Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Jackson and his closest buddies
From: Wingnut Films
Another movie watched due to a Letterboxd conversation. In this case, a mutual commented on my review of Cannibal Ferox and asked if Bad Taste was gorier than that. I hadn't seen Bad Taste in 20 some odd years and the memories were hazy by that point so my response wasn't definitive. I was then alerted later that the movie was on YouTube, and in not too shabby quality. What I recalled was that Meet the Feebles was more my speed, something I rate quite a bit higher... and I still do, which may say something about me!
Be that as it may, for something mainly shot on weekends over a 4 year period, Peter Jackson and his buddies created goofy schlock that managed to entertain. It's a yarn where members of a paramilitary force known as the Astro Investigation and Defence Service (yes, AIDS; the title of the movie is appropriate) investigate the case of a New Zealand town's residents all vanishing. Turns out, it's aliens in disguise as humans who are looking to conquer Earth for the sake of a new food supply.
For all the flaws inherent in a first time filmmaker (if you discount The Valley, a short he made in 1976 while a teenager) creating something with his friends, the movie is I imagine far better than what many have created in similar scenarios. It has a campy plot which at least gives you action, laughs, and especially gore that is better than you'd expect. It has the requisite B-movie moments that people want-then & now-and still works for those that like gross-out pictures.
While the plot is unsurprisingly threadbare at best, there are moments that make me glad there's a period documentary also on YouTube which discusses the making of this... there are some camera movements/shots which are very impressive considering the circumstances. Figuring out how it was filmed that the two characters played by Jackson interacted w/ each other for one scene wasn't too difficult, but I'd love to see how some other things were done.
Oh, and for the record: this movie is gorier than Cannibal Ferox.
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