told Henry that the infected sheep had his own DNA as well as Henry's and thus them and their sheep were biologically related. Henry was repulsed at this revelation. Henry however gave his brother a gun to defend himself with, saying that the sheep were now so obsessed with the smell of human flesh that they would eat anyone they came upon.
When exploring the barn when escaping from the sheep, Henry came upon Angus, who was succumbing to the final stages of his infection. Like Grant beforehand, Angus transformed into a massive, gargantuan, humanoid sheep monster, which began to attack Henry by beating him up. The fight continued into the fields outside, where flocks of infected sheep surrounded them.
Death
Angus, in his sheep form, was fighting Henry when their sheepdog was able to corner Angus in his sheep form. As Angus had sheep intelligence, he was quickly brought under control. As Angus was about to attack and kill Henry, the revolving plane propeller (the plane Angus had planned to escape on) cut into him and sliced open his shoulder blades. Just then, Tucker, now free from the scientists (all of whom had been eaten earlier by the infected sheep) turned up with the cure to the infection, and injected Angus with it, causing him to transform back into a human again. Tucker then injected Henry with the cure, as Henry had also been bitten by a sheep and was slowly transforming into one too. But now he and Angus were human once more.
Although Angus was human again, he climbed to his feet and when Henry told him it was over, Angus said "No, it's only just begun. My babies... have me again!" and walked into the flock of sheep. The sheep, who by now had gone mad with the smell of human flesh, completely tore Angus apart and ate him instead of infecting him once more. Angus was eaten alive and his corpse was buried under the mountain of infected sheep. Henry finally managed to herd the infected, carnivorous sheep into a pen and blow them all up with a bomb made of sheep flatulence.
Personality
Angus Oldfield was cruel, immoral and selfish. He was also paranoid, as he believed that Henry wanted all his money, and not just his rightful share. He also cared more about business than human life, as he stated after the investors' massacre that "The business community didn't take well to me," and didn't react when Henry said "I'm also sure they didn't take well to being eaten!" Angus also held no family values. He was paranoid from twelve years old, as he believed his father preferred Henry. He also made no move to help Henry when Henry was falling into Angus' disposal pit. Angus was also a hypocrite, as he spoke of "having a dream for the future," which he pretended to mean helping the environment and the planet but actually he meant a dream of becoming immensely rich.
Trivia
- Though the Sheep are the main antagonists of the film, Angus is the true main villain since his actions led to the plot.
- Since Angus' twisted experiments caused the sheep to become infected (thus causing the mutant sheep infestation that plagued the entire town), his defeat at the hands of his own creations may have been well-deserved.
Similar Villains
- Mayor Wade (Eight Legged Freaks)
- Scar (The Lion King)