Troma Shows Nitehawk Love

It is a Thursday night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Nitehawk Cinema, a small Brooklyn independent film house, is the host of the Brooklyn premiere for Troma Entertainment’s latest Tro-masterpiece: “Return to Nuke ‘Em High Vol. 1.” The first part of Troma’s two-part event film.

There are no red carpets, no paparazzi, or hundreds of fans fighting over barricades to get an autograph of the film’s stars. There is just a small merch booth right next to the ticket pick up.

7:30 pm, 15 minutes before show time and there is only two people in-line for RTNH Vol.1’s Brooklyn premiere. Both have not even looked twice at the merch table or noticed that one of the film’s stars, Clay Von Carlowitz, is behind the table joking with one of the films associate producers, Alex Gordon.

It is now time for people to take their seats; there is a row in the middle of the theater that is reserved. A group of people begin to trickle into the theater and fill the reserved seats, one being Lloyd Kaufman, Troma President and Director of RTNH Vol.1.

No round of applause, no whistles, and no “OH MY GOD, its Lloyd Kaufman.”

“Thank you for coming to the Nitehawk to see the shot by shot remake of ‘Schindler’s List’.” Jokes Kaufman after introducing his new film and cast.

This is a sign of what the audience is about to witness as RTNH Vol. 1 like all Troma films it never takes itself serious. The film takes us back to Tromaville High School where a day without a school shooting is an anomaly. A young lesbian couple must face off against the mutated Glee Club who have an insatiable lust for violence.

Throughout the course of the film, Kaufman and his cast cheer at every head explosion, take pictures and whisper to each other comments about the movie. This does not look like the cast and crew of a film that was selected by the Museum of Modern Art’s Contender Series; it looks like a group of friends watching old home videos.

“It was a lot of fun” Said RTNH’s star Asta Paredes, “and I would say I wouldn’t trade places with anyone on the earth for this to happen for any amount of money because it was a lot of fun.”

After 85 minutes of Troma branded fun, Kaufman and his cast participate in a crowd interactive Q & A, opting to not use a moderator and provide an open platform for the audience.

“When is the last time you’ve been to a movie where you’ve actually seen the actors come up and give you a Q & A?” Mark Quinnette, one of the films toxic Glee club cretins, asks to the audience nod their head no. “This will probably be the last this ever happens to you.”

An audience member says that he has heard working on a Troma film is one of the hardest things you can possibly do to which the cast reacts pretty strongly too.

“Who the fuck said that to you?” Quinnette asks jokingly. “What they meant to say its one of the most humbling things you can do as an artist.”

“It’s not the hardest thing to do, but it takes a little guts and sweat and a little bit of hard work.” Said Gordon, whose head explodes about halfway through the film..

“Whoever would say that is one of the hardest things you have to do they are probably very, very weak as a person.” Said Paredes “And they probably don’t have what it takes to cut it in this industry.”

RTNH’s stars are very proud of their film and want to take it around for the fans.

“We opted to take it around and sort of build like a cult status and we’re still doing that.” Said Clay Von Carlowitz who plays Tromaville High’s residential bro Eugene. “We’re still taking it to theaters even though it was just released on Blu Ray and DVD.”

The film was officially released on Blu Ray and DVD on March 18, but the cast still travels promoting this film and interacting with fans. A film where the highest paid actor on the film was a Duck. They were there because they were all passionate about the movie.

“As an artist, I would say working on a Troma film means that you are passionate,” said Paredes, “you know actually care what a film takes and what it needs to make happen.”

Although Troma has been around for almost 40 years, a rarity for a studio that specializes in low budget cult films, it always puts independent art and its fans first.

“Troma is not often recognized as it should be,” said Pat Swinney Kaufman, Lloyd Kaufman’s spouse and former New York State Film Commissioner.