Troma Entertainment

Last updated
Troma Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Films
Founded1974;50 years ago (1974)
Headquarters New York, New York
Key people
Website www.troma.com

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. [1] The company produces low-budget independent films, or "B movies", primarily of the horror comedy genre, all geared exclusively to mature audiences. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter. [2]

Contents

Troma has produced, acquired, and distributed over 1,000 independent films since its creation. [3] Films produced and distributed by Troma include The Toxic Avenger (1984) and its sequels; Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986) and its sequels; Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990); Tromeo and Juliet (1996); Terror Firmer (1999); and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006).

In 2012, the company officially released many of its films on YouTube. [4] However, their YouTube channel was eventually terminated for not meeting community standards. [5]

As of 2023, Troma's slogan is "50 years of Disrupting Media." Its slogan in 2014 was "40 years of Disrupting Media". [6] Another slogan the company has used is "Movies of the Future." [7] The company also has its own streaming service called Troma Now. [8]

Company information

Troma films are B-movies known for their surrealistic or automatistic nature, along with their use of shocking imagery; some would categorize them as "shock exploitation films". They typically contain overt sexuality, nudity, and intentionally sadistic, gory, and blatant graphic violence, so much so that Troma film has become a term synonymous with these characteristics.[ citation needed ]

Troma reuses the same props, actors, and scenes repeatedly, sometimes to save money. At a certain point, however, this became yet another hallmark of Troma. Examples include a severed leg, a penis monster, and the flipping and exploding car filmed for the movie Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. , which is used in place of any other car that needs to crash and explode.[ citation needed ]

Troma has produced or acquired early films featuring several rising talents, before they were discovered, including:

The studio prides itself on its self-imposed "Rules of Production":

  1. Safety to humans
  2. Safety to property
  3. Make a good movie! (written in smaller font than the first two) [9]

Their latest production has been Shakespeare's Shitstorm (2020).[ citation needed ]

History

In the mid-1970s, Kaufman and Herz began producing, directing, and distributing raunchy sex comedies such as The First Turn-On! and Squeeze Play! . Troma provided production support for Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre , for which Kaufman served as a production manager. [10] [11] [12]

In 1984, Troma had a hit with the violent comedy horror 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 ended. 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. [13]

Soon after Class of Nuke 'Em High was completed and distributed, Kaufman directed Troma's War . Intended as a criticism of what it saw as 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 performance, despite another stab at the superhero genre with Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. , Troma experienced financial hardship and tried to reestablish itself as a smaller company mostly out of necessity.

Work since 1995

From 1995 to 2000, Troma had a period of creativity and produced some of their greatest work. Kaufman directed three independent films, all distributed in limited theatrical releases: Tromeo and Juliet , 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. [14] 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 appearances in many low-budget horror films, occasionally without fee. Among his more recent appearances is in former collaborator James Gunn's directing debut, Slither , and Guardians of the Galaxy .

Kaufman's long-time editor Gabriel Friedman co-directed and wrote the screenplay to his follow-up film, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead , a musical zom-com which made its official New York premiere on May 9, 2008 (although the film had previewed numerous times on single screens for over a year). The film opened to positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times [15] and was released in 2006 in theaters and in 2008 on DVD. [16]

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". [17] The film was written and directed by the Canadian filmmaking team Astron-6, debuting October 21, 2011, at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival where it took home the top prize of BEST FILM, as well as five other awards. [18] In 2012 Father's Day was featured on the cover of Rue Morgue magazine [19] and won Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Male Performance, and Best Special Effects at The Fantastic Planet/A Night of Horror International film festival. [20] This is rare for a film that cost only ten thousand dollars to make. [21] On October 31, 2012, Father's Day was refused classification in Australia, which makes it effectively illegal to sell or exhibit the film. [22] A second censored version was eventually passed with an R18+ rating. [23]

In August 2012, Troma released over 100 of its back catalog films on YouTube, many for free, some for 48-hour paid viewing. [24] However, their YouTube channel was terminated in 2020 and 2023 for not meeting community standards, but has since been reinstated. [25]

Hollywood

On April 7, 2010, Kaufman confirmed that a PG-13 remake of The Toxic Avenger had been greenlit and was to be produced by Akiva Goldsman. It actually has not been the first attempt at a general audience-friendly version of the franchise, as Make Your Own Damn Movie identified a previous deal with New Line in the early 1990s for a live-action take on the Toxic Crusaders.[ citation needed ]

Another 1980s Troma classic, Mother's Day (1980), was also to receive a remake, expected to be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and produced by Brett Ratner. At the time, Kaufman also said that he was negotiating a deal for a remake of Class of Nuke 'Em High. Shortly thereafter, Troma and Starz Entertainment entered into an agreement for the production of Return to Nuke Em High as a two-volume title. The first volume was released in theaters and on home video. [26] The second volume, delayed due to funding issues, was stated on its Kickstarter website in January 2017 to be nearing completion. [27]

