Troma and Fans
by Rickey Dawson

I have learned many things from many people, I have learned from the good (and the bad) from those who have come before me, but I have learned the most from Troma and Lloyd Kaufman. It was in the year 2000 when I had first gone to Newgrounds.com, inside of the site I saw a few Troma banners so I checked out the site and saw that it was an independent film company, and to be honest I had no idea what an independent film was.

I was raised just like the average American movie viewer, which is just another mindless cultureless drone that views whatever has the most explosions, sex, and violence. When I saw Troma, I noticed a little film on the site entitled Citizen Toxie, now to be honest the only reason that I wanted to see this film was because my flash animating idol (none other then Tom Fulp himself.) As I watched the film, I thought to myself how does a film company like this stay in business? I looked on the back of the box and it said that they have been together for the better part of thirty years. I then asked myself, how does Troma (the world’s biggest underdog in the movie industry do it)?

At first I thought to myself “It has got to be the nudity in there films” because let’s face it folks, you can probably bet your life savings on the fact that ever Troma movie that you see will have nudity, and it’s little touch of “Soft-Core” porn, but the reason why they are so successful isn’t because of the soft-core porn, or the nudity. Now I was like “Wait, if it isn’t the nudity”, even though on any given night you can probably get off on any Troma movie.

Could it be because of the quality of the film, some people like shitty pictures, maybe people saw these as an escape from the larger movie industries monopoly, I was running out of luck (besides the part at the end), I was dead wrong. The average Troma-Fan knows that he/she is going to see the worst film of their life (no offense Lloyd, we still love you)

Well I have given it two swings and I am in no mood to strike out, I found out the reason why Troma has lasted so long (and is successful in some cases) is because of the fans, Troma has been knocked out, beaten to death, and has been pissed on. The reason why they keep getting up to take another swing, and to fight another day, is because of the so-called freaks, losers, Troma-halics, druggies, whores, low lives, drunks, homeless, and the mediocre people who hound Troma for its next picture.

I am proud to say that I am one of these people who are willing to put the Toxic Avenger poster on my wall (with pride), (come out of my paranoia) and buy every Troma film known to man (this includes Big Gus, What’s the Fuss), and personally I wouldn’t have it any other way. Troma needs its fans, but we (the fans) need Troma more then Kaufman and Herz will ever know.

Lloyd and Michael, please keep making films, and in a few years Rickey Dawson is going to be on as many credits to Troma movies as I possibly can. Lloyd I am coming and we are going to make that hit movie.