Bad Taste - the most cynical marketing ploy ever?

[Narshty]

Having just recieved my 2-disc Limited Edition of Bad Taste (simply because I love the documentary, and ********* had it for £18), I must say the disc leaves me feeling rather sad.

The picture and sound are the best you could ever hope for (the closing song even has decent bass!), and the disc is technically competent, but an extra $20 on the MSRP for a 25-minute documentary on a second disc leaves me feeling pretty empty and annoyed at the set.

There is absolutely no excuse for this whatsoever. Discs like Criterion's The Rock or the Se7en SE have impeccable transfers with DTS & DD 5.1 soundtracks and run over half-an-hour longer than Bad Taste. Needless to say, a 25-minute documentary in mono isn't exactly heaving on the workload.

The exclusive interviews in the accompanying 16-page (tiny) booklet are taken from a Bad Taste fan website, so Anchor Bay couldn't even be arsed to get in contact with the Boys.

It just seems like Anchor Bay were desperate to get this out in a limited edition in one form or another and results in a release that leaves you feeling ultimately empty and the feeling you've been had. Which you (and I) have. Even the fact there are 50,000 copies seems to take the ****, knowing that it will be widely available for probably all time.

I can't, in all honesty, recommend the 2-disc LE, despite the documentary being a joy from start to finish. Stick with the 1-disc.

[Tristan H]

I've had a quick look at my set and would have to agree. It's beautifully packaged, but the extras are a real disappointment. I'm sure more of an effort could have been made and the cast for this would probably have been tripping over themselves to do a commentary. As for the 50,000 limited edition copies, well I'd be surprised if this passes the 30,000 mark to be honest. Even big releases like Suspiria and The Wicker Man aren't selling out their limited edition run. I think AB should seriously reduce the numbers so that those of us who pay the extra actually get a disc that will be rare in years to come.

[charlie angel]

Disappointing news indeed. Probably give this one a miss now. Tis a shame when companies get lazy over stuff like this - little gems with tonnes of potential.

Shame on you AB :rolleyes:

[Creamstick]

Suspiria supposedly went OOP not long after release (I know some places still have it).

I know what you mean regarding Bad Taste though, I got it this morning, opened it, and after I'd went through the doc and looked at the biog and trailer, I kind of thought.. "Oh...".

Nice cover though!

[dangermouse]

A few months ago it was reported that Anchor Bay were pursuing the Bad Taste team to do a commentary.

Nothing was ever mentioned of it after that and although it is quite possible that nothing came of it, considering what Anchor Bay are like for re-releasing things like Evil Dead, I can't help but wonder if we will see another edition next year with a commentary.

[jonathan.e]

Although I agree that Anchor Bay are becoming increasingly merciless in pursuit of profit above all else I think you need to pull back and realise that you only paid £18 for this. As part of a larger shipment I only paid $24 from DeepDiscount which is the same price I’d be paying for a single disc in the UK and regardless of how much is on the second disc, it aint a lot to pay. It’s nice to get a stuffed to the gills two disc set for $20 but it isn’t going to happen all the time. On this one AB did try and get Jackson to have some input but he’s filming some low budget flick about dwarves or hobbits and he’s having to do all the special effects himself on his mum’s kitchen table so didn’t have the time to get involved.

From the sound of it, it appears that AB have once again stretched a discs worth of material onto two but at least they kept the price reasonably low.

[Jimmyboy]

It seems obvious to me that the reason they stuck the Doc on a 2nd disc was because they can't realistcly charge more than £12.99 for Bad Taste unless they make it a 2 disc-er.

[Jay Da Feesh]

Got mine today and have to agree with the above posts. Still roll on christmas so i can hear it in 6.1 with Phantom Menace, Evil Dead, Suspiria, Opera.

Looks like i could be having a nice christmas in front of me dvd player.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 6.1 MMMMMMMMMMMMMM