The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman and written by Kaufman and Joe Ritter. It is the first installment of The Toxic Avenger franchise. The film was released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts and gruesome violence. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the Bleecker Street Cinema in Greenwich Village in late 1985. It is now regarded as a cult classic.
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 films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter.
Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.
Blood Sucking Freaks is a 1976 American exploitation splatter film directed by Joel M. Reed and starring Seamus O'Brien, Luis De Jesus, Viju Krem, Niles McMaster, Dan Fauci, Alan Dellay, and Ernie Pysher. Set in New York City, the film follows a human trafficking ring masquerading as an experimental theater group, which stages Grand Guignol-style performances for audiences, who are unaware that actual murders and torture are being enacted onstage.
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is a 2006 black comedy musical horror film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and co-directed by Gabriel Friedman from a screenplay by Friedman and Daniel Bova. The film centers around the takeover of a New Jersey fried chicken fast food restaurant by possessed zombie chickens after it is built on top of a sacred Native American burial ground. The film was distributed and released on December 29, 2006, and in 2008 on DVD by Troma Entertainment.
The Toxic Avenger Part II is a 1989 American superhero black comedy film released by Troma Entertainment. It is the second installment of The Toxic Avenger franchise. It was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and features The Toxic Avenger in an adventure to Japan to meet his father. Devilman and Cutie Honey creator Go Nagai makes a cameo appearance. The film is also the debut of actor/martial artist Michael Jai White and musician/composer/performance artist Phoebe Legere.
The Battle of Love's Return is a 1971 American 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.
The Girl Who Returned is a 1969 American comedy film, notable as the directorial debut of Lloyd Kaufman, future co-founder and president of Troma Entertainment. It was made during his sophomore year at Yale University.
Michael Herz is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. With the director and actor 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 Tromeo and Juliet.
Frightmare is a 1981 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane. It stars Ferdy Mayne, Luca Bercovici, Jennifer Starrett, Nita Talbot and Barbara Pilavin, along with Jeffrey Combs in his horror film acting debut. The film's plot follows a group of drama students who decide to kidnap the corpse of a recently deceased horror movie star. By disrupting his tomb, they unwittingly release an ancient black magic that begins consuming them one by one.
Blood Hook is a 1986 American slasher film directed by Jim Mallon and starring Mark Jacobs, Lisa Todd, Patrick Danz, Sara Hauser, and Christopher Whiting. It follows a group of young people who arrive in a small northern Wisconsin town during a fishing festival, where a series of bizarre disappearances and murders are occurring. It was distributed by Troma Entertainment. The film was premiered at the MIFED Film Market in October 1986. The film was truncated for its 1987 release after the Motion Picture Association of America threatened to grant the film an X rating due to its violent content.
Dead Dudes in the House is a 1989 independent horror film written and directed by James Riffel and distributed by Troma Entertainment. The film follows a group of teenagers who travel up to a dilapidated house for some fixing up. Unbeknownst to them, the house is occupied by a murderous old woman and her sultry daughter, who proceed to pick the teens off one by one.
Make Your Own Damn Movie! is both a book and a DVD set about Troma Entertainment and independent film in general.
Tales from the Crapper is a 2004 American straight-to-video anthology film that was a spoof of the Tales from the Crypt comics. The film was released by Troma Entertainment.
Troma's War, also known as 1,000 Ways to Die in the United States, is a 1988 American action-adventure comedy film written by Lloyd Kaufman and Mitchell Dana and directed by Michael Herz and Kaufman. It began production in 1986 and was released in theaters in 1988 shortly after Class of Nuke 'Em High was done making its rounds at the box office.
Memories Within Miss Aggie is a 1974 American pornographic film directed by Gerard Damiano and starring Deborah Ashira, Eric Edwards, and Harry Reems. The film pays homage to both Damiano's previous skin flick The Devil in Miss Jones and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Hectic Knife is a superhero comedy film about a knife-wielding vigilante who fights against drug dealers, murderers and other "baddies," including Piggly Doctor, a villain bent on world domination. The idea for the film gestated as Peter Litvin, who later co-wrote, starred in, and produced the film, and director Greg DeLiso were working on a series titled Short Films for Nobody. Filming began in 2010 and wrapped in 2015. Shortly after the film was finished, DeLiso and Litvin secured distribution via Troma Entertainment.
Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High AKA Volume 2 is a 2017 American science fiction comedy horror film, made by the cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment. It is directed by Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman and is the fifth in the Nuke 'Em High film series.
Vinegar Syndrome is an American home video distribution company which specializes in "protecting and preserving genre films". The company was founded in 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Joe Rubin and Ryan Emerson, who created it to restore and distribute old X-rated films that were lost or otherwise unavailable. Their catalog has since expanded to include other types of cult and exploitation films, including horror films and action films.
A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell is a 1990 low-budget science fiction film from Troma Entertainment and directed by Brett Piper. It premiered at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. Piper also worked on the special effects.
