Blu-Ray Review: Return To Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1

By Brad Henderson

Sigh . . . What can I really say about Troma? Let me start off by saying I’m not really a fan of Troma films. By this I mean the films that are produced by the Troma team of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz, not the films they have distributed in the past that they don’t have any input into. There is an audience for these films but I’m not part of that audience at all. I find their films crude, mean-spirited, and disgusting on a level of just being disgusting for the sake of it. Sure, there are some films that are OK but most of them are exactly the same and follow the same formula and never veer away from that.

Kaufman and the Troma team have recently made another sequel to Class Of Nuke ‘Em High called Return To Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1. No, I’m not kidding, it is Volume 1. There are three films prior to this new one in the series and this one does the exact same thing as the others have done in the past. To sum it up: people turn into maniacs from toxic waste. In this entry of the series, we have plenty of cameo appearances along with fake penises, sperm, blood, senseless nudity, vomit, and about five minutes of a woman running around with a live duck stuck in her mouth trying to find help. This kind of stuff isn’t for me, but Troma has basically made a living and a business out of films like this and will probably continue to do so until both of these madmen are six feet underground.

In a sense, I have a little respect for Troma for making films unlike anything else that was out at the time they started, but enough is enough after all these years. This might be weird coming from a guy that loves gross and disgusting things, but it all has to do with art. If it fits into and plays well in the film I’m fine with it, but when it doesn’t, I have a problem. Who am I to judge what art is? I’ve seen enough films to decipher what it is and this isn’t it.

This is also one of the first films I’ve seen in a long time that Troma hasn’t distributed themselves, but I know they are having some money issues so this is probably the best idea. Ultimately, I don’t want them to go under or bankrupt. I don’t hate them and they have done a lot for the horror industry and kickstarted a lot of careers in their time. Part of me likes that they are still making films, it just sucks that I don’t care for them.

They packed this release of Return To Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1 full of commentaries and there are a couple of featurettes about the production and Troma’s long, 40-plus years in the industry that are informative and fun. They also have a trailer for Volume 2 if Volume 1 wasn’t enough.

If you have dug Troma films in the past you will adore this, but if you dislike them, then you are in the same boat as I am.

Return To Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1 was released on Blu-Ray on March 18 by Anchor Bay.