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The measuring stick of dark comedy. Subtle, yet outrageous. A despicable work of art. This is Andy Warhol's Bad. Meet Hazel, Hazel appears to be a regular house wife. She runs a beauty salon out of her house, she also lets her sick mother, and morbidly depressed, freshly dumped, daughter-in-law, live with her. Hazel also let's young ladies who need a place to live, stay there too, for a little extra money. The thing is, they're all going through Hazel, acquiring jobs as hit women, to do anything from vandalizing buildings to murdering unwanted infants. You see, Hazel really likes money. One of Hazel's young ladies has a friend named L.T. (not played by Joe Dallesandro), L.T. is broke and needs a "job". Hazel doesn't usually hire guys, but what the hell. So she lets L.T. stay for a few days, to wait for the job to come through, although there will be plenty of rent money due. L.T. is a lazy smart-ass, and Hazel's non-existent patience quickly runs thin with this mooch. Meanwhile, we the viewer are subject to one offensive, gruesome, and often humorous crime after the other. Bad also includes hot women like Carroll Baker, and Stefania Casini, hilarious dialogue, and were even given the pleasure of a couple cameo's by Adam Sorg from Color me Blood Red, as Hazel's insignificant, discouraged-looking husband. There isn't one character in Bad that isn't either evil, or miserable. Even the cop has bad intentions. Everything in this movie revolves around either money, revenge, or simply causing someone misery because it's funny. The Highlights of Bad include a very dry-humored, mean-spirited, Hazel, and her lonely, whipped puppy-dog of a daughter-in-law, and let's not forget the spiteful racist, Estelle, an outlandish hog of a woman, just looking for a fight. Calling Bad politically incorrect would just be silly at this point. Bad is the first, as well as the last Warhol Film that wasn't directed by Paul Morrissey. Thus film has a different feel all together, Bad doesn't have that improvised charm of a Morrissey/Warhol, but is more determined to shock than ever. If you've never seen a Warhol, it's probably best to start with this one, then Trash, if you like that one, Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula will definitely impress. They say Bad has something to offend everyone, a lot of us have seen more offensive than this, but as far as dark comedies and cult films in general go, Bad is among the elite. As far as I'm concerned, they should have called this movie Andy Warhol's Awesome. 9/10

Bad, also known as Andy Warhol's Bad, is directed by Jed Johnson, the editor of the two better known films to feature the great artist's name; namely, Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein. Like the aforementioned titles, this one features a similar trashy and sleazy atmosphere and while it doesn't benefit from as strong a plot, Bad is still lots of fun and is likely to delight fans of the genre. The title, while seemingly unimaginative, is actually very fitting as while the film is not 'bad' for those who like this sort of thing - it certainly is in very bad taste! The plot is rather wayward and at its centre focuses on a beauty salon which is ran by Hazel from her house. However, it would seem that this business does not bring in enough money so Hazel is also running a sideline in hit jobs, which she has carried out by women who work for her. Things are shook up a little when a young man arrives in town looking for work and ends up getting to stay at Hazel's house and she decides to use him on a hit, despite the fact that she prefers to use women.

Bad doesn't follow a particular plot narrative, and instead focuses on a number of individual characters and basically relies on them to make something happen, which they often do and the result is a film that stays interesting for most of it's duration. The film stars Umberto Lenzi favourite Caroll Baker in the lead role and while it's not a great performance, she certainly does fit the tone of the film. There's no role for Joe Dallesandro but Perry King takes up that area of the film and doesn't do anything that couldn't have been done by Joe. The film is categorised as a comedy and it is rather funny at times, but the humour is extremely black and the film is not a laugh a minute either. It soon becomes clear that the film is not really going to go anywhere and indeed the ending doesn't really wrap very much up although it does contain one of the best moments of the film. Overall, Bad is certainly not for everyone; but it's a definitely worth a look if you caught the other two films baring Andy Warhol's name. Recommended!

