Greetings from Tromaville! For over 40 years, Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment has produced and distributed independent films specializing in horror and exploitation. They’ve stayed strong and relevant by supporting up-and-coming filmmakers and using grassroots promotional tactics.
You can find a Troma booth at nearly every horror film convention in America, often with Uncle Lloydo himself, selling films hand-to-hand and signing for free. They were a staple of the video rental era and still managed to put out homegrown gross-outs, never compromising their standard of extreme content.
Narrowing down Troma titles to enjoy can be daunting, as their catalog is immense. Here are the ten best Troma titles that fans of truly independent cinema need to see immediately.
1Monster in the Closet (1986)
Troma distributed this fun monster comedy that features appearances by a young Paul Walker and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. This title is notable for its zany tone and an awesome practical FX monster that terrorizes San Francisco.
Troma first released Monster in the Closet on VHS in 1995.
2Frostbiter: Wrath of the Wendigo (1988)
Another title picked up by Troma for distribution, Frostbiter is an ambitious and awesome special FX showcase. Filmed in Southeast Michigan (posing as Northern Michigan), this film is a great title to watch on those cold, snowy nights in the winter. The film features some really impressive stop-motion FX and owes a lot to Sam Raimi’s early films for influencing its approach.
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Troma released Frostbiter in 1996 after many years without distribution. Thanks, Troma!
3Tromeo and Juliet (1996)
This sexually charged and gross-out FX-laden version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a must-see for fans of transgressive cinema. James Gunn co-wrote and associate-directed the film, which has gone on to handle the hugely popular Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel.
Tromeo and Juliet is a complete barf-o-rama, so prepare yourself for a penis monster, cow mutant, and a variety of other disgusting gags. This one was primarily written and directed by the man himself, Lloyd Kaufman.
4Combat Shock (1986)
Not much can be said to prepare viewers for Buddy Giovinazzo’s Combat Shock. The film follows Vietnam War veteran Ricky as he struggles with an angry wife, a deformed baby (due to Ricky’s exposure to agent orange), and a slew of junkies and dealers who make his life unbearable. Ricky slowly loses his grasp of reality in a film that ends with an incredibly shocking and depressing finale.
Combat Shock is heavy but has an endearing heavy-handedness that lends to its entertainment value. Fans of David Lynch, Jim Van Bebber, and dark, gritty dramas will not want to miss this one. Don’t go in expecting a happy film; you won’t find it here.
5Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
Kaufman himself directed this wacky horror musical about a fast-food chicken restaurant built on a Native American burial ground. Poultrygeist is a whirlwind of weirdness, but who would expect anything less from a Troma-produced film? Packed to the gills with insane FX and revolting sight gags, it will surely send as many viewers into laughing fits as running for the nearest exit.
With tons of nudity, bodily fluids, and catchy songs, Poultrygeist is classic Troma fare.
6Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)
Also known as The Incredible Torture Show and Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins, Bloodsucking Freaks is a film that aims to offend and decades later still manages to do so. Sardu and his small assistant, Ralphus, run a stage show of murders and torture similar to the Grand Guignol.
The catch is that these performances are not fake, and the performers are not actors. This simple set-up is pushed to the absolute extreme, resulting in a disturbing and grimy film that exemplifies the ’70s exploitation film movement.
Highly entertaining and exceedingly over-the-top, Bloodsucking Freaks is trash cinema at its best.
7Terror Firmer (1999)
Art imitates reality in this absurd horror comedy directed by Kaufman about a film crew being picked off by a mysterious killer. Terror Firmer is a who’s who of Troma alumni and supporters, featuring appearances by Trent Haaga, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Eli Roth, Joe Lynch, Ron Jeremy, Joe Fleishaker, and more.
The film stars Kaufman as a cartoonish version of himself—who’s also blind. It goes for the throat with gross jokes and antics. Three cuts of the film exist: an R-rated cut (98 min.), an Unrated Director’s Cut (114 min.), and an Extended Unrated Director’s Cut (123 min.). The latter is a whopping 25 minutes longer than the R-rated cut.
Every taboo is covered, and no nasty stone is left unturned. Terror Firmer is an endurance test for lovers of yuck.
8Cannibal! The Musical (1993)
Before catapulting to comedy super-stardom with their long-running animated series, South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone made the greatest musical ever created, Cannibal! The Musical. This hilarious and gory musical is a loose retelling of the Alferd Packer story and was picked up for distribution by Troma and released in 1996. Parker and Stone’s genius is on full display here. Laughs are abundant, and the songs are guaranteed to be stuck in viewers’ heads for a long, long time.
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The story concerns a group of miners who attempt to travel from Utah to Colorado but fail miserably, eventually resorting to…well, cannibalism. Hilarious, bloody, and completely unforgettable, Cannibal! is worth every film fan’s time. Shpadoinkle!
9The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Perhaps the film most synonymous with Troma as a brand, Lloyd Kaufman’s The Toxic Avenger, is the quintessential Troma movie. The film, which follows a dorky weakling turned muscle-bound mutant, has spawned three sequels, an animated children’s series (seriously), and a mountain of merchandise. Part ecological horror film, part superhero film, and part goofball comedy, The Toxic Avenger refuses to fit your labels or expectations.
Following the film’s popularity on the midnight movie circuit and in the rental market, Toxie (as the character is lovingly referred to) became the face of Troma Entertainment and an icon to fans of subversive films.
If you watch only one Troma movie, make it The Toxic Avenger.
10Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986)
A perfect example of the Troma attitude and approach to film, Class of Nuke ‘Em High is a rowdy and ridiculous film that’s hysterically funny and gruesome. The students of Tromaville High are infected with nuclear waste, and the by-product is a punk rock sex comedy that’s slimy and weird. Unspeakable mutations and behaviors in the students lead to an ending featuring a vicious monster in the school’s basement.
Fueled by immature humor, killer FX, and wild performances, Nuke ‘Em High is a perfect trip back to when outrageous exercises in depravity were flying off video store shelves faster than the clerks could check them back in. Co-directed by Kaufman and Richard W. Haines, who had previously directed Splatter University and went on to make the criminally overlooked Alien Space Avenger, Nuke ‘Em High is an unmissable cult classic.
