Troma Entertainment, most famous for its “Toxic Avenger” series about a baddie-busting mutant janitor who cleans up crime with his Supermop, has carved out a niche with its low-budget, bloody and all-around outrageous movies.
Films such as “Surf Nazis Must Die,” “Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid,” and “Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD” have inspired a cult following around the world, and now, Troma is bringing a new crop of films to the Bijou Art Cinema in time for Halloween.
Michael Lamont, owner of the Bijou, said the there were two reasons behind the choice to show Troma films.
“The first was that in the past, we’d take movies from the mall theaters and rerun them, but that doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “The $1.50 theaters have really undercut our audience.”
So Lamont decided to try to expand into more cult-oriented films.
“We’re trying stuff like kung-fu movies, and now we’re bringing out these movies,” he said. “It’s a gore-fest, but it’s also kind of a spoof. They’re very hilarious.”
Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment and writer-director of many of the studio’s films, said that part of his studio’s appeal is that audiences get something from Troma’s movies they won’t find anywhere else.
“Art is an expression of heart, and we take our movies very seriously,” he said. “We’re known as kind of a Cuisinart of genres.”
The three movies playing at the Bijou, “Stendahl Syndrome,” “Killer Condom,” and “Cannibal: The Musical,” are distributed by Troma but not produced or directed by the studio. However, Kaufman said that all three of these films are “definitely in the Troma style.”
“They fit in with the Troma philosophy of surprise and adventure,” he said.
Kaufman called “Stendahl Syndrome” perhaps the most disturbing and contemporary of the three movies and said the film is very serious and different than anything Troma has put out before.
“Stendahl syndrome is the medical condition where someone looks at piece of art and has such a strong reaction that they have a seizure,” he said. “That’s the first theme of the movie, and the second deals with a serial killer.”
“Killer Condom,” Kaufman said, is about killer mutant condoms that grow spiky teeth. One can imagine the rest.
“It was filmed in Germany and is slicker and more cerebral than the usual Troma stuff,” he said.
The movie also features special effects by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, famous for his disturbing art and special-effects work on the movie “Alien.”
“‘Killer Condom’ is about the rubber that rubs you out,” Kaufman said. “It’ll make the critics stand up with praise.”
The last film, “Cannibal: The Musical,” is the first film project of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of Comedy Central’s wildly popular “South Park” series.
“Trey freely admits that we were the very last stop on the train [of getting the movie distributed],” Kaufman said with a laugh. “But they were big fans; they used to have “Toxic Avenger” parties in college.”
Kaufman agreed that his films aren’t for everyone but said “it’s a cult thing — [people] know they’re going to either love it or hate it, but they’ll never forget it.”
“People want to go to movies and have strong emotions, and I think the stuff out there today in the mainstream just makes people feel kind of hollow,” Kaufman said. “They want to go on a real cinematic adventure, and Troma gives it to them.”
Aaron Sarnoff-Wood, an employee at Silver Screen Video, said that people come in and ask for Troma films by name and called the Bijou’s decision a “neat idea.”
“Those movies are cheesy as hell, but still fun,” he said. “It’s a great idea for the holiday.”