What came first, the hen or the egg? It’s not like I ponder over this extremely annoying question everyday. But for me, there has always been something fascinating about beginnings. How does life evolve, how do people build up a business and how does an artist start a new painting? When it comes to film, it is always interesting to look back at a director’s first – often shaky – steps with a camera on her/his shoulders. In this feature, I will look back at a certain director’s first film every month.
Why. Did I do this to myself. Again?
When I first watched Bad Taste, I just didn’t like it. I didn’t care for the humor, the characters or the low-budget style filmmaking (which I usually love). However, after watching, for instance, Braindead, I was able to forgive Peter Jackson for his flawed debut. After all, I would never have to see it again. … Right?
Well, thanks to my affiliation with French Toast Sunday and my silly project of watching the featured director’s first film every month, I did have to rewatch Bad Taste. And it was so. much. worse than I remembered. Where Braindead is amusing, Bad Taste is simply annoying. I have nothing against practical effects, make-shift filming choices and terrible acting. I enjoy sloppy dialogue and have tolerated bad picture quality numberless times. However, I can not by any chance tolerate the humor in Bad Taste.
I simply do not get it. This film about a zombie apocalypse in New Zealand couldn’t be more bland to me. I couldn’t even finish watching it because it annoyed me so much. Nothing about it is funny to me, the actors are just so bad I want to cringe and I do and it’s just no fun. Even the way they talk freaks me out. In a bad way. The zombies make me yawn. Even on mute, the film isn’t any better.
BAD TASTE IS JUST BAD!
That’s a scientific fact.
