Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Chilling Classics #3/50 - Bad Taste (1987)

Anyone remotely interested in my site should already be familiar with Peter Jackson's (Lord of the Rings, Dead Alive) first film - the story of an army of incompetent aliens who invade a small coastal town and pack the inhabitants in cardboard boxes for food. Bad Taste was shot over a period of years with Jackson's mates from work, and already demonstrates his considerable talent for practical special effects and the usage of models. Hilariously gory and filled with memorable gags, this is a bona fide cult classic, and truly doesn't deserve to be included on this collection where it resides alongside the likes of Oasis of the Zombies. I already own the restored Anchor Bay version, but this film doesn't really require a pristine presentation, so if you don't already have it - this is one of the hidden gems you'll come across within Chilling Classics.

Jackson himself appears in a dual role, both as one of the invading aliens and a member of the 'task force' sent to take them down. The performances all around are quite funny, taking into account that no one involved in the film was a professional actor, so far as I know.

From a man who keeps stuffing pieces of his brain back into his split-open skull cap, to aliens who are conveniently disguised as guys wearing all denim, to an extended cartoonish machine gun fight, to a sheep becoming the unintended target of a rocket launcher - there is something here for every B-movie fan.

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