MovieChat Forums > Bad Taste (1989) Discussion > Is the movie poster on this site censore...

Is the movie poster on this site censored?

posted 12 years ago by Barf_Vader
16 replies | jump to latest

I got Bad Taste when I bought the Peter Jackson Collection and the second I saw the movie poster - an alien giving me the finger - I knew I was gonna love that movie (and I did after watching it). The poster on this site, though, shows him with two fingers, as if he's doing the peace sign. That really doesn't make sense, going by the plot or by the alien's facial expression (he doesn't look very friendly or peaceful to me).

Is this intentional censorship or is there another reason behind it? I know there have been talks about a Bad Taste 2, but that can't be the reason he's putting up two fingers, since there have only been vague rumors (or wishful thinking) about it.

If it is censored, that's just pathetic. They think people would be offended by an alien flipping you off and thus made the decision to cover it up? Are we really that sensitive? Do they think the sales would increase that way? Whatever the reason, I can't believe someone actually did that. Damn, if it wasn't so laughable it would leave a Bad Taste in my mouth.

"There is no spoon" - The Matrix
"There is no bathroom!" - Kindergarten Cop

[–] hamisht 12 years ago

The photo used on the listing is from the Anchor Bay Limited Edition DVD. It features a lenticular cover, which switches between the two fingers, and the one finger.

When Bad Taste came out in the US, the original posters featured a second finger as it was classed as obscene I guess.

[–] Barf_Vader 12 years ago

Oh, so that's why it looks like the other finger is glued on. It looked like a really indiscreet and obvious attempt to cover up the fact that the alien was giving you the finger. Thanks for the answer!

I know that it came out in the late 80's (in 1989 in the US) and that people perhaps were a bit less used to such "obscenity", but I still find it ridiculous that the movie poster would be censored. Personally, I wouldn't even go as far as to call it obscene (more like hilarious), but this is the 21st Century, not the late 80's. I'm glad they didn't rename the movie "The Chainsaw Massacre" to "The Chainsaw Accident", but after seeing this, I wouldn't have been surprised if they had done so.

I'm almost as surprised about this censorship as that no else has brought this up before. That's what people DO (or more exactly, internet forum users), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pno-QZRmmyk :P! They moan and whine and rage and rant about more or less important subjects (unnecessary/unwanted censorship qualifies as important to me at least).

"There is no spoon" - The Matrix
"There is no bathroom!" - Kindergarten Cop

[–] muzilon 12 years ago

I seem to recall the "one fingered salute" poster ran into censorship problems in the UK as well and was replaced with a milder version.

"The poster on this site, though, shows him with two fingers, as if he's doing the peace sign."

I don't know about your country, but in New Zealand the "V sign" gesture with the palm facing inwards is every bit as rude as the single finger. The peace sign is made with the palm facing outwards.

[–] Barf_Vader 12 years ago

I think it's the same in Sweden, palm outwards and middle finger and index finger = peace sign. What does the V-sign with the palm inwards mean in New Zeeland? The alien doing a "reversed" peace sign with the palm inwards, only makes it look more like a clumsy, indiscreet attempt at censorship. I'm glad I didn't notice this until long after I watched the film, because the poster with one finger brought the movie a unique and hilarious vibe. You're having fun even before you've started watching the movie, because of that "obscene" poster.

"There is no spoon" - The Matrix
"There is no bathroom!" - Kindergarten Cop

[–] muzilon 12 years ago

The single finger and the V sign (palm inwards) both mean "up yours" or "F@#$ you" in New Zealand, as with most British Commonwealth countries as far as I know.

By way of comparison the DVD cover for Eddie Murphy's "48 Hours" also featured the middle-finger salute in some countries, including the New Zealand VHS release: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2803865856/tt0083511

[–] Barf_Vader 12 years ago

That's what I expected that V-sign to mean, but I haven't seen anyone using it to express those things. It's usually just the middle finger or simply saying "up yours", like here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AEHITPEyeI. Interesting about the 48 Hours DVD cover, I wasn't aware of that and haven't seen many covers/posters featuring the raised middle finger. I thought Bad Taste's one was pretty unique (perhaps it still is). Thanks for answering.

"There is no spoon" - The Matrix
"There is no bathroom!" - Kindergarten Cop

[–] ivankafka 11 years ago

I remember the street posters for the 48 Hours film when I was a kid visiting London back in 1982 having the middle finger removed and Eddie Murphy holding his hand out like a fist.

[–] ivankafka 11 years ago

Should also say that yes, the "two finger salute" is common in Britain and fairly common in other parts of the British Commonwealth I gather as a "up yours" gesture.

I've read several times before that it comes from the Battle of Agincourt when the French said they would cut the bow fingers off any captured English and Welsh longbowmen. After winning the battle they displayed their bow fingers to the remaining French to say we still have them.

The story is probably apocryphal but it's nice to think it may be true.

[–] muzilon 11 years ago

Snopes says the Agincourt story is B.S.

http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.asp

An Englishman once told me that the "middle finger" is even ruder in the UK than the "two fingers". Don't know if that's true either.

[–] ivankafka 11 years ago

Well I did say it was probably apocryphal, although nobody knows for absolute certain.
However the term 'pluck yew' is so obviously BS that I'm really surprised the site went to all the trouble to try and disprove it. It was apparently made up by someone back in 1996 and quite clearly rhymes with *beep* you.

Yes the 'middle finger' is seen as ruder. Then again that's probably because it is. Don't know it's origins but it has to be sexual. I'd guess as in 'finger' someone. The two finger gesture doesn't stem from any sexual context that I know of, it's just an insult and/or gesture of defiance.

[–] MortalKombatFan1 12 years ago

It's funny becuase in england it's considered offensive for someone to have two fingers up like the alien does on imdb. In fact, that's why they changed the cover for Left 4 Dead 2 in the UK

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[–] pamkirkliz 12 years ago

I remember back in the late '60s (!) there was a furor about the poster for "Putney Swope" that replaced the middle finger with a young woman...and wasn't there a flurry about "The Family Stone" poster?

[–] keith-kanderski 11 years ago

I know this is old, but, yes, the two finger salute with palm in is the same as giving the middle finger in the US. When I lived in Australia, I'd see this often (rarely ever saw the middle finger). Watch British tv shows (like the brilliant Young Ones), and you'll see the same thing. Even in the movie, the aliens "flip off" the humans using 2 fingers.

The palm facing out and two fingers raised would be the peace sign.

So, no. The image is not censored. It was changed for the US box because most Americans don't know what the two-fingered "flip off" is.

[–] jdhowes1138 10 years ago

I'm from New Zealand, and the two fingered gesture was what we used until around the 1980's, when we started to become more 'Americanised' (no offence, just more US movies and especially TV shows, it was mostly the BBC until we got our second TV channel in 1975) in our cultural references and the one finger 'flip the bird' took over as the 'obscene' version, and the two fingers is the 'polite' or 'gentler' version. The original movie poster had the one finger, my DVD has one, but notice the addition of a ring to reference the 'Lord of the Rings' movies.

Nothing Is Real

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Hippoglossus 9 years ago

Every poster of this movie have always shown flipping the bird, atleast in civilized world. Ive notice ten years ago here in IMDB that US poster have that double digit bs and thought what a silly Americans. Good to see that after 30 yrs travesty is corrected. Let all the birds be flippin' to freedom..