Okay, fellow tapeheads, let's rewind to a time when cinematic ambition wildly outpaced budgets, and sometimes, just sometimes, sheer lunatic passion resulted in something unforgettable. Flick the tracking adjustment on your mental VCR, because tonight we're diving headfirst into the gloriously gooey, utterly bonkers world of Peter Jackson's 1987 debut feature, Bad Taste. If you stumbled upon this box at the rental store, maybe tucked away in the cult or horror section, you were in for a shock – and probably a deliriously good time.
Forget polished Hollywood sheen; this is filmmaking born from pure, unadulterated weekend warrior energy. Filmed over four long years primarily on weekends using friends and co-workers (Terry Potter, Pete O'Herne, Craig Smith, and Jackson himself pulling multiple duties, including playing two distinct roles!), Bad Taste feels less like a movie and more like the most ambitious, blood-soaked home video project ever conceived. And honestly? That's a huge part of its enduring charm.
### Astro Investigation and Defence Service to the Rescue!
The premise is beautifully simple, yet brilliantly absurd: aliens have landed in the sleepy (and soon-to-be-decimated) New Zealand coastal town of Kaihoro. Their mission? To harvest human beings for their intergalactic fast-food chain. Standing between humanity and becoming the next Krabby Patty are "The Boys," a shambolic paramilitary unit dispatched by the government – Derek (Jackson), Frank (Mike Minett), Ozzy (Terry Potter), and Barry (Pete O'Herne). What follows is less a structured narrative and more a series of increasingly outrageous, hilarious, and stomach-churning set pieces.
This isn't subtle stuff. It wears its low-budget heart, and entrails, proudly on its sleeve. The performances are exactly what you'd expect from a group of mates having a blast making a movie – enthusiastic, sometimes awkward, but brimming with a weirdly infectious energy. Jackson himself, as the initially timid Derek who famously loses part of his brain only to hold it in with a belt, becomes an unlikely action hero fueled by consuming alien grey matter. It's completely ridiculous, and utterly fantastic.
### Splatterific Practical Effects Paradise
Let's talk about why Bad Taste truly earns its place in VHS Heaven: the effects. Oh, the glorious, messy, handmade practical effects! In an era before CGI smoothed over every edge, this was the real deal. We're talking exploding sheep (a gag so infamous it almost defines the film), heads cleaved open with cartoonish amounts of gore, aliens bursting like overfilled water balloons, and a truly legendary scene involving a bowl, a spoon, and some regurgitated alien brains. Remember how jaw-droppingly visceral that stuff looked on a fuzzy CRT screen?
It’s fascinating to know that Peter Jackson, long before commanding armies of digital orcs, was literally baking latex alien masks in his mother’s oven! (Retro Fun Fact) The guns were often convincingly crafted props, and the sheer inventiveness required to pull off some of these gags on virtually no money is staggering. They reportedly started filming with the intention of making a short, maybe 20 minutes long, called Roast of the Day. But Jackson and his crew just kept adding more insane ideas, shooting whenever they could scrape together time and a few dollars, until eventually, after four years, they had a feature film. This dedication culminated in securing completion funding from the New Zealand Film Commission, who were apparently blown away by the raw energy of the footage Jackson showed them. (Retro Fun Fact)
### A Glimpse of Genius?
Even amidst the chaos and gore, you can see flashes of the filmmaker Jackson would become. His direction, while understandably rough, is surprisingly dynamic. There are inventive camera angles, a kinetic sense of movement during the action sequences, and a genuine knack for comedic timing, albeit of the darkest, sickest kind. You see the seeds of the frantic energy he'd perfect in Braindead (1992, aka Dead Alive in the US), another must-watch splatter classic. He wasn't just throwing blood at the screen; there was a delirious method to the madness.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, which must have been quite the culture shock for attendees (Retro Fun Fact). It didn't win awards, naturally, but it immediately gained notoriety and began its journey into cult stardom, shocking and delighting midnight movie audiences worldwide. It announced Peter Jackson as a fearless, boundary-pushing new voice, even if his subject matter was, well, in decidedly Bad Taste.
### The Verdict
Bad Taste is not a film for everyone. It's crude, it's messy, its budget limitations are readily apparent, and the humour is gleefully offensive. But for fans of gonzo filmmaking, practical effects wizardry born of necessity, and the sheer joy of seeing what happens when creative people refuse to let lack of resources stop them, it's pure gold. It's a testament to DIY passion and a landmark in independent horror-comedy.
Rating: 8/10
This score reflects its undeniable cult status, historical significance as Peter Jackson's launching pad, and the sheer, unhinged fun factor packed into its runtime. The ingenuity of the practical effects and the infectious energy of the cast/crew overcome the obvious technical shortcomings. It’s a film that achieves exactly what it sets out to do, with gusto.
Final Thought: In a world of slick, sanitised blockbusters, Bad Taste remains a gloriously messy, essential reminder of a time when cinematic mayhem felt truly handmade, dangerous, and hilariously, unapologetically gross. Fire it up, but maybe skip the snacks.