A less than memorable Troma picture.

I guess I knew what I was getting into when I watched this. My biggest complaint isn't that it's juvenile, prurient, corny, and endlessly scatalogical - there are a couple of Troma features that I like which fit this bill - but that it just isn't very creative or amusing within those parameters. There's only so much you can shock me before I lose interest.

Both the R-rated and directors cut versions are great, so I will give this a very high rating indeed. One of the weirdest and hardest to explain movies that I've ever had the pleasure of viewing that has many subplots. This movie can go from hilarious to creepy in seemingly one second, which is amazing and almost no movies can ever do, but in movies, anything is possible.

Just when I'm thinking "aww, shut it off", it tosses me something to keep me interested. So, really it's "using only as much as we need to" movie-making.

Technical errors, both intentional and otherwise? Check. Random and gratuitous nudity? Check. Over the top, poorly choreographed violence? Check. Shoddy special effects and gore that your little brother could make in your garage? Check. Awkward, uncomfortable to watch sex scenes? Check. Kickin' Punk Rock soundtrack which really doesn't belong in any movie? Check. The ultimate exploitation flick. This, friends, is the real thing.

Just a bunch of random scenes tossed together with the sole intention of grossing out and/or offending the viewer. Problem is, if you're watching this film by choice, there's no way you'll be grossed out and/or offended by any of it... Alright, I take that back. There's no person on Earth who wouldn't be grossed out and/or offended by a naked fat man running through New York. No matter how many times you've seen one do so before.

Terror Firmer is Troma deconstructed, with Lloyd Kaufman playing a sightless version of himself as he films something that features a guy in the Toxic Avenger suit. It's obsessively referential not just to Troma, but to many historical filmmakers familiar to the cinephile. But mainly it's an incessant attack on the senses aiming to alternately repulse, amuse, disgust, arouse and terrify, non-stop and as much as possible. Not a very lofty mission, but it does succeed.

Despite my misgivings with its tone, there is the sense that Kaufman has a gift of transgressive chaos - no good taste, no line he won't cross, all aimed directly at the viewer with purpose while enjoying himself. Sadly like his other films I've seen he continually compromises himself by trying to make 'funny-bad' films than making good ones, worsened by the lecturing tone about cinema unjustified by the shit jokes.

I'm always happy to watch a Kaufman movi... Hey look, it's those South Park dudes!