9 Under-rated Horror Masterpieces By Directors You Love
3. Bad Taste
Back in the early 2000s, his epic Tolkien adaptations made Peter Jackson one of the big players in international prestige cinema. But horror aficionados everywhere know that in his youth, PJ made some scuzzy, scandalous, low-budget horror diamonds.
Zombie slaughterfest Braindead is the most famous of his formative splatter movies. Its ugly, naughty sibling Bad Taste, though, is an underappreciated masterclass in grot, gruesomeness, and gleefully stupid mayhem. Flesh-eating aliens land in small-town coastal New Zealand, intent on turning the human race into intergalactic fast food treats, and a band of inept government wazzocks are sent to deal with the invasion of the 'astro-bastards'. Gore, decapitations, and all kinds of messy, irreverent ridiculousness follow.
In comparison to the sheen and sophistication of Jackson's later work, Bad Taste looks like a VHS college project. But don't let its cheap and nasty aesthetic put you off - every scene showcases the bold, kinetic visual style and wild innovation that made Jackson's later films so successful. A glorious mixture of slapstick and schlock, Bad Taste needs to be on your to-watch list.