Troma Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production
and distribution
company founded by Lloyd Kaufman
and Michael Herz
in 1974.
The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce. Many Troma films contain social commentary.
s known for their surrealistic or automatistic
nature, along with their use of shocking imagery; some would categorize them as "shock exploitation film
s". They typically contain overt sexuality, graphic violence, gore and nudity, so much that the term "Troma film" has become synonymous with these characteristics. Troma's slogan is Movies of the Future. Troma reuses the same props, actors, and scenes repeatedly, sometimes to save money. At a certain point, however, this became another hallmark of Troma. Examples include a severed leg, a penis monster, and the flipping and exploding car filmed for the movie Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, which is used in place of any other car that needs to crash and explode.
Troma produced or acquired early films featuring several rising talents, such as Carmen Electra
(The Chosen One), Billy Bob Thornton
(Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
), Vanna White
(Graduation Day), Kevin Costner
(Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.
), Samuel L. Jackson
(Def by Temptation
), Marisa Tomei
(The Toxic Avenger
), Vincent D'Onofrio
(The First Turn-On!
), David Boreanaz
(Macabre Pair of Shorts), Paul Sorvino
(Cry Uncle!
), James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet
), Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
(Cannibal! The Musical
), before they were discovered. Another Academy Award winning director, Oliver Stone
, made his debut as an actor in The Battle of Love's Return
.
Their latest production, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, was released in late 2006.
and Squeeze Play!
. Troma provided production support for Louis Malle
's My Dinner With Andre
, for which Kaufman served as a production manager.
In 1985, Troma had a hit with the violent, dark-comedy superhero film The Toxic Avenger
. The film went on to become Troma's most popular, spawning sequels and an animated television program. However, following the financial demise of the company Troma itself, the sequels to the film were box office bombs, and the cartoon adaptation quickly folded. The Toxic Avenger character is now Troma's official mascot.
Kaufman's follow-up film to The Toxic Avenger was Class of Nuke 'Em High
, co-directed with Richard W. Haines. The film was a hit nearly as successful, though it inspired two unsuccessful sequels, both following the financial demise of Troma. At one time, it was the highest-selling VHS release for Troma.
The Toxic Avenger was turned into a musical which debuted at the George Street Playhouse
in New Brunswick
, New Jersey
and opened in New York in the fall of 2008. The Toxic Avenger Musical book by Joe DiPietro, the author of the long-running I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and All Shook Up, was released the same year. The music is by David Bryan
, keyboardist of the rock band Bon Jovi
.
Soon after Class of Nuke 'em High was completed and distributed, Kaufman directed Troma's War
. Intended as a criticism of Ronald Reagan
's attempt to glamorize war, the story concerns a group of everyday people who crash land on a remote island, only to find it populated by an isolationist militia that intends to overthrow the US government. Troma's War was a box office bomb
. In the aftermath of the film's poor financial performance, Troma experienced financial hardship, jettisoning the company from the Hollywood mainstream. In the years that followed the financial failure of their films, Troma tried to reestablish itself as a smaller, independent film company, mostly out of financial necessity. Despite unsuccessful attempts to assert itself in the mainstream Hollywood community, notably with two direct sequels to The Toxic Avenger, and another stab at the superhero genre Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, Troma was unable to reenter the mainstream film market.
Today, the majority of Troma films are viewed for the first time on VHS or DVD, with some theatrical releases for their films in smaller art houses, college campuses, and independent cinemas.
, a loose parody of Shakespeare's play; Terror Firmer
, a slasher film
loosely based on Kaufman's book All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
, and an independent film sequel to The Toxic Avenger trilogy titled Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
.
Troma's financial hardship worsened after the botched funding of a low-budget video feature titled Tales from the Crapper
, which cost $250,000 despite most of the footage being completely unusable. India Allen
, one of the producers, backed out of the film halfway through, and sued Troma, citing breach of contract, slander, sexual harassment, trade slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Kaufman supervised a reshoot in an attempt to salvage the film, dividing the footage into two parts and recasting the film as a double feature. Tales from the Crapper
was released on DVD in September 2004.
