Class of Nuke ‘Em High Archives - Yellow Scene Magazine

The Shakespeare of Splatter: Troma’s 50-Year Legacy

Shawn Narcensio — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:37:44 +0000

Given Troma Entertainment’s fifty-year history of titles like Nuke ’Em High and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, it may come as a shock that founder Lloyd Kaufman is a die-hard Shakespeare devotee. According to writer, Kaufman confidant, and event host,

Mathew Klickstein, “He’s [Kaufman] always bringing up Shakespeare and how Shakespeare was very much for the people, for the rabble, for the groundlings. Lloyd is very sincere in his admiration for not just Shakespeare’s work, but the way he put it together and got it out there.”

What if the secret to cinematic longevity isn’t prestige, but a Shakespearean knack for populist chaos? Yellow Scene Magazine sat down with Klickstein to learn how Troma has leveraged its signature brand of low budget, madcap violence, and nudity to remain the oldest standing independent studio in the industry for over 50 years and counting.

One part of that success is their clear sense of vision. As an independent studio, you can only do so many second takes for big stunts. That’s why Klickstein notes that Kaufman, “is extremely intentional in everything that he does, and you have to be because it takes a lot of preparation for something that feels so chaotic, particularly when things are low budget.”

Mathew Klickstein (pictured left) and Lloyd Kaufman (pictured right)

Another pillar of Troma’s success has been its fearlessness of tackling the topics other big studios were afraid of touching.

When discussing Troma’s campy comedy film Squeeze Play, Klickstein notes, “[the film] on one level is this goofy, late night, teen sex comedy film of girls playing softball against their boyfriends. […] But, it does deal, implicitly and explicitly, with some pretty heavy topics that other films wouldn’t talk about until years later.”

Troma’s culture has attracted a wide range of talent including Spawn actor Michael Jai White, and even South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker who got their big breaks with Troma.

The ideology that guided Troma films has created a community, sometimes referred to as the Troma Army, of people who appreciate the movies’ bizarre flair. Klickstein has experienced this underground network firsthand, noting that the Troma label acts as a universal passport:

“There have been times where I have been able to stay at someone’s house, or hangout with a group of people, or be able to find my tribe because they are the local Troma people who are part of the local Troma community, and I’ve been all over the country.”

On this occasion, Troma is inviting the Troma community and the Troma curious is to come and celebrate perhaps the most successful of Kaufman’s creations, The Toxic Avenger. The film showcases all the hallmarks of a Troma feature: low-budget, bizarre, extreme violent, gratuitously sexual all while expressing a sincere social commentary.

To see how the reboot modernizes for a new generation, catch the double feature of the original film and the new reimagining at the International Film Series at CU. Lloyd Kaufman will be present virtually to provide an introduction and will be available for a remote Q&A. Mark Togel who played Melvin, the titular Toxic Avenger, in the original film will also be present. The event will be hosted by Mathew Klickstein. Trident Booksellers will be selling books, in addition to other surprises.

The event will be held Saturday April 4, 7:30 PM, Muenzinger Auditorium.

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The post The Shakespeare of Splatter: Troma’s 50-Year Legacy appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Troma Entertainment to Hold 28th Annual TromaDance Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado Alongside 2027 Sundance Film Festival

Guest Contributor — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 18:58:08 +0000

28th Annual TromaDance Film Festival

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

EXCLUSIVE: Troma Entertainment, the longest-running independent film studio globally, and purveyors of such cult classic, self-professed “schlock” cinematic fare as The Toxic Avenger, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Surf Nazis Must Die, will be holding its 28th Annual TromaDance Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado as parallel programming during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival.

After a lengthy search for a larger and more accessible location beyond its original roots in Park City, Utah to host their 46-year-old independent film festival, the operators of Sundance announced in March that they will hold their 2027 installment in Boulder, with a contract said to last 10 years.

The 2027 TromaDance, free to attend and free to submit projects for filmmakers interested in having their cinematic works screened, will be the first to be held in Boulder or Colorado.

“Troma and Boulder are centers of art and truth,” said Troma co-founder and president Lloyd Kaufman, adding, “Toxie [the Toxic Avenger] says, ‘I know that Boulder citizens will raise their big, hard mops for the 28th annual all-free TromaDance Film Festival.’”