Troma Now

In 2015, Troma launched a streaming service called Troma Now, which offers many of the films distributed by Troma to subscribers. [8] The service offers subscribers a free trial month, after which they need to pay a monthly fee of US$4.99. [28]

Other work

Protesters outside the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, demanding an award for Troma Troma at Cannes.jpg
Protesters outside the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, demanding an award for Troma

TromaDance

Troma holds an annual Tromadance Festival, [29] originally taking place in Park City, Utah [30] 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. [30] In 2014, the festival moved to New York City, and since 2020 has been held at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater. [30]

Lloyd Kaufman, Toxie, and Sara at Troma-Thon '22 Troma-Thon '22 with Lloyd Kaufman, Toxie, and Sara.jpg
Lloyd Kaufman, Toxie, and Sara at Troma-Thon ‘22

Kaufman's books

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 chronicles the history of the company, its films, and its iconic figurehead. 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 first 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. [31]

Films distributed

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.

Films formerly distributed

Some titles which have at one time, or another, been distributed by Troma Inc. have left the catalog. For instance, My Neighbor Totoro was originally released by Troma's subsidiary 50th Street Films, but only for a short time, and only for U.S. theatrical release. Others were briefly licensed for distribution on VHS such as Femme Fontaine Killer Babe for the C.I.A. which was one of Troma Team Video's original launch titles along with Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and Class of Nuke 'em High Part III: The Good, The Bad and The Subhumanoid. Some titles, such as Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy, are included on this list because they were previously listed but no longer appear in Troma's catalog. [32]

Sub-divisions

Troma has also created/acquired specialty distributors for its films.

Tromaville

Most of the films made by Troma Entertainment take place in the fictional New Jersey city of Tromaville, known as the "Toxic Chemical Capital of the World." Examples include the Toxic Avenger films and the Class of Nuke 'Em High films. Another film worth mentioning takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tromaville titled A Nymphoid Barbarian In Dinosaur Hell . The following is a list of films that either take place in, or mention, Tromaville.

Related Research Articles

<i>Class of Nuke Em High</i> 1986 American film

Class of Nuke 'Em High is a 1986 American science-fiction horror comedy film produced and distributed by Troma Entertainment. Directed by Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman, the film follows a high school impacted by radioactive drugs obtained from a nearby nuclear power plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Kaufman</span> American film director

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 (1984) and Tromeo and Juliet (1996). Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.

Joseph Isaac Fleishaker was an American character actor best known for his appearances in low-budget cult and horror comedy movies. In particular, those produced by New York-based independent film company Troma Entertainment, who have billed Fleishaker as "Troma's biggest action star", humorously alluding to his morbid obesity, which surpassed five hundred pounds.

<i>Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.</i> 1990 film produced by Troma Entertainment

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is a 1990 American superhero comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and produced and distributed by Troma Entertainment.

<i>Toxic Crusaders</i> 1991 animated series on Syndication

Toxic Crusaders is an American animated series loosely based on The Toxic Avenger films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films, leading a group of misfit superheroes who combat pollution. This followed a trend of environmentally considerate animated series and comics of the time, including Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Swamp Thing, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, as well as animated series based on R-rated properties like RoboCop and Police Academy. As this incarnation was aimed at children, Toxic Crusaders is considerably tamer than the films it was based on, although it contained adult-oriented jokes that would go over most children's heads.

<i>Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead</i> 2006 parody film by Lloyd Kaufman

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.

<i>All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from</i> The Toxic Avenger Semi-fictional autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman

All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the biography of Lloyd Kaufman, co-written by Kaufman himself and James Gunn. The book was published by Berkley Boulevard in 1998.

<i>Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV</i> 2000 American superhero splatter comedy film by Lloyd Kaufman

Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV is a 2000 American superhero splatter comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and written by Trent Haaga. It is the fourth installment of The Toxic Avenger franchise. Despite being the third sequel to The Toxic Avenger, Stan Lee's opening narration claims that Citizen Toxie is, in fact, the official sequel to the first film, disacknowledging the events of the first two sequels.

<i>Class of Nuke Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown</i> 1991 American film

Class of Nuke 'Em High Part 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown is a 1991 American science-fiction action horror comedy film, and the first sequel to the 1986 film Class of Nuke 'Em High. There are no characters carried over from the first film, possibly because of the sequel's production being in Yuma, Arizona as opposed to the original's New York-based production.

<i>Class of Nuke Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid</i> 1994 American film

Class of Nuke 'Em High Part 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid is a 1994 American science-fiction horror comedy film directed by Eric Louzil and distributed by Troma Entertainment. It is the third installment of the Class of Nuke 'Em High film series.

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 Toxic Avenger series and Tromeo and Juliet.

<i>Make Your Own Damn Movie!</i>

Make Your Own Damn Movie! is both a book and a DVD set about Troma Entertainment and independent film in general.

