TROMA ENTERTAINMENT

'Troma' is a film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces very low-budget, independent movies, many of which have developed small cult followings around the world.

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Company information

The birth of Troma Studios

Today, Troma produces, acquires and distributes independent films. The company's latest production, '', is slated for theatrical release in the summer of 2007. According ''Fangoria Magazine'', ''Poultrygeist'' was the first film to be funded out-of-pocket by Kaufman himself.

See also

Sources

External links

Company information

Troma films are known for their shocking imagery; some would categorize them as shock exploitation films. They typically contain overt sexuality, graphic violence, wry political satire, a bizarre sense of humor and gratuitous gore and nudity. Troma's slogan is ''"Movies of the Future"''. Troma is also known for re-cycling the same props, actors, and scenes over and over again, sometimes to save money, mostly for comic effect. This has become a hallmark of Troma's filmmaking style. Examples include a severed leg, a Penis Monster, and the flipping/exploding of the same car filmed for the movie ''Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD'' that has been used for every major Troma release since that film.
Many ''now-famous'' celebrities got their start with films released by Troma including Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson (''Def by Temptation''), Marisa Tomei (''The Toxic Avenger''), Vincent D'Onofrio (''The First Turn-On''), James Gunn (''Tromeo and Juliet''), and Trey Parker and Matt Stone (''Cannibal! The Musical'').

The birth of Troma Studios

In the mid 1970s, Kaufman and Herz began producing, directing, and distributing raunchy sex comedies such as ''The First-Turn On'' and ''Squeeze Play''. In 1985, Troma experienced its first hit film with the violent, dark-comedy superhero film ''The Toxic Avenger''. The film went on to become Troma's most popular film, inspiring sequels, more than 200 educational children's products, and a children's television program. The Toxic Avenger character is now Troma's official mascot.
Lloyd's follow-up film to ''The Toxic Avenger'' was ''Class of Nuke 'Em High'', co-directed with Richard W. Haines. The film was also a hit nearly as successful, and inspired two sequels. At one time, it was the highest-selling VHS for Troma.
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 freaks who crash-land on a remote island, only to find it populated by an isolationist militia that intends to overthrow the U.S. government. However, ''Troma's War'' was a box office bomb, causing financial strain on the company, forcing Troma to downsize into an independent film company.
In the early '90s, reruns of films like ''The Toxic Avenger'', ''Class of Nuke 'Em High'' and ''Surf Nazis Must Die'' found new audiences on late night cable, most notably on ''USA Up All Night''. Troma Entertainment also produced the infomercial spoof ''The Troma System'', which was broadcast on upstart cable network Comedy Central.
In 1991, Troma partnered with the videogame company Namco to produce the superhero action-comedy spoof ''Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.'' Troma and Namco hoped to parlay the Kabukiman character into a crossover success on par with the Toxic Avenger. Unfortunately, due to the film's low-budget look and raunchy content, the film did not catch on with distributors and remained on the shelf until 1996.
Despite the failure of ''Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. '' and other attempts to re-enter the Hollywood mainstream, Troma branched out into non-traditional (at the time) ancillary markets. In the mid-'90s, Troma formed its own home video label, ''Troma Team Video''. Troma also founded the portal site ''Tromaville.com'', which designed, hosted, and sold advertising for several upstart websites including ''Fangoria.com'', amongst others.
In 1996, Troma released ''Tromeo and Juliet'', a spoof of William Shakespeare's famous play. They then followed up with ''Terror Firmer'' (1999), loosely based on Lloyd Kaufman's book ''All I Needed to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger'', and '' (2001), an independent film sequel to the ''Toxic Avenger'' series.
==''Poultrygeist'' & the future of Troma

Today, Troma produces, acquires and distributes independent films. The company's latest production, '', is slated for theatrical release in the summer of 2007. According ''Fangoria Magazine'', ''Poultrygeist'' was the first film to be funded out-of-pocket by Kaufman himself.

Other work==
Troma holds the annual Tromadance Festival in Park City, Utah, at the same time as the Sundance Festival to accentuate their grassroots film activism. 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, Kaufman acts as an advisor to aspiring filmmakers by teaching classes, contributing cameos and often releasing the finished films on DVD.
Kaufman has written two books about his experiences with Troma in low-budget cinema. One, ''All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger'', is an autobiography of sorts. The other, ''Make Your Own Damn Movie'', is a how-to book about making low-budget films.

See also

★ List of Troma films

Sources

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External links

★ Troma Entertainment

★ TromaTeam Video

★ Troma Entertainment at the Internet Movie Database