Currently, Troma produces and acquires independent films, despite financial hardships and limitations. Troma Films has distributed many films from third parties including Trey Parker
's Cannibal! The Musical
. Lloyd encourages independent filmmaking, making cameo appearance
s in many low-budget horror films, occasionally without fee. Among his more recent appearances is in former collaborator James Gunn's directing debut, Slither.
Kaufman's film, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
was released in 2006 in theaters and 2008 on DVD.
During the winter of 2010/2011, Troma produced a feature length film Father's Day, which Kaufman calls "a response film to Mother's Day". The film was written and directed by the Canadian filmmaking team Astron-6
, debuting October 21st, 2011, at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival
where it took home the top prize of BEST FILM, as well as five other awards.
was happening and will be produced by Akiva Goldsman
. Another 1980s Troma classic, Mother's Day will also receive a remake and will be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
and produced by Brett Ratner
. Kauffman also said that he is also negotiating a deal for remakes of Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and Class of Nuke 'Em High
.
, Utah
at the same time as the Sundance Festival to accentuate their true independence from the mainstream. The festival screens submitted movies from independent filmmakers from around the world, the best of which are usually released on DVD by Troma or compiled in the Best of Tromadance series. In parallel, Troma acts as adviser to aspiring filmmakers with Kaufman teaching classes, contributing cameos and often releasing the finished films on DVD. 2009 marked the last time Tromadance was held in Utah; the festival was subsequently relocated to Asbury Park, New Jersey. Additionally, Tromadance adjusted its annual schedule to take place in April rather than in January as in previous years.
Kaufman has also had some success with several non-fiction books and a novelization of The Toxic Avenger
. Released in 1998, All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
is an autobiography of sorts co-written with James Gunn. This book was significant to those interested in Troma and Kaufman because it signified the first time a book had chronicled the history of the company, its films and its iconic figure head. Kaufman continued to draw on his experiences as Troma chief in the "how-to" filmmaking books Make Your Own Damn Movie!
, Direct Your Own Damn Movie!, Produce Your Own Damn Movie! and Sell Your Own Damn Movie!. A DVD box set has been released to coincide with release of each of the three books. In the video series, Kaufman interviews famous and infamous filmmakers about various filmmaking subjects.
In 2006 a novelization of The Toxic Avenger was released. It was co-written by Kaufman and long time Troma employee Adam Jahnke.
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
and distribution
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
company founded by Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
and Michael Herz
Michael Herz (producer)
Michael Herz is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. With Lloyd Kaufman, the two are the co-founders of Troma Entertainment, the world's longest running independent film studio, known for their comedic horror films, including the cult favorite Toxic Avenger series and the...
in 1974.
The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce. Many Troma films contain social commentary.
Company information
Troma films are B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s known for their surrealistic or automatistic
Surrealist automatism
Automatism has taken on many forms: the automatic writing and drawing initially practiced by surrealists can be compared to similar, or perhaps parallel phenomena, such as the non-idiomatic improvisation of free jazz....
nature, along with their use of shocking imagery; some would categorize them as "shock exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
s". They typically contain overt sexuality, graphic violence, gore and nudity, so much that the term "Troma film" has become synonymous with these characteristics. Troma's slogan is Movies of the Future. Troma reuses the same props, actors, and scenes repeatedly, sometimes to save money. At a certain point, however, this became another hallmark of Troma. Examples include a severed leg, a penis monster, and the flipping and exploding car filmed for the movie Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, which is used in place of any other car that needs to crash and explode.
Troma produced or acquired early films featuring several rising talents, such as Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
(The Chosen One), Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
(Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
Chopper Chicks In Zombietown is a 1989 comedy horror movie released by Troma, featuring Billy Bob Thornton.The film is about an all-female motorcycle gang named the 'Cycle Sluts', who cruise into the isolated town of Zariah looking for a good time...
), Vanna White
Vanna White
Vanna White is an American television personality and film actress best known as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune since 1982.-Early life:...
(Graduation Day), Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
(Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.
Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.
Sizzle Beach, U.S.A is an independent film starring Kevin Costner, Terry Congie, Leslie Brander, and Roselyn Royce.It was not released until 1986 after Costner had become a celebrity...
), Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
(Def by Temptation
Def by Temptation
Def by Temptation is a horror film directed by James Bond III and stars Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bill Nunn. It was released in March of 1990. The director James Bond III played the character Doc in the children's television series The Red Hand Gang.-Synopsis:The story is set in New...
), Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
(The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
), Vincent D'Onofrio
Vincent D'Onofrio
Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"...
(The First Turn-On!
The First Turn-On!
The First Turn-On! is a 1983 comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. It was the last in a series of four "sexy comedies" that helped establish Troma as a film studio, starting with 1979's Squeeze Play!, 1981's Waitress! and 1982's Stuck on You!.The First...
), David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
(Macabre Pair of Shorts), Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
(Cry Uncle!
Cry Uncle!
Cry Uncle! is a 1971 film in the Troma library. It is directed by John G. Avildsen and stars Allen Garfield. The story, based on the Michael Brett novel Lie A Little, Die A Little, follows the misadventures of a slobbish private detective who is hired by a millionaire to investigate a murder...
), James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet
Tromeo and Juliet
Tromeo and Juliet is a 1996 independent transgressive comedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet from Troma Entertainment...
), Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
(Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical is a 1993 independent film directed by co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
), before they were discovered. Another Academy Award winning director, Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, made his debut as an actor in The Battle of Love's Return
The Battle of Love's Return
The Battle of Love's Return is a 1971 comedy film written, directed, produced, and starring Lloyd Kaufman, the co-founder of Troma Entertainment, his first major film after his student production The Girl Who Returned....
.
Their latest production, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, was released in late 2006.
History of Troma Studios
In the mid 1970s, Kaufman and Herz began producing, directing, and distributing raunchy sex comedies such as The First Turn-On!The First Turn-On!
The First Turn-On! is a 1983 comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. It was the last in a series of four "sexy comedies" that helped establish Troma as a film studio, starting with 1979's Squeeze Play!, 1981's Waitress! and 1982's Stuck on You!.The First...
and Squeeze Play!
Squeeze Play!
Squeeze Play! is a 1979 comedy film from Troma Entertainment directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. It was Troma’s first major hit before The Toxic Avenger, and the first in a line of four "sexy comedies", followed by Waitress!, Stuck on You!, and The First Turn-On!.-Plot:A group of New Jersey...
. Troma provided production support for Louis Malle
Louis Malle
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...
's My Dinner With Andre
My Dinner with Andre
My Dinner with Andre is a 1981 film starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, written by Gregory and Shawn, and directed by Louis Malle.-Plot:...
, for which Kaufman served as a production manager.
In 1985, Troma had a hit with the violent, dark-comedy superhero film The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
. The film went on to become Troma's most popular, spawning sequels and an animated television program. However, following the financial demise of the company Troma itself, the sequels to the film were box office bombs, and the cartoon adaptation quickly folded. The Toxic Avenger character is now Troma's official mascot.
Kaufman's follow-up film to The Toxic Avenger was Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High, also known as Atomic High School, is a 1986 film made by cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment. It was directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman under the pseudonym Samuel Weil...
, co-directed with Richard W. Haines. The film was a hit nearly as successful, though it inspired two unsuccessful sequels, both following the financial demise of Troma. At one time, it was the highest-selling VHS release for Troma.
The Toxic Avenger was turned into a musical which debuted at the George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse is a theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, one of the state's preeminent professional theatres committed to the production of new and established plays....
in New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and opened in New York in the fall of 2008. The Toxic Avenger Musical book by Joe DiPietro, the author of the long-running I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and All Shook Up, was released the same year. The music is by David Bryan
David Bryan
David Bryan is the keyboard player of the band rock classic, Bon Jovi. Bryan also sings backing vocals and often at live shows sings part of or the whole of the song "In These Arms", one of a handful of Bon Jovi songs credited to him as songwriter...
, keyboardist of the rock band Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
.
Soon after Class of Nuke 'em High was completed and distributed, Kaufman directed Troma's War
Troma's War
Troma's War, also known as 1,000 Ways to Die in the United States, is a 1988 action/adventure film written by Lloyd Kaufman and Mitchell Dana and directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman...
