Bad Taste 1987 PosterBad Taste (1987) Review

“What are you dirty hooers doing on my planet?”

 

Bad Taste is the first full length film directed by Peter Jackson of Braindead fame and co-starring him in several roles, is set in a small New Zealand coastal town where the Astro Investigation and Defence Service (AIDS) have sent several of their agents to investigate the disappearance of several of its inhabitants.

They find it is the work of Aliens who have taken residents of the local population so they can use their meat to sell as fast food in order for their franchise to be the no. 1  takeaway company in the universe and beat their rival fast food chains.

Peter Jackson filmed this over many weekends during a four year period with friends and funded most of this himself until the New Zealand Film Commission provided more funds after liking what Peter had filmed up to that point. Funds he definitely took advantage of.

While this does have a low budget look and feel about it, bad acting, bad jokes and not so bad special effects but not Hollywood quality, it does have a good director and plenty of of his trademark gore.

And who doesn’t like a bad joke…

as well as a theme song.

A fun, surreal, comedy\action film that shows the talent of the director (I didn’t realise he played two characters interacting with each other AND filmed both roles months apart until I read it) and also shows how he made the most of that additional funding in the finale.

Expect that wonderful earthy Antipodean humour and let yourself be absorbed into this absurdity.

Here’s a short documentary that shows a lot of behind the scenes from when Bad Taste was made.
Modern filmmakers that are just starting out could learn something about being creative with no money.