Bad Taste
Watch out Aliens... here comes Derek!
1987 | 91m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Peter Jackson |
| Staring: |
| A team from the intergalactic fast food chain Crumb's Crunchy Delights descends on Earth, planning to make human flesh the newest taste sensation. After they wipe out the New Zealand town Kaihoro, the country’s Astro-Investigation and Defense Service (AIaDS) is called in to deal with the problem. Things are complicated due to Giles, an aid worker who comes to Kaihoro the same day to collect change from the residents. He is captured by the aliens, and AIaDS stages a rescue mission that quickly becomes an all-out assault on the aliens’ headquarters. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 01, 1987 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
| Writer: | Peter Jackson |
| Genres: | Comedy, Action, Science Fiction, Horror |
| Keywords | new zealand, collector, gore, chainsaw, fast food, testosterone |
| Production Companies | WingNut Films, New Zealand Film Commission |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $150,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Terry Potter | Ozzy / 3rd Class Alien |
| Pete O'Herne | Barry / 3rd Class Alien |
| Craig Smith | Giles / 3rd Class Alien |
| Mike Minett | Frank / 3rd Class Alien |
| Peter Jackson | Derek / Robert |
| Doug Wren | Alien Leader |
| Peter Vere-Jones | Alien Leader (voice) |
| Ken Hammon | 3rd Class Alien |
| Robin Griggs | 3rd Class Alien |
| Michael Gooch | 3rd Class Alien |
| Peter Gooch | 3rd Class Alien |
| Laurie Yarrall | 3rd Class Alien |
| Shane Yarrall | 3rd Class Alien |
| Dean Lawrie | 3rd Class Alien |
| Philip Lamey | 3rd Class Alien |
| Costa Botes | 3rd Class Alien |
| Graham Butcher | 3rd Class Alien |
| Bob Haliburton | 3rd Class Alien |
| Andrew McKay | 3rd Class Alien |
| Clive Haywood | 3rd Class Alien |
| John McTavish | 3rd Class Alien |
| John Nelson | 3rd Class Alien |
| Graham Nesbitt | 3rd Class Alien |
| Steven Smith | 3rd Class Alien |
| John Logan Jr. | 3rd Class Alien |
| Matt Noonan | 3rd Class Alien |
| Cameron Chittock | 3rd Class Alien |
| Ray Battersby | 3rd Class Alien |
| Mike Appleby | 3rd Class Alien |
| Peter Appleby | 3rd Class Alien |
| Michael Kane | 3rd Class Alien |
| Robert Johnston | 3rd Class Alien |
| Scott Bradshaw | 3rd Class Alien |
| Mark Lamey | 3rd Class Alien |
| Giles Forrest | 3rd Class Alien |
| Grant Taylor | 3rd Class Alien |
| Carol Taylor | 3rd Class Alien |
| Dean Taylor | 3rd Class Alien |
| Kim Taylor | 3rd Class Alien |
| Dave Hamilton | 3rd Class Alien |
| Jock Fyfe | 3rd Class Alien |
| Tony Hiles | 3rd Class Alien |
| John Ruby | 3rd Class Alien |
| Kerry Underhill | 3rd Class Alien |
| Robin Watene | 3rd Class Alien |
| Garry A. Brown | 3rd Class Alien |
| Mark Jackson | 3rd Class Alien |
| Peter Henderson | 3rd Class Alien |
| Janine Riely | 3rd Class Alien |
| Margaret Byford | 3rd Class Alien |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Tony Hiles | Consulting Producer, Additional Writing |
| Michelle Scullion | Original Music Composer |
| Kit Rollings | Sound Editor |
| Brent Burge | Sound Mixer |
| Ken Hammon | Additional Writing |
| Matt Noonan | Assistant Editor |
| Jay Berryman | Negative Cutter |
| Deb Tennet | Negative Cutter |
| Peter Jackson | Editor, Makeup Effects, Writer, Special Effects, Director of Photography, Director |
| Jamie Selkirk | Sound Editor, Post Production Supervisor, Editor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Jackson | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 18 | 29 | 13 |
| 2024 | 5 | 19 | 26 | 15 |
| 2024 | 6 | 18 | 27 | 12 |
| 2024 | 7 | 19 | 39 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 13 | 25 | 9 |
| 2024 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 7 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 20 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Trending Position
So it begins... Made on a shoestring budget, starring friends and shooting on the weekends, this is how NZ's blockbuster director Peter Jackson got his start. Gross, silly, with terrible masks and effects, weird acting and bad overdubbing, this film is an utter classic in DIY splatter. The sh ... eer passion and ingenuity oozes from every frame. Hasn't dated too well, but it still has serious charm, and I am pleased to have grown up watching it. For fans of late night B films
**The humble (and repulsive) beginnings of Peter Jackson's career.** This film fell into oblivion a long time ago, and it's good to let it be where it is: it has no truly notable qualities and doesn't deserve a recap at a time when there are so many much better films to see. In fact, it's hard to ... think that the great director Peter Jackson, who is so widely respected today, started out with such bad work. Apparently, Jackson was enchanted by the cheap horror of the 80s and the bad taste comedies that also populated this decade, where it seems that tastes were all changed. The film is completely amateurish and this can be seen in the terrible cinematography full of grain and the clumsy and disconnected editing. There are some effects, but almost everything is cheap and sounds plastic, fake and ugly. Still, considering the modest budget and lack of quality resources, I think Jackson did a decent job. Perhaps the director himself, however, would prefer not to be remembered for this film! The story couldn't be more oily and greasy: we have an alien invasion of a small rural community, in which the aliens are simply looking for a good source of protein, which is obviously us, humans. There is a lot of gore and blood and human flesh everywhere, it is a film where some stomachs may feel upset, and with good reason. It's not a horror film, it's a comedy with a lot of action and scenes that are disgusting and make us lose the desire to eat popcorn or even question the intelligence of some characters, who seem to act randomly instead of using their heads.