. Intended as a criticism of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's attempt to glamorize war, the story concerns a group of everyday people who crash land on a remote island, only to find it populated by an isolationist militia that intends to overthrow the US government. Troma's War was a box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
. In the aftermath of the film's poor financial performance, Troma experienced financial hardship, jettisoning the company from the Hollywood mainstream. In the years that followed the financial failure of their films, Troma tried to reestablish itself as a smaller, independent film company, mostly out of financial necessity. Despite unsuccessful attempts to assert itself in the mainstream Hollywood community, notably with two direct sequels to The Toxic Avenger, and another stab at the superhero genre Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, Troma was unable to reenter the mainstream film market.
Today, the majority of Troma films are viewed for the first time on VHS or DVD, with some theatrical releases for their films in smaller art houses, college campuses, and independent cinemas.
Work since 1995
From 1995 to 2000, Kaufman directed three independent films distributed in limited theatrical releases: Tromeo and JulietTromeo and Juliet
Tromeo and Juliet is a 1996 independent transgressive comedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet from Troma Entertainment...
, a loose parody of Shakespeare's play; Terror Firmer
Terror Firmer
Terror Firmer is a 1999 American comedy horror film, directed by Lloyd Kaufman, written by Patrick Cassidy and Douglas Buck, and starring Will Keenan and Alyce LaTourelle. The film was produced by the Troma Entertainment company, known for distributing campy exploitation films...
, a slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
loosely based on Kaufman's book All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman, published by Berkely Boulevard, a subsidiary of Penguin Putnam, in 1998. Kaufman is the co-founder of B-movie company Troma Entertainment and the director of such films as The Toxic Avenger,...
, and an independent film sequel to The Toxic Avenger trilogy titled Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV
Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV is a 2000 American superhero comedy film released by Troma Entertainment, directed by Lloyd Kaufman...
.
Troma's financial hardship worsened after the botched funding of a low-budget video feature titled Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper is a 2004 straight-to-video anthology film that was a spoof of the Tales from the Crypt comics. The film was released by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
, which cost $250,000 despite most of the footage being completely unusable. India Allen
India Allen
India Allen is an American actress and model. Allen appeared as a centerfold in the December 1987 issue of Playboy magazine and was subsequently named Playmate of the Year in 1988....
, one of the producers, backed out of the film halfway through, and sued Troma, citing breach of contract, slander, sexual harassment, trade slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Kaufman supervised a reshoot in an attempt to salvage the film, dividing the footage into two parts and recasting the film as a double feature. Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper
Tales from the Crapper is a 2004 straight-to-video anthology film that was a spoof of the Tales from the Crypt comics. The film was released by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
was released on DVD in September 2004.
Currently, Troma produces and acquires independent films, despite financial hardships and limitations. Troma Films has distributed many films from third parties including Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
's Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical is a 1993 independent film directed by co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
. Lloyd encourages independent filmmaking, making cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s in many low-budget horror films, occasionally without fee. Among his more recent appearances is in former collaborator James Gunn's directing debut, Slither.
Kaufman's film, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
Poultrygeist
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is a 2006 musical-comedy horror exploitation film from Troma Entertainment, directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Gabriel Friedman and Daniel Bova....
was released in 2006 in theaters and 2008 on DVD.
During the winter of 2010/2011, Troma produced a feature length film Father's Day, which Kaufman calls "a response film to Mother's Day". The film was written and directed by the Canadian filmmaking team Astron-6
Astron-6
Astron-6 is a Canadian film production company founded in 2007 by Adam Brooks and Jeremy Gillespie. It quickly grew to include Matt Kennedy, Conor Sweeney and Steven Kostanski...
, debuting October 21st, 2011, at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival
Toronto After Dark Film Festival
Toronto After Dark Film Festival is a showcase of horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema held annually in Toronto, Canada at the Bloor Cinema. The festival premieres a diverse selection of feature-length and short-films from around the world including new works from Asia, Europe and North...
where it took home the top prize of BEST FILM, as well as five other awards.
Troma gets a Hollywood makeover
On April 7, 2010, Kaufman confirmed that a PG-13 remake of The Toxic AvengerThe Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
was happening and will be produced by Akiva Goldsman
Akiva Goldsman
Akiva J. Goldsman from Walker Valley, New York is an American screenwriter and film producer. He received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture....
. Another 1980s Troma classic, Mother's Day will also receive a remake and will be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
and produced by Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
. Kauffman also said that he is also negotiating a deal for remakes of Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High
Class of Nuke 'Em High, also known as Atomic High School, is a 1986 film made by cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment. It was directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman under the pseudonym Samuel Weil...
