The Taint (2010): Hipsters Gone Wild

By now, you may have heard that this film is offensive and disgusting. Despite these descriptors, you may have also heard fellow bloggers hail the film as a schlocky ode to Troma cinema. All of these comments are true, but it's a tough film to jump on the bandwagon with.

Phil O'Ginny suddenly discovers that the men of the world have become increasingly violent and savagely sexual towards women. He eventually realizes that this has occurred as a result of a tainted water supply that transforms men into misogynists. B-Movie plot aside, the purpose of The Taint appears to be a satirical look at dangerous attitudes towards women. Of course, it may take a while before this thought ever crosses your mind when actually watching the film. 

You need not watch 10 minutes of the film to realize what you're getting into. Excessive nudity (particularly for males), hyperbolic violence, exaggeratedly bad performances, and random jump cuts all spell the workings of low-brow, highly offensive entertainment. 

In between all of the usual tropes of intentionally making a bad movie, there are moments of originality and genuine humor in The Taint. I found that the funniest moments were those that had nothing to do with the sex or potty humor. After all, unique characters, ironic situations, and poignantly executed commentary are the stuff of true comedy. The Taint does posses many of these features, but I found myself constantly distracted by the overused penis jokes. 

Is The Taint a feminist piece cleverly disguised as a bunch of juvenile jokes? Or is it a bunch of juvenile jokes cleverly disguised as a feminist piece? You be the judge. If the point of this film was to show the ridiculousness of a culture absorbed in violence against women, I don’t believe that this is the most effective way of communicating such a message. Holding far too long on shots of men aggressively ejaculating on a woman’s face, while she screams in terror, is probably not the best method of encouraging respect for females. I do get that it’s supposed to be over-the-top, but it’s not using exaggeration to prove a point, but to disgust.

Pink is the new black, and penises are the new breasts in The Taint. With marks of hipster spirit all over it, I was digging the synthesized music and I chuckled at some sardonic moments. I was also impressed with the sheer amount of gore (squashed heads) – racking up a body count this large is no easy task for low-budget filmmakers. For the most part, the kills and money shots are all pulled off well. I’d love to see directors Drew Buldoc and Dan Nelson tackle something completely different, as the filmmakers clearly know how to deliver a uniquely entertaining viewing experience.

If exploitation as opposed to subtlety is your thing, then go for it. Just don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.