IFH 065: Lloyd Kaufman & Troma: How I Make Money Selling Movies

Summary: What can I say about Lloyd Kaufman? Director. Writer. Producer. Indie Filmmaker. Innovator. Nice guy. Pain in the ass of main stream media. I believe all of those statements are true and then some. Lloyd Kaufman is one the original indie filmmakers going back to the 1970’s. The Troma Universe was born in 1974 with a series of highly original, raunchy comedies such as Squeeze Play!, Stuck On You!, Waitress!, and other film titles ending with an exclamation point. In my favorite decade, the 80’s, is where Lloyd Kaufman really made a name for himself. His 1984 sleeper hit The Toxic Avenger launched his career and his production company Troma Entertainment. Creating his own brand of independent films, Lloyd Kaufman discovered there was a market for his “unique type” of films. The success of The Toxic Avenger was followed by a string of commercial and artistic triumphs in a similar vein, blending fantasy, comedy, bad ass action, and a bit of eroticism in a style that can only be described as “Tromatic”.LLOYD KAUFMAN, Troma, Troma Entertainment, Troma Universe, The Toxic Avenger, James Gunn, Class of Nuke ‘Em High trilogy, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, Troma’s War, Quentin Tarantino These films, including the Class of Nuke ‘Em High trilogy, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and Troma’s War, were often ignored or scorned by the intelligentsia of the time but spoke to an entire generation (including yours truly) of young people who rejected the pandering, commercial films of the mid-to-late 80’s. Some of his fans include Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Mike Judge, Peter Jackson, and Trey Parker. To say this was an enjoyable and entertaining interview would be an understatement. Enjoy my conversation with the one and only Lloyd Kaufman.