.
Other work
Troma holds the annual Tromadance Festival in Park CityPark City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
at the same time as the Sundance Festival to accentuate their true independence from the mainstream. The festival screens submitted movies from independent filmmakers from around the world, the best of which are usually released on DVD by Troma or compiled in the Best of Tromadance series. In parallel, Troma acts as adviser to aspiring filmmakers with Kaufman teaching classes, contributing cameos and often releasing the finished films on DVD. 2009 marked the last time Tromadance was held in Utah; the festival was subsequently relocated to Asbury Park, New Jersey. Additionally, Tromadance adjusted its annual schedule to take place in April rather than in January as in previous years.
Kaufman has also had some success with several non-fiction books and a novelization of The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
. Released in 1998, All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman, published by Berkely Boulevard, a subsidiary of Penguin Putnam, in 1998. Kaufman is the co-founder of B-movie company Troma Entertainment and the director of such films as The Toxic Avenger,...
is an autobiography of sorts co-written with James Gunn. This book was significant to those interested in Troma and Kaufman because it signified the first time a book had chronicled the history of the company, its films and its iconic figure head. Kaufman continued to draw on his experiences as Troma chief in the "how-to" filmmaking books Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Make Your Own Damn Movie is both a book and a DVD set about Troma Entertainment and independent film in general.-Book:Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director is written by Lloyd Kaufman published by St. Martin's, in 2003...
, Direct Your Own Damn Movie!, Produce Your Own Damn Movie! and Sell Your Own Damn Movie!. A DVD box set has been released to coincide with release of each of the three books. In the video series, Kaufman interviews famous and infamous filmmakers about various filmmaking subjects.
In 2006 a novelization of The Toxic Avenger was released. It was co-written by Kaufman and long time Troma employee Adam Jahnke.
Films distributed by Troma
Also see List of Troma Team Video Titles for a complete list of films distributed by Troma Entertainment. Below is a list of some Troma distributed films;- Beware! Children at PlayBeware! Children at PlayBeware! Children at Play is a 1989 horror film directed by Mik Cribben and distributed by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:The film follows the inhabitants of a small rural town whose children are disappearing at an alarming rate and whose adults are simultaneously being killed in a ritualistic fashion...
- Blood Junkie
- Blood Sucking FreaksBlood Sucking FreaksBlood Sucking Freaks is a 1976 horror-exploitation film. Shot under the title Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins, it was retitled The Incredible Torture Show during its original theatrical run....
- Cannibal! The MusicalCannibal! The MusicalCannibal! The Musical is a 1993 independent film directed by co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
- The Class of Nuke 'Em High trilogy (1Class of Nuke 'Em HighClass of Nuke 'Em High, also known as Atomic High School, is a 1986 film made by cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment. It was directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman under the pseudonym Samuel Weil...
, 2Class of Nuke 'Em High 2: Subhumanoid MeltdownClass of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown is a 1991 sequel to the 1986 minor-hit Class of Nuke 'Em High. Notably there are no characters carried over from the first film .-Plot:Tromaville's nuclear reactor has been rebuilt and the Nukamama Corporation...
, 3Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the SubhumanoidThe Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid is a 1994 comedy, horror, science-fiction film directed by Eric Louzil and distributed by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
) - Combat ShockCombat ShockCombat Shock is a 1986 drama film written and directed by Buddy Giovinazzo and distributed by Troma Entertainment.The plot of the film takes place in Staten Island, and follows an unemployed Vietnam veteran living in total poverty with his nagging wife, his deformed baby due to Ricky having been...
- Def by TemptationDef by TemptationDef by Temptation is a horror film directed by James Bond III and stars Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bill Nunn. It was released in March of 1990. The director James Bond III played the character Doc in the children's television series The Red Hand Gang.-Synopsis:The story is set in New...
- Father's Day
- Ferocious Female Freedom FightersFerocious Female Freedom FightersFerocious Female Freedom Fighters is a 1982 action-comedy film directed by Jopi Burnama and Charles Kaufman, the brother of Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment, who distributed the film....
