Peter Jackson's Genius, Wacked-Out Sci-Fi Debut Is Streaming Free Today

39 Years Later, Peter Jackson's Debut Is Waiting To Be Rediscovered on Free Streaming Published Aug 15, 2026, 6:03 AM EDT Erik Hawkins is an award-winning writer and editor who's been obsessed with cinema since he was old enough to hold Roger Ebert's Video Home Companion in his hands. He lives in NYC, where he rabidly watches everything from the newest releases to the more odd and obscure, and regularly shares his thoughts on Letterboxd. From ghost-writing fiction and webisodes in South America to local news, trial coverage, and politics in NYC, he's rarely put down his laptop over the past 15 years. Long before the Lord of the Rings films made him the undisputed king of blockbuster Hollywood fantasy, Peter Jackson helmed a series of modest but hyper-energized splatter epics, the scrappiest — and arguably funniest — of which is his debut feature, 1987's Bad Taste. Following a group of endearingly amateurish agents dispatched by the Astro Investigation and Defense Service to stop an alien invasion, the 16mm film was clearly made with friends and family on what one could generously describe as a shoestring budget. Jackson's energy and dedication to startling audiences is in full evidence even this early, though, as he hurtles viewers along a demented amusement ride of his own design. Bad Taste features a couple of gore sequences that are still incredible to watch today, and the energy of the cast and crew remains infectious. Fans of Jackson's later, higher-tech enterprises like the Lord of the Rings trilogy who missed this lo-fi gem can find it streaming free today on Plex. What Is 'Bad Taste' About? Image via Endeavour Productions Jackson's film begins with members of the aforementioned government agency sweeping in to investigate a deserted New Zealand village, finding that the extraterrestrial threat has turned the remaining villagers into, essentially, zombies. Things move at a bit of a pokey pace, making the ultra-limited budget obvious, as Derek, Frank, Barry, and Ozzy wander about the village, blowing the head off one villager and pressing another for information by shoving a knife into the sole of his foot. It's soon revealed that the alien force plans to harvest humans for its interstellar fast-food franchise, and the film devolves into a series of charmingly low-budget gore and action sequences. When it comes down to it, though, Bad Taste is more than a title, it's a sensibility, and one that would carry on for Jackson's next two pictures (Dead Alive/Braindead and Meet the Feebles) — and that's exemplified in the film's centerpiece puke-drinking scene. Set up as a cult-like ritual among the disguised aliens that Frank is hilariously forced to participate in, it goes on for longer than you'd expect. Mercifully, Jackson makes the puke a bright green rather than a more realistic tone, but he still, deviously, is sure to include chunks of what look like vegetables in the vile brew. It's clearly one of the first things Jackson envisioned, and makes it clear that the film itself is about the lengths to which Jackson and his buddies will go to shock. Peter Jackson's Energy Is Infectious, Even This Early in His Career Despite the technical limitations, however, Bad Taste is jam-packed with the kind of energy and style that would distinguish Jackson's Lord of the Rings and King Kong films, in a way most reminiscent of Sam Raimi's turbo-charged horror masterpiece The Evil Dead. The scrappy little production is full of faux-crane shots, crash zooms, POV shots, wacky sound effects, and crisp, kinetic editing — all on a budget of around $25,000 and done in and around friends and family's homes. From the opening shot, it's clear that Jackson has big stylistic ambitions despite his limited means, with extremely comic book-inspired frames and angles juiced with copious amounts of pinkish blood and more than a little brain matter. Everything from the oven-baked alien masks to the vomit made from dentist's office material is obviously hand-crafted, and it renders even the more sluggish sections of the film or gore shots lingered over for a beat too long incredibly charming. Jackson would greatly refine his technique for 1992's breakout hit Dead Alive/Braindead, which features more professional effects and gallons more blood, but more judiciously employed and paced. Any fan of that film — or, frankly, the delicious horror moments of Jackson's King Kong — should absolutely check out his feature debut. It's one of those scrappy hidden treasures that entertains even when its seams are as obvious as its attempts to shock. The gooey, gloriously stupid sci-fi epic is now available to stream free on Plex. Release Date December 1, 1987 Runtime 92 minutes Director Peter Jackson Cast Pete O'Herne Barry / 3rd Class Alien Terry Potter Ozzy / 3rd Class Alien Craig Smith Giles / 3rd Class Alien Mike Minett Frank / 3rd Class Alien