Although further details are forthcoming closer to the 2027 TromaDance itself, the proceedings will be hosted by Boulder-based Mighty Fudge Studios, with facilities located in both the NoBo (North Boulder) arts district and Boulder’s downtown area adjacent to the city’s main thoroughfare, the Pearl Street Mall where the majority of Sundance’s screenings and activities will take place.

“As Boulder’s infamous animation renegades, we’re hard as rocks to be hosting the legendary Lloyd Kaufman and TromaDance at both of our facilities in Boulder during Sundance 2027,” said Mighty Fudge’s Patrick Mallek.

Just as the Sundance Institute has its own connections to Boulder via its founder Robert Redford having attended the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) and having worked at the still-operating The Sink restaurant nearby campus, Troma also has firm links to the mile-high region.

Most notably, South Park creators, former CU students, and nearby natives Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s debut feature film Cannibal! The Musical was distributed by Troma. Both Parker and Stone are considered protégés of Kaufman, having worked with the long heralded indie film maverick on multiple future projects, such as 1999 horror/comedy Terror Firmer.

Vinegar Syndrome, a cult/horror film restoration and releasing company that distributes many of Troma’s films on video and Blu-ray, enjoys a longtime base in Denver, where the long-running Colorado Festival of Horror (COFOH) also takes place as a frequent partner of Troma’s. Additionally, the Talkin’ Troma podcast is produced by Loudspeaker Studios, located in neighboring college town Fort Collins.

It was in 1994 that, after its rejection by Sundance, Cannibal! was shown at a rented space as counterprogramming during that year’s film festival by Parker and Stone. The “underground” screening led to young filmmaking duo becoming a cause célèbre, ultimately leading shortly thereafter to the creation of South Park.

Kaufman’s sideline view of this successful process inspired him to produce and host the first TromaDance Film Festival in 1999, also held in rented spaces in Park City as counterprogramming during Sundance each year. More recently, TromaDance has become a nomadic gala held in a variety of cities around the country, funded in large part by fan- produced Tromapalooza musical concerts and live entertainment events.

Coincidentally founded—by Detroit native and transplant Mallek—the same year as TromaDance, Mighty Fudge Studios is Boulder’s premiere animation studio. Early contributors to the animation slate at the SxSW Film Festival and longtime, award-winning stalwarts of Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, Mighty Fudge and Mallek are best known for their 2003 award-winning animated short My First Boner, a musical parody of Schoolhouse Rocks! educational cartoons.

Mallek was also the first filmmaker to animate Spike and Mike themselves, regularly provided promotional materials for the Twisted Festival of Animation, and was a producer of animation for the 2020 Spike and Mike feature-length documentary Animation Outlaws.

“Troma and Mighty Fudge together?” said Mighty Fudge’s Mallek. “About f-ing time!”

Kaufman is currently completing work on his latest feature film, The Positive Power of Murder, a “Tromatic” adaptation of Crime and Punishment. He is also featured in protégé James Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot, and is executive producer of Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger reimagining, starring Peter Dinklage as the eponymous beloved mutant monster hero. Blair’s The Toxic Avenger will be released by Cineverse in theaters on August 29.

Produced by Andrew L. Miller and The Positive Power of Murder star Adam Peltier, Troma will shortly be releasing Mr. Melvin, a reworking of 1989’s infamously ill-fated The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III as one combined film closer in vision to Kaufman’s initial vision. Troma’s additional recent creative machinations include a reboot of The Toxic Avenger comic book series by Ahoy Comics and a reboot of The Toxic Crusaders video game by Retroware.

Directed by Kaufman’s daughter Lily-Hayes Kaufman, Troma is also proud to soon be releasing feature documentary Occupy Cannes about the studio’s storied and controversial presence over the past few decades at the Cannes Film Festival. Occupy Cannes will premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival (July 31).

This past January, Kaufman was the subject of University of Mississippi Press’s long- running Conversations With Filmmakers book series. Lloyd Kaufman:Interviews. was edited by pop culture historian, filmmaker, and longtime Boulder film/media community gadabout Mathew Klickstein who will also be co-producing the 2027 TromaDance with Mallek, Mighty Fudge Studios, and Troma.

Saturday, July 26, 2025
CONTACT:
Andrew Miller / andrew@troma.com Jeff Newelt / jahfurry@gmail.com

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