Burning Leather, Toxic Waste, & Mutant Street Metal — Confessions of a Cretin:
A commentary on my experience making Troma’s Return to Nuke ‘Em High and our endless fight for underground cinema!
By: Tara Miller
Tara Miller; Cretin
On Creating Return to Nuke ‘Em High
Subsequent to spending nine lovely hours in an oversized mini- van trekking from NYC to Buffalo, we finally arrived on location to what we would call “home” for the next two months: an old funeral home. What could be more fitting whilst shooting a blood-bath of a film? The moon hung over the building surrounded by an assemblage of eerie clouds, constructing an atmosphere you could only find in a something like Phantasm; except for this was real life. As we shoved our luggage inside, I observed the amicable congregation of Troma folk who I would be living with. They were all equipped with impenetrable smiles and thirsty eyes—mostly metal heads, punks, long hairs and people sporting shirts like Blood Sucking Freaks and The Road Warrior. We were all strangers at this point, but I felt at home. From the moment I stepped into that place, I knew I was entering into an environment where my creativity would be fostered, my quirks embraced, and my passions (for both film and music) heightened. It was some vortex devoid of time and space, some alternate realm which endured to slaughter the mundane monotony of everyday existence; could reality actually be this awesome?
Catherine Corcoran (left) and Asta Maria Paredes (right); Lauren and Chrissy
The process of making Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume I was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, but it was rigorous and laborious, and the antithesis of glamor. Every night we’d come home drenched in slime and blood, with our knees bruised and our vocal chords singed from screaming like a bunch of lunatics. We slept on a hard wood floor of a funeral home surrounded by 50 other people – but we’d get up every single morning even hungrier for success than the day before, ready to jump in and do what we love most on this planet. We’d heal the pain of sore muscles with a cheap beer at one of the local joints, have some GBH, Black Flag, and Misfits sing-alongs, and exchange dialogue about filming, always injecting humor into the days’ events. After late nights of shooting, we’d flock on the steps of the funeral home, chain smoke, listen to (our production manager ) Justin Martell’s hilarious rants, blast old heavy metal tunes, and nerd it about 70s exploitation films and 80s horror. We’d drink tea to cure rusty voices (kind of need those to make a movie), dance in our underwear and debate whether Re-Animator or Videodrome had cooler gross-out sequences. I would do it again 5000 times over.
Lisa Forst (special effects) and Seager Dixon (Art director) with Robert Prichard of the Original Nuke ‘Em!
Do you dig Troma? Check out campaign, Occupy Cannes: A documentary about Independents at the Cannes Film Festival
Working with Lloyd Kaufman was a dream, as he is a man I have incessantly revered for his refusal to sacrifice his vision. The independent film industry is crammed with starry-eyed, idealistic hopefuls who also note Lloyd as a personal hero, and refuse to sacrifice their vision due to Lloyd’s example, fortitude, and perseverance. However, (though it’s no secret) these filmmakers continue to struggle, meanwhile mainstream film production companies have sponsorships from corporations that enable more opportunity for promotion and ability to attend events like Cannes Film Festival. Due to Troma’s undying passion, we have since launched a campaign entitled Occupy Cannes .
Mark Toxiclife, Tara Miller, Zac Amico, Jim Shepard, Vito Trigo, Mike Baez, Lloyd Kaufam; Lloyd and the Cretins!
The aim is to shed light on the struggles and triumphs of independent film making through the creation of a documentary. We have must raise $50,000 in total to attend Cannes, where our film Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume I is screening, whilst shooting the documentary. The Occupy Cannes campaign is not to exclusively advocate for Troma Entertainment, but to inspire other independent film makers that IT IS possible to achieve success while preserving your artistic integrity and keeping your vision pure. Some of the most potent material circulating out there today is found within the underbelly of the underground, created by folks whose names you wouldn’t necessarily recognize at first glance: it’s for the Doug Sakmann’s, the Slasher Dave’s, the Evan Makrogiannis’, the James Balsamo’s and the Anthony Curry’s of the world! This campaign is for all of those involved in creating underground cinema!
Stefan Dezil and Clay von Carlowitz; Slater and Eugene
Ever since I was a wee little bun, I’ve long been entranced by the visceral, raw, and potent magick of cinema, namely films of the horror and sci-fi variety. I relish in the memory of chugging hot chocolate and curling up on the couch with my mom as a little kid, whilst receiving my first introduction to classic horror; I was mesmerized by Vincent Price and spellbound by Christopher Lee in the old Hammer films. Since then, my fervent adoration and appreciation for horror has manifested into something SO fervent, that it’s transcended beyond a simple passion: it’s the content of which my existence is comprised. I am honored to be part of Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume I, and I hope to be able to share the magick only found in independent cinema with the world – by creating this documentary. Help us Occupy Cannes ! We Cannes do this, and we need your help!
SUPPORT OCCUPY CANNES BY CLICK HERE