Although Andy Warhol's association with this movie was merely nominal, the late Jed Johnson and his screenplay writers produced, (whether consciously or not hardly matters), one of the truly subversive masterpieces of American cinema. It is a more devastating critique of capitalism than any film ever produced by the so-called communist countries, and it forces us to face so many different issues, and ask ourselves just what we have collectively allowed our society to become. (Britain, by the way, is rapidly catching up in this respect; we usually trail the US by about five years in such matters!). It is too, one of the most strangely MORAL films, peopled, (with one exception), with characters so hideous, or selfish, or self-seeking, or ruthless, or just plain cruel, that empathy is thin on the ground, and yet the exception, (the docile, trusting, slightly naive, and conventionally "plain" and "square" Mary; was that name deliberately chosen for its symbolic value I wonder?), emerges as the true survivor, whose basic humane values are so cogently reflected in her closing line of the film, "Looks aren't everything". All the values that we are brainwashed into believing are "sharp", "hip" or "cool" are turned on their head, and even more amazingly, one of the ultimate messages that this remarkable film delivers, edges very close to an anarchist philosophy, that meaningful change and revolution has first to start with the individual, and that conventional "values" are hollow and riddled with hypocrisy if those espousing them are secretly pursuing hidden agendas of their own. (Step forward all the various "gate" participants of the last few decades..!). Certainly not a film for the squeamish, (how could the American ratings board or any caring parent allow children to watch such a movie?), but a film which I am sure the passage of time will show to be one of the most important American films ever. It really is that good! Technical credits are all outstanding too, (a brilliant score by the late Mike Bloomfield which fits the sleazy overall mood like a glove), and a performance from Carroll Baker that is worthy of an award. Approach this film with an open mind and some lateral thinking, and you too might discover that it is an unexpected revelation. A masterpiece!

I've only watched a few of Warhol's films but BAD now joins FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973) and BLOOD FOR Dracula (1974) in being the most interesting examples of his work (so far, anyway), if still not exactly good cinema!

Tacky in presentation and patchy in effect, the film is tasteless enough to keep one watching - sometimes incredulously - till the very end; Mike Bloomfield's pounding score helps, too. Carroll Baker seems comfortable enough with her unusual (to say the least!) role - though she had cut her teeth in Italian cult films during the previous decade. The rest of the cast is eclectic, if not especially rewarding: Perry King, Susan Tyrrell (playing a simple-minded ugly duckling who's been left stranded with a child suffering with Down's Syndrome!), Stefania Casini and Lawrence Tierney. The first three appear as temporary residents in Baker's house - a hair-removing business indulging in criminal activities on the side! - while Tierney is one of their victims (or, rather, its master as the target was actually his dog!). Baker utilizes several colorful killers for her alternately anarchic and murderous jobs: King is a wastrel, while Casini (who comes off best, despite struggling with the English dialogue) is a tough foreign broad, for instance; among others, there is also a memorable sister act - one of whom is a pyromaniac.

Among the film's most hilarious - or, should I say, horrifying - sequences: a young one-armed man reacting passively to Casini's killing of the mechanic responsible for his disability; a journalist reporting a fire in a cinema, which left 14 people killed, saying that one should thank God that the film being shown was a Hispanic release with limited appeal - as, otherwise, the number of victims would have been far greater!; and, particularly, three scenes involving violence perpetrated on children: a jaw-dropping yet hysterical one where a distraught mother callously throws her crying toddler out the window of a tall building, splashing bystanders with its blood (the baby itself is then voyeuristically shown splattered on the pavement)!!; another in which King punches a retarded boy several times - and even throws him across the room - in order to make sure of his condition, but still can't bring himself to 'execute' him; and the end sequence when Baker's body is discovered by Tyrell who, in her amazement, lets go of the baby (which comes tumbling down to the floor).

One last thing; "Leonard Maltin's Film Guide" erroneously lists this as having been made in 1971 - but that's quite impossible since, at one point, Tyrrell's character is asked what was the last film she watched and the reply comes that it was "that Watergate thing" (alluding obviously to ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN [1976])!

It's impossible to watch Bad without thinking of John Waters. My first thought was that this film must have been an influence on him. But looking at the date, Waters had already made ten films, including some of his most famous. Or notorious. Bad tries to shock, but mostly bores. Of course, that's kind of the theme of most Andy Warhol produced films.

Carroll Baker does a great job as a deadpan, middle class housewife and electrologist who aspires to more via her murder&mayhem-for-hire service. And Perry King is a fine follow-up to Joe Dallesandro. But the over the top performances from the other actors make Bad seem like scenes from two different films spliced together into one mess.

Andy Warhol started out as a commercial illustrator in the 1950s. Ten years later, he began to be recognized as a "proper" artist by the art establishment. During this time, Warhol's large New York studio, The Factory, became a gathering place for painters, playwrights and Hollywood celebrities (not to mention drag queens and drug users who loved to hang out there). After surviving an assassination attempt in June 1968, Warhol became interested in traditional moviemaking. In rapid succession, he made "Flesh," "Trash," and "Heat." Films, that are considered underground classics today.

Fast forward to early Spring 1976. Warhol was now preparing for yet another cinematic project. But this time, things were different. The new production would be completed without the involvement of Paul Morrissey and Joe Dallesandro (the director/star team from many of Warhol's previous movies). And that wasn't the only novelty. For the first time, Andy Warhol planned to use professional actors. Men and women with previous experience from mainstream Hollywood pictures.

