Troma's 40th Birthday

The first book I ever read on filmmaking wasn't Bazin or Bordwell, it was a book titled "Make Your Own Damn Movie" by a guy named Lloyd Kaufman. I was still at school and someone somewhere (obviously without knowing who this guy was) had put the book in our school library. I hadn't decided to study film yet but I loved the book. It had chapters with names like "500 useless screenwriting books boiled down into one short chapter", "raising money or mastering the ancient art of fellatio" and "stunts and special effects - how to simulate and violent death and stay out of jail". None of this was covered during my three years at university and this book made filmmaking seem FUN!

I later learned the Kaufman was co-founder of Troma Studios, one of the oldest independent film studios that recently turned 40.

 My first experience of an actual Troma film however only came about recently when, in celebration of 40 years, Troma uploaded many of their 'classics' to their You Tube Channel.  Remembering the book I sat down and gave one of their best known films a watch : The Toxic Avenger.

I should hate it. Common sense and human decency tell me I should hate it and yet. It's funny. Funny in that guilty, politically incorrect way that makes you feel a little ashamed and it revels in its own cheesiness in a way that is almost endearing. It is a film that knows what it is.

The plot goes like this: Melvin the 98lb weakling works at gym and is the subject of the pranks and taunt of a group of bullies who like nothing better than getting off over running people over (its that sort of film...) until one a prank goes too far. A barrel of toxic waste later and Melvin is a deformed, 6ft vigilante who deals out justice across Tromaville.

The hero is awful. The film stands as a testament to the sheer number of inventive deaths the writers came up with but the villains are so much worse that you are actually rooting for people to get their limbs ripped off and stuffed into deep fat fryers. These people run children over and photograph it for a laugh. Despite the fact that the protagonist is a violent monster you actually root for him and the romantic subplot is really quite sweet to watch.

It's guilty pleasure cinema and it's an interesting lesson on making a movie on a shoestring budget. Watch it. Seriously, just watch it once to say you have and if you end up feeling a little dirty at the end so be it.