Shaun the Sheep turns mad scientist in his mischievous third big-screen outing, unleashing a hirsute horror that terrorises the sleepy farm community after an unconventional attempt to grow pumpkins.

Realised in Aardman’s signature stop-motion and devoid of any spoken dialogue, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom – the feature debut of veteran series directors Steve Cox and Matthew Walker – is a hilarious, horror-infused celebration of slapstick, sight gags and sly film references sure to delight audiences of all ages.

In the run-up to Halloween, all the residents of Mossy Bottom Farm are getting into the spooky spirit. The Farmer (voiced incomprehensibly by John Sparkes) has tickets to Mossingham’s Halloween Hoedown but is reluctant to ask the Vet (Nina Sosanya) to be his date because of his receding hairline.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here