Bad Taste (1987)

Investigators from New Zealand's Astro-Investigation and Defense Service follow a signal to a remote village and find the residents are missing, whilst a gang of denim clad morons roam the town attacking anyone they see. Gotta be aliens, right?

BAD TASTE is essentially Peter Jackson's student film, shot with a group of friends over the course of several years, on a miniscule budget with archaic equipment. It's a testament to the power of creativity that the film is so entertaining despite its obvious technical restrictions. The dark absurdist humour and over the top gore make for a charming experience that allows the audience to look past the obvious rubber suits and dubious acting to appreciate the passion and personality behind the film, something that a million dollars of CGI tends to obscure more than it enhances.

Hard to believe there was a path from this film to a multi-billion dollar franchise that rewrote Hollywood's rulebook on what could succeed at the box office, but I guess that passion, ingenuity and the will to follow a vision you believe in sometimes is what you need to succeed.