Principal photography started in May 1976. Andy Warhol had decided to finance the movie himself, using money he had earned during six months of portrait commissions. Additional capital was then raised by selling the European distribution rights to the highest bidder. One problem remained, however. Warhol hadn't been able to interest any of the major American film studios in the project. That didn't seem to worry him too much, though. Not at this stage, anyway.

Andy Warhol's self-confidence proved to be well-founded. A few weeks later, Roger Corman's B-movie company, New World Pictures, agreed to take over the distribution of "Bad" in the United States. But unfortunately, the film was never a big success in the cinemas. When he realized that, Andy Warhol's interest in the silver screen came to an end. Instead, he devoted the rest of his life to creating even more of his revolutionary art. Something we certainly can appreciate to this day.

In John Waters' brilliant book "Shock Value," he writes the following: "One must remember, there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste. It's easy to disgust someone; I could make a ninety-minute film of people getting their limbs hacked off, but this would only be bad bad taste and not very stylish or original." And there you have it. "Bad" is pretty much a ninety minute film of people getting their limbs hacked off (figuratively, of course). It's designed for people who think they're "cool" to laugh at the acts of cruelty and violence.

Andy Warhol must have thought he was on a roll after lending his name to Paul Morrisey and Antonio Margheriti's brilliant yet deranged "Flesh for Frankenstein" and Morrisey's outstanding follow-up "Blood for Dracula," but Warhol wisely stopped letting people use his name after this one.

"Andy Warhol's Bad" concerns a rapacious middle-age housewife in NYC who runs an electrolysis business and a murder-for-hire (with only female employees) business out of her home. There are various subplots, involving her hired assassins, their clients, and her mentally dull daughter-in-law who lives with her (and whom she cruelly exploits). Although often considered "camp", a la the films of John Waters, "Bad" is in reality more of a satire in the vein of "Gulliver's Travels". The critique is presents of contemporary, capitalist values in American society is right on target, so that the thoroughly unrealistic plot seems all too real. Even more, this film has perhaps the funniest, most original dialogue of any film ever made - you'll never forget the dangerously paranoid Brigid Polk (a.k.a., Brigid Berlin) and the two amoral sisters she hires to kill a dog. The acting, by both pros and Warhol superstars, is excellent. It even manages to successfully pull off the few moments of poignancy that are allowed in the bleak world it depicts (the assault on the dog and his owner, the final epiphany of L.T. when his empathy prevents him from killing an autistic child and his subsequent confrontation with Hazel). This is not a film for most people - it is far too pessimistic, brutal and graphic - but if you can stomach that, it is more than worth your while to see.

Aptly named, this movie is bad. I give one star only because I got to watch Perry King. Not sure it was worth it. The acting was decent; Carol Baker and Perry King performed well, but most of the cast was over the top. No real story here just a series of violent or useless scenes. Why show the finger being stuffed into the Catsup if there is no payoff of it being found? That was a waste of my time.

Andy Warhol's Bad or should it be Jed Johnson's Bad, is fascinating for the very fact that the film was released. Also for Carroll Baker's performance as Mrs. Aiken, a woman who runs a hair removal business out of her kitchen.

Baker's performance makes Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest look like a harmless little kitten. What fun it would be to see the two of them in a fight! The film seems to be made to appear as a low budget film but in fact is probably the most sophisticated of Warhol films. Baker's acting is superb and she probably has the best dialogue.

The other characters you won't forget for a long time. Oddly, Perry King's performance and character is the most bland. In fact, all of the males here are bland. It is the women that stand out.

Here is a harsh, brutal look at life in Queens when a woman or women have to come up with creative ways to make a buck. This is about mean people who no longer care about law or anyone who tries to adhere to law or impose any moral code whatsoever.

Kill or be killed. One of my favorite films but certainly not for everyone!

"Bad" was one of the most offensive, hilarious and brilliantly written films I saw in the 70's. Carroll Baker puts forth an incredibly bland, sarcastic performance as a housewife with a clan of hit women on the side (hey, a woman's gotta pay the bills). My only misgiving about the film was Perry King never made a very good Joe Dallesandro, and I got the feeling while I was watching it Warhol and Johnson were doing everything they could to replicate him. The saddest thing about this film is that after waiting for years for it to show up on DVD, it's finally been presented in such poor, dismal quality that it's almost not worth watching. Why would a company called CheezyFlicks release this, and release it in such poor shape? This needs a better release, as well as a remaster, so it can really be appreciated. What they've done to this classic film is a real shame.