- The First Turn-On!The First Turn-On!The First Turn-On! is a 1983 comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. It was the last in a series of four "sexy comedies" that helped establish Troma as a film studio, starting with 1979's Squeeze Play!, 1981's Waitress! and 1982's Stuck on You!.The First...
- Hanging WomanHanging WomanThe Hanging Woman is a 1973 horror film directed by José Luis Merino and distributed by Troma Entertainment.- Plot :A ghostly murder after another occurs on the castle of Count Mihajli after his death...
- Killer CondomKiller CondomKiller Condom is a 1996 German horror comedy based on the comic book of the same name by Ralf König. It was directed by Martin Walz and featured Jörg Buttgereit as its special effects coordinator and H.R...
- The Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror Film is a 1982 cult horror film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro...
- Mad Dog MorganMad Dog MorganMad Dog Morgan is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan...
- Monster in the ClosetMonster in the ClosetMonster in the Closet is a 1986 horror/comedy with a veteran cast, including Howard Duff and John Carradine, as well as The Black Eyed Peas' Stacy Ferguson and Paul Walker in early roles. The film was distributed by Troma Entertainment...
- Mother's Day
- Mr. Bricks
- NightbeastNightbeastNightbeast is a 1982 science fiction/horror film directed by cult director Don Dohler. It is a remake/sequel of sorts to Dohler's first film The Alien Factor. The story concerns a small town sheriff who must stop a rampaging alien from killing the residents of Perry Hall. Most of the cast of The...
- Not Another B Movie
- Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
- Rabid GranniesRabid GranniesRabid Grannies is a 1988 Belgian horror film directed by Emmanuel Kervyn.-Plot:The plot revolves around a large family who gather for their two grandmothers' birthday in the country side...
- Redneck ZombiesRedneck ZombiesRedneck Zombies is a 1987 very low budget independent horror comedy trash film directed by Pericles Lewnes and released by Troma Entertainment.-Plot:...
- ScreamplayScreamplayScreamplay is a 1985 American horror film directed by Rufus Butler Seder.-Plot:Aspiring screenwriter Edgar Allen arrives in Hollywood carrying his most valuable possessions: a battered suitcase and a typewriter. Edgar Allen's best attribute is his wild imagination...
- Space DazeSpace DazeSpace Daze is a 2005 sci-fi comedy film written and directed by J.W. Norton and distributed by Troma Entertainment. It stars James Vallo, Byron Thames and features a cameo from Corey Feldman.-Plot:...
- Tale of Two SistersTale of Two SistersTale of Two Sisters is a 1989 drama film about two sisters who, having not seen each other for 5 years, catch up and relive childhood experiences. It directed by Adam Rifkin, narrated by Charlie Sheen and starring Claudia Christian and Valerie Breiman as two sisters...
- There's Nothing Out There
- The Toxic Avenger series (1The Toxic AvengerThe Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
, 2The Toxic Avenger Part IIThe Toxic Avenger Part II is a 1989 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment. It was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and features The Toxic Avenger in an adventure to Japan to meet his father. The film has received cult status among a new audience almost a generation after it was first released...
, 3The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of ToxieThe Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie was released in 1989 by Troma Entertainment. It is effectively a direct sequel to The Toxic Avenger Part II because when director Lloyd Kaufman made that movie he realized he shot too much material for one film.-Plot:After getting Apocalypse Inc....
, 4Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IVCitizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger Part IV is a 2000 American superhero comedy film released by Troma Entertainment, directed by Lloyd Kaufman...
, 5) - Troma's WarTroma's WarTroma's War, also known as 1,000 Ways to Die in the United States, is a 1988 action/adventure film written by Lloyd Kaufman and Mitchell Dana and directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman...
- Tromeo and JulietTromeo and JulietTromeo and Juliet is a 1996 independent transgressive comedy film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet from Troma Entertainment...
- Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is a 1990 comedic superhero film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and distributed by Troma Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
- Surf Nazis Must DieSurf Nazis Must DieSurf Nazis Must Die is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Peter George and starring Gail Neely, Barry Brenner, and Robert Harden. It was produced by The Institute, a production company formed by Peter George, Craig A...
- When Nature CallsWhen Nature CallsWhen Nature Calls is a 1985 spoof comedy written and directed by Charles Kaufman and starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn in an early performance...