The oldest Indie film studio in existence. Owned by Lloyd Kaufman and the mysterious Michael Herz.
Troma's B-Movie productions are known for being surrealistic and never too serious. They're almost always shock exploitation films, usually mixed with comedy and romance and the occasional musical number. Sex, graphic violence, gore and nudity are par for the course.
Troma's slogan is "Movies of the Future." The films often use the same props, actors, and scenes over and over again, sometimes to save money. At a certain point, this became a hallmark of Troma. Examples include a severed leg, the Penis Monster, and the flipping/exploding car filmed for the movie Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD, which, though blue, is used in place of any other car that needs to crash and explode.
Not all Troma films are in English: one of the most well-loved Troma films, for example, is a German-language adaptation of the (insanely popular) German comic book series Kondom des Grauens (Killer Condom).
Troma produced or acquired many early films featuring several rising talents, such as Vanna White (Graduation Day), Kevin Costner (Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.), ~Samuel L. Jackson~ (Def by Temptation), Marisa Tomei (The Toxic Avenger), Vincent D'Onofrio (The First Turn-On!), David Boreanaz (Macabre Pair of Shorts), James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (~Cannibal! The Musical~), before they were discovered. While most of these actors were discovered by other means, Stanley Kubrick actually saw D'Onofrio's performance in The First Turn-On, which launched his career. Lloyd Kaufman has mentioned that Kubrick gave him a call to thank him.
Troma also occasionally distributes films that were produced by other studios.
Notable Troma Productions Include:[]
- Class of Nuke 'Em High series
- Cannibal! The Musical (distributed only)
- Fag Hag
- Killer Condom
- Monster in the Closet
- Mothers Day
- My Neighbor Totoro (really; distributed only, but really)
- Poultrygeist
- Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.
- Surf Nazis Must Die (distribution only)
- Terror Firmer
- The Toxic Avenger series (with the title character being the company's mascot)
- Troma's War
- Tromeo and Juliet