Lloyd Kaufman is something of an enigma. As Head Mogul of Troma Entertainment he has been responsible for some of the best ‘B’-movies of the past 35+ years.
From the ‘The First Turn On‘ and ‘Class of Nuke EM High‘ to ‘The Toxic Avenger‘, and more recently my favourite ‘Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead‘ (pictured), when it comes to low-budget high thrills he is THE master of the Genre.
If you can imagine Orson Welles directing Jackass, his films are a glorious mixture of bad taste, comedy, sex and over the top violence (that is a good thing by the way!).
One thing they are never is dull, and he can shoot a movie for less than most shoots spend on the catering budget.
A shameless self-publicist, his book ‘Make your own Damn Movie’ , is considered to be essential reading to anyone looking to get ahead in the industry. If only they would let him direct a Bond Movie.
Without Lloyd and Troma Entertainment, the movie industry would be a much duller place. Flush the Fashion tracked him down to a dark room filled with reels of celluloid.
What are you doing at the moment?
Preparing for my trip to San Francisco for WonderCon and the MI6 Conference. Also, reading the New York Times best-seller: “100 Ideas for a Successful Screenplay,” written by Billy Shakespeare.
You are an inspiration to young film makers, do you have one piece of advice for them?
If you really believe in your work-persevere!
Is there a key ingredient to a Troma Movie?
Alcohol!
Which do you prefer in-front or behind the camera?
Behind is my first love, but in front of the camera can be a lot of fun.
What is your fav Troma movie tagline?
“Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get.” Wait a minute…
Has illegal downloading affected Troma Movies?
No- we encourage getting your work out there for free anyway! That way, at least it gets seen or heard!
If someone has an idea for a Troma movie what should they do?
Send your idea or script or film in to us! If its good, we’ll work with you.
What would you be doing if you hadn’t got into the Movies?
Teaching quadriplegic Mandarin children how to paint.
Best movie ever made?
Dear John
Are the rumors true about Toxic Avenger 5?
I guess it depends on what the rumors are….we are currently developing the 5th Toxie, but we’ve already gone through 5 writers and 37 drafts, so we’ll see what happens…I think it could be the best Toxie yet!
What else should we look out for from Troma in 2011?
Lots of things to come this year, we’ve just been at TromaDance in Asbury Park, which was fun. This weekend we are at Shock Stock in London, Ontario! Have a look at our website,
How would you like to be remembered?
Most tromatically.
For the latest news form Lloyd and the Troma Team check out www.troma.com
Read the rest of our Monster Movie Month features.