I’m not sure that I expected much from this horror comedy, other than a lot of lighthearted laughs.

It has the kind of premise that immediately pinpoints the kind of film it’s going to be. A suddenly unemployed couple discover an excellent and potentially magical SCOBY that, when they enhance it with their neighbour Blanche’s (Brigid Zengeni) ‘special herbs’, it become sentient and a zombie apocalypse begins.

I think I was expecting something like Audrey, maybe some very dark comedy and gore. It isn’t quite that though, it is much lighter and jam-packed full of visual and spoken jokes and humour.

It is definitely satirising the NSW Northern Beaches, clean living, Kombucha drinking set. It is a safe group to gently poke fun at because we all know the beats. We know how this lifestyle can be exaggerated and seem like privilege thinking it is everyday.

Emma Leonard plays Maddie, and also wrote the script. She is a SFX make up artist who loses her freelance job because she almost kills an actor (who is perhaps low key deserving of it). This happens unfortunately on the same day that her husband Leo (Ryan O’Kane), working for an odious advertising agency helmed by the delightful Hopper (Jackie van Beek), quits in disgust.

Looking for financial options, they steal a SCOBY from a very good looking farmers market seller Kai (Stephen Madsen). It’s not coincidental that this couple is also trying to have a baby and the SCOBY becomes a substitute child. It keeps them up at night, always wants attention, and seems to have a mind of its own. One taste though, and you see your life flash before you.

It’s a lot of fun. I really loved how packed it was with great performances, funny puns and one liners, and lots happening within the frame. I will need to watch it twice just to pick up everything that’s happening.

There are some great secondary characters, particularly friends Audrey (Shakira Clanton) and Tori (Michelle Langstone) who come in and out of scenes but provide more than just empty sidekicks. In fact, even the antagonists are treated with a certain amount of gentleness and love.

It’s pretty silly, but not in a way that will make you lose your interest. It is lovely and funny and makes you feel great about Australian comedy films. 

And did you know that SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast? You do now.