Over a decade before Peter Jackson would be known across the world of the director that brought Tolkien’s famous books to the big screen, he was very well known to us horror fans for his early films. I can still remember reading about this wacky and gory new film from some chap down in New Zealand who made an alien invasion film called Bad Taste (1987), which not only had Jackson directing, but starring in the film in two main roles, no less! His next feature was Meet the Feebles (1989), which was a twisted take-off of the Muppet Show, but if their world was filled with sex, violence, drugs, and everything else that made the world go round! Then of course, his next feature, Braindead (1992), also known as Dead Alive, became probably the goriest and bloodiest zombie film ever made. And all blood and guts aside, it was also a damn good movie! His fourth feature, Heavenly Creatures (1994) was a huge departure from those first three, but still a film to grab your attention, not by comedy and gore, but by an entrancing tale of murder. I can still remember when Jackson won the Oscar for the last Lord of the Rings feature, and during his acceptance speech, mentions Bad Taste and Feebles. I can only imagine some critic who didn’t know Jackson’s earlier work before the Rings trilogy and would seek them out, only to probably be shocked and appalled at them!

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