"Andy Warhol's Bad" is probably one of my top ten favorite comedies. Imagine a John Waters movie and make it ten times more offensive! Great stuff! This is quite a turn from director Paul Morrissey's underground improvisation opuses, but isn't a bad change.

Carroll Baker is great as Hazel Aiken, a lady who runs an electrolysis clinic in her home and a murder-for-hire business on the side, utilizing only female killers (save for new employee Perry King). Baker is fabulous and reminded me of Kathleen Turner in "Serial Mom", just without the constant happiness. Susan Tyrell is great as Hazel's daughter-in-law Mary, who spends her life residing in Hazel's house caring for her baby. Always looking frumpy and whiny, Tyrell is hilarious! I see now why John Waters seeked her out for a part in "Cry-Baby"! Perry King is a painfully obvious Joe Dallesandro replacement. Reportedly Dallesandro turned down the part for work in Europe, which unfortunately didn't lead to anything that helped his career. He would have been perfect here and would have acted with/had another sex scene with one-time girlfriend Stefania Casini (they had worked together in "Blood for Dracula"). Casini's Italian accent is thankfully left intact and is very sexy as a redheaded assassin. Also making an appearance is early Warhol regular Brigid Polk as Estelle, a bitchy fat lady who wants cop Lawrence Tierney's dog killed for something he said about her weight! Jane Forth is almost unrecognizable as a screaming passerby who is splattered with blood when a woman throws her baby out the window! As you can tell from these examples, "Andy Warhol's Bad" is not for everyone. For those with a very broad taste in humor and those not easily offended.

This is one of my favorite films. Such a great parody about "good" and "evil". Carroll Bakker is outstanding. It also gives some great insights as to what it was like to live in NYC in the late 1970s. Fantabulous! It's a story about a mom who does odd jobs for the mafia. She "opens the channels between you and a client." The jobs range from messing up a bathroom in a diner, to killing a dog for a vicious lesbian. In the end though, her karma catches up with her. She always uses women to do her dirty work, and the one time that she uses a (hot) male who she's sexually attracted to, her entire world falls apart. Women are easier because they are inherently more vicious. Please watch this film. It's an outstanding slice of life movie.

If you're not sure what irony is, imagine a housewife in Queens running a legitimate electrolysis shop while also running an illegitimate "murder for hire" operation. But Hazel Aiken's real pet peeves are using off color references (toilet talk) in her kitchen or after deliberately scattering broken glass, sets up her male boarder to walk barefoot through it, threatening him if he gets blood droplets on her rug. Orchestrating the murders of auto mechanics, babies and dogs is just part of a days work. Carroll Baker is perfect is the self-absorbed Hazel Aiken who prefers using women to carry out these dastardly deeds. It is only after she breaks from tradition and hires L.T (Perry King) as her newest recruit, do things go astray. Every job is bungled. Hazel's homely, depressed and poor daughter-in-law (Susan Tyrrell) is the only soul with a conscience in this dark but funny flick. Of all the "underground" Wahhol movies, this would be considered closest to "ground level". It also stars Brigid Berlin (then Brigid Polk), Cyrinda Foxe, Mary Boylan, Stefania Casini, Charles McGregor and a list of lesser known "Warhol" affiliates. It's a "must see" for those who appreciate the offbeat.

It's fair to say that "Bad", the final film produced by Andy Warhol's studio, is not for everyone.

Hazel Aiken (Carrol Baker) is a New York housewife who runs an electrolysis clinic from her home, as well as running an all-female "murder for hire" business. Her life is complicated by the arrival of boarder LT (Perry King), who is waiting for the call for his first contract killing.

The film is loaded with offensive scenes, including a mother throwing her unwanted baby out of the window of a skyscraper. However there is a strange morality to the film, which explores a world completely without morality, where life is completely meaningless. The film is full of deeply dark humour. This was the most expensive of Warhol's films, and may be his most accessible. If you're a fan of cult film-maker John Waters, you'll probably love this. In fact, this is one of the great cult movies. Recommended to people with strong nerves and stomachs.

"Bad" speaks to those of us who like to voyeuristically revel in wickedness for its own sake. This film is filled with abuse that good people everywhere proclaim they are incapable of fathoming. It is the realm of sick people with evil imaginations that prey on the weak, homely, helpless. However, because it is cinema, "Bad" should be viewed with a discerning mind. It is very funny at times to watch human folly in all its excesses. This film takes "bad" human behaviour to the extreme. It is camp that very much resonates in the same spirit as "Pink Flamingos" and "Meet the Feebles". This film will upset those who take themselves far too seriously. Without a sense of humour, the prospective viewer will be lost in a self-righteous fever.

The current DVD version lacks the short scene when the Montemorano sisters mug the two women in wheelchairs, in broad daylight.