The story
Founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974, in New York City.1
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 are known for overt sexuality, nudity, and intentionally sadistic, gory, and blatant graphic violence.
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.
Troma has produced or acquired early films featuring several rising talents, before they were discovered, including:
Oliver Stone in The Battle of Love's Return (1971), in which the future Academy Award-winning director made his debut as an actor
Paul Sorvino in Cry Uncle! (1971)
Vanna White in Graduation Day (1981)
Kevin Costner in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. (1981)
J. J. Abrams in Nightbeast (1982)
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Vincent D'Onofrio in The First Turn-On! (1983)
Michael Jai White in The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)
Billy Bob Thornton in Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (1989)
Samuel L. Jackson in Def by Temptation (1990)
Trey Parker and Matt Stone in Cannibal! The Musical (1993)
David Boreanaz in Macabre Pair of Shorts (1996)
James Gunn in Tromeo and Juliet (1996)
Carmen Electra in The Chosen One (1998)
The studio prides itself on its self-imposed "Rules of Production":
Safety to humans
Safety to property
Make a good movie! (written in a smaller typeface than the first two)
History
According to Kaufman, Herz came up with "Troma" as he tried to "think of the most ugly sounding word ever uttered by man" when they struggled to find a company name that hadn't yet been registered. 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.
In 1984, Troma had a hit with the violent 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 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.
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.
From Wikipedia’s article on Troma Entertainment, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4