The Tromaville Café is a television program broadcast by the BBC in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2000 that ran Troma films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Bronsky</span> American actor, film producer, professional wrestler, sports promoter (1964–2021)

Jeffrey Mark Beltzner, known by his ring name Brick Bronsky, was an American actor, film producer, professional wrestler and sports promoter. He gained particular notoriety for starring in a string of films for Troma Studios during the early-1990s, most notably, in Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990), Class of Nuke 'Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown (1991), and Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid (1994); he also had a small role in Jean-Claude Van Damme's The Quest (1996).

Lisa Gaye is an American actress more known for her role in The Toxic Avenger saga.

<i>The Toxic Avenger</i> (franchise) American superhero comedy splatter franchise

The Toxic Avenger is an American superhero black comedy splatter film media franchise created by Lloyd Kaufman. It originated with the 1984 film of the same name and continued through three film sequels, a stage musical, a comic book series from Marvel Comics, a video game, and an animated television series.

<i>Return to Nuke Em High Volume 1</i> 2013 American science-fiction horror comedy film by Lloyd Kaufman

Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 is a 2013 American science-fiction horror comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman. The film, produced by the cult classic B-movie production group Troma Entertainment, is the fourth in the Nuke 'Em High film series.

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Horror Showman". New York . November 27, 2000. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  2. ↑ "TROMA". The Daily Horror; Horror Film Splatter Gore News DVD Bluray Reviews.
  3. ↑ "Films". Troma.com. 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Troma Celebrates Upcoming 40th Anniversary by Giving Fans Free Movies on Troma YouTube Channel". Troma.com. December 6, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  5. ↑ Accomando, Beth (August 22, 2020). "Cinema Junkie Podcast 201: Troma Entertainment 'Disrupting Media For 45 Years'". KPBS.org. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Robin, Miranda (April 7, 2016). "FILM: First-Person Review: B.C. Butcher". Topanga Messenger . Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Kung Fu Necktie". KungFuNecktie.com. Troma Entertainment. 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Braley, Walt (March 14, 2020). "Troma Now: 10 Hidden Gems You Can Watch Right Now On The Genre Streaming Service". Screen Rant . Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  9. ↑ Sass, Jeffrey (2018-07-01). "Chapter 18: Playing By The Rules". Everything I Know About Business and Marketing. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  10. ↑ Kaufman, Lloyd; Jahnke, Adam; Haaga, Trent (2003). Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director. L.A. Weekly Books. p. 196. ISBN   978-0-312-28864-8 . Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  11. ↑ Rausch, Andrew J. (2008). Dequina, Michael (ed.). Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations With Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian. McFarland. p. 118. ISBN   978-0-7864-3149-6 . Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  12. ↑ "Kings of the B's". Spin . 3 (6): 70. September 1987. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  13. ↑ Ouzounian, Richard (2009-12-06). "Toxic Avenger found his bard in Bon Jovi". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  14. ↑ "The Art of Ploys: Four Terrific Troma Documentaries, PopMatters". 8 October 2007.
  15. ↑ Lee, Nathan (2008-05-09). "Going for the Finger-Licking Gusto". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  16. ↑ "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead". Entertainment Weekly . May 22, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  17. ↑ "Lloyd Kaufman on Father's Day movie! (part one)". YouTube. 2010-08-06. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  18. ↑ "Award Winners 2011". torontoafterdark.com. Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2011. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  19. ↑ Rue Morgue March 2012 cover (JPG). Listal.com.
  20. ↑ "Fantastic Planet/A Night Of Horror - Award Winners 2012". Fantasticplanetfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  21. ↑ "Father's Day". Astron-6.com. 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  22. ↑ Quinn, Karl (November 2, 2012). "'Dad rape, maple syrup and friendship' movie banned". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Film Censorship: Father's Day (2011)". refused-classification.com. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  24. ↑ Sharwood, Simon (August 31, 2012). "Schlockmeister Troma's back catalog hits YouTube". The Register. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  25. ↑ Accomando, Beth (August 22, 2020). "Cinema Junkie Podcast 201: Troma Entertainment 'Disrupting Media For 45 Years'". KPBS.org. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  26. ↑ Raffel, Lawrence P. (2010-04-07). "He Finally Hit Puberty! 'The Toxic Avenger' Remake Confirmed". fearnet.com. Horror Entertainment, LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  27. ↑ "Update from Tromaville! We're nearly there!". Kickstarter.com . Troma Entertainment. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  28. ↑ Winfrey, Graham (2016-07-29). "Troma Lives! Inside the Wacky, Repulsive and Weirdly Meaningful World of a B-Movie Legend". IndieWire . Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  29. ↑ Abrams, Simon (2021-07-09). "The Schlock-Horror Drive-In That Rose From the Grave". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  30. 1 2 3 Biese, Alex. "TromaDance is Brooklyn-bound". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  31. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: The Toxic Avenger: The Novel by Lloyd Kaufman, Author, Adam Jahnke, Author . Thunder's Mouth Press $13.95 (273p) ISBN 978-1-56025-870-4". PublishersWeekly.com. April 2006. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  32. ↑ "Films". Troma.com.
  33. ↑ Kaufman, Lloyd; Gunn, James (2008). All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger. Berkley Boulevard Books. ISBN   978-0-425-16357-3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.