This movie is a testament to what dedication and perseverance can bring you in the long term. Bad Taste is an ultra-low-budget movie, without a real crew or fancy equipment. It was also the directorial debut of now world-famous director Peter Jackson. Along with his friends, who were also fans of gore and splatter movies, he decided to make a movie about aliens eating humans. However, the main thing about this movie is the delightfully gory and bloody practical effects.
The shooting started back in 1983, so just try to imagine what a young and anonymous director like Peter could actually pull off living in New Zealand. Then, you really start to appreciate the effort put into this movie. So, this is a splatter movie, meaning that it combines gruesome and often disgusting scenes with humor. Like that wasn’t enough, almost everything here is over-the-top. The acting, story, and special effects are all so ridiculously pumped up that you will keep smiling for no reason throughout this movie.
They didn’t take themselves too seriously and you should do the same. Dazzled by all these new and fancy special effects and big budgets we oftentimes overlook these small movies. So, if you’re looking for one of those indie features to show you this type of filmmaking, Bad Taste is a great choice. Plus you’ll have a few laughs. Moreover, the fact that the special effects are not that believable makes them not gross but hilarious. Although some are pretty nasty.
The entire population of the small town of Kaihoro simply disappeared overnight. Enter AIDS or Astro Investigation and Defense Service, which decides to investigate this case. They send their best men only to find the town overrun with aliens. They have sinister plans involving planet Earth and it’s up to AIDS to prevent them.
Working with no money and no professionals (not to mention no Azamath), Peter Jackson created a truly wonderful movie. The techniques he used to cover up the lack of money were quite innovative and entertaining. For example, he made all the guns himself using items you can find in any hardware store. The muzzle flashes were added in post-production and actors simulated recoils themselves. He also “baked” all the alien masks in his mother’s kitchen using her over to solidify the latex.
Of course, the overwhelming presence of hacking, slashing, and other kinds of eviscerations may cloud your judgment, but you can make this already interesting movie even more interesting by closely examining scenes. Notice the camera angles, lighting, and camera movement throughout the movie and you will see the beginnings of an amazing career. Unfortunately, Peter filmed just one more movie that’s similar to this one: Braindead. I keep hoping that now that he’s successful he will revisit this genre and redefine it.
Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Peter Jackson, Tony Hiles, Ken Hammon
Cast: Peter Jackson, Doug Wren, Mike Minett, Pete O’Herne, Pete O’Herne
Fun Facts: The entire movie is dubbed because of the poor quality of the original audio.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092610/
