Terror Firmer

Lloyd Kaufman (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including the The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as chairman of the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

In 1974, Kaufman and his business partner Michael Herz founded Troma Entertainment and began producing and distributing independent action and comedy films. In order to pay the bills, Kaufman did freelance work for Hollywood productions, including Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, and The Final Countdown, which he also produced (Kaufman has said that it was his experience on this film that made him never want to deal with a major studio again). From 1979 to 1981, the two wrote, produced and directed a series of profitable “sexy comedies,” precursors to such films as Porky’s, including Squeeze Play!, Waitress!, Stuck on You! and The First Turn-On!. On most of these early films, Kaufman is credited as “Samuel Weil.”

In 1985, Troma experienced mainstream success with another Kaufman/Herz production, the violent, darkly comic superhero film The Toxic Avenger. Toxic went on to become Troma’s most popular movie, inspiring three sequels, a Saturday morning children’s television show, comic books and tons of merchandise. The Toxic Avenger, or “Toxie,” is now Troma’s official mascot.

Kaufman’s follow-up to The Toxic Avenger was Class of Nuke ’Em High, which he co-directed with Richard W. Haines. Riding on the success of the Toxic Avenger, Nuke ’em inspired two profitable sequels and a healthy run on late night cable shows such as USA Up All Night. At one time, Class of Nuke ’Em High was the highest-selling VHS for Troma.

Troma experienced a lull in popularity after Kaufman’s next two films, Troma’s War and Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., failed to make an impression at the box office. From 1995 to 2000, Kaufman rebounded with three critically acclaimed independent films: 1996’s Tromeo and Juliet, a loose parody of Shakespeare’s play; 1999’s Terror Firmer, a slasher film set on the set of a Troma movie (with Kaufman playing a caricature of himself), and the fourth installment in the Toxic Avenger franchise, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV.

Troma’s experienced some financial hardship after the botched funding of a low-budget video feature titled Tales from the Crapper, which cost $250,000 despite most of the footage being unusable. Lloyd supervised a reshoot in an attempt to salvage the film, dividing the footage into two parts and recasting the film as a double-feature. Tales from the Crapper was released on DVD in September 2004, eventually making its money back through DVD sales. —Wikipedia