FREAK FILMS: BAD TASTE

There are few priceless moments in life, regardless of what MasterCard commercials tell you. One of those is the look on a “new” Peter Jackson fan's face when they pop the cleverly repackaged Bad Taste into their DVD player. Some of you may recognize the face if you've been in the presence of a "new" Sam Raimi fan during a viewing of Evil Dead. Long before he blew your fragile little minds with Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson wrote, directed, starred in and spent four grueling years making Bad Taste. No one takes gore to the art form that it rightfully deserves like Peter Jackson. Scenes you thought couldn't get any sicker get trumped, pushing the envelope of creativity, humor, and gore. This film firmly enshrines Jackson as the all-time king of splatter comedy. Aliens have landed in a small New Zealand village and slaughtered everyone. The invading beings (dressed as humans in blue oxfords) don't want the planet, they want us. Humans, you see, are mighty tasty, and even better in the form of Crunchy Delights. It's up to AIDS to stop the alien invaders and save the planet. No, not the virus, silly mortal. The Astro Investigation and Defense Service; a covert government agency dedicated to protecting Mother Earth. I'd love to tell you more about this beautiful film, but I won't. It would ruin the childlike wonderment that enraptures the virgin viewer. I will tell you this: Pack a lunch and save the bag, because you may just need it. Even this hardened gore and splatter freak had to fight the gag reflex. It also has one of the greatest chain saw scenes ever recorded on film. Check out Bad Taste and Jackson's other early work, and don't forget the Maalox.