As always, I’ll be polling you folks to determine my next Reviews By Request column. To vote, see the poll at the end of this review.

For all of my supposed affection for good trashy movies, I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve never seen a film made by Troma, one of the names to know in cinematic junk food. I’m not sure what took me so long. It’s not like I was unfamiliar with the work of Troma and its founder and chief spokesperson, Lloyd Kaufman, having seen boxes for his movies lining the shelves in the Cult section at the local video store. Hell, I’ve enjoyed the hell out of the Troma trailers that have becomes staples of Columbus’ Horror and Sci-Fi Marathons, such as Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD and Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy (“filmed on location in the Republic of Hungary!”).

But whatever it was, I was no longer able to overlook Troma following the release of Kaufman’s latest opus, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, which didn’t take the usual direct-to-DVD path of most of Troma’s recent movies but got an honest-to-goodness, 35mm theatrical release, complete with a positive review (B+!) in Entertainment Weekly. This newfound media presence, coupled with a handful of positive recommendations from friends, finally motivated me to start remedying my Troma blind spot. Thankfully, the movie didn’t disappoint. While I wouldn’t call it one of 2008’s best by any stretch, it’s got a lot of spirit and energy, and I’m not likely to forget it anytime soon.

From its opening scene, Poultrygeist makes no bones about the sort of movie it is. In the film’s first shot, we see the requisite “Indian Burial Ground” (a plot point straight out of Poltergeist, which of course inspired this movie’s title). However, the sign at its entrance deflates any potential eeriness that the shot might have, saying, “desecrators will be cursed to the fullest extent of ancient tribal law.” From there, we get a couple of hornball teenagers dry-humping behind a headstone, some comedic fumbling with the girl’s bra, a faux-sincere conversation about the pair being separated by the girl’s leaving for college, a mid-hump attack by a half-dozen decaying arms reaching out of the Earth, and finally, a sneak attack by a creepy-looking man, axe in one hand, erection in the other.

All of the hallmarks of Troma are there- low-rent homages/parodies of well-known blockbusters, quirky humor, an arrested-development view of sexuality, and plenty of gonzo violence. For Troma, these aspects have proven to be a winning combination, and Kaufman puts them to good use in Poultrygeist. But while plenty of awful movies have tried a similar cocktail of ingredients, what distinguishes Poultrygeist is Kaufman’s go-for-broke spirit, in which pretty much anything could happen at any time. It’s the kind of movie in which a grossly obese man will suffer a prolonged bout of explosive diarrhea before quasi-birthing a giant zombie chicken, another character gets a mop handle shoved through his rectum and out his crotch, or a romantic ballad will include a chorus line of naked lesbians pawing each other. And if you can’t predict that a burqa-clad character will eventually cast off her clothes to reveal a bikini-clad hottie, this probably isn’t your cup of tea.

I realize that many of you might not enjoy a movie like Poultrygeist, and if the subject matter and style don't appeal to you, there really isn't much in the way of cinematic values- high-caliber acting, first-rate filmmaking- to make it go down easier. Yet like all good trashy movies, this one scratches a moviegoing itch in me that most other movies cannot. In recommending Poultrygeist to me, loyal Screengrab reader Steve C. said, “watch this and tell me this isn’t, in essence, Lloyd Kaufman’s suicide note.” While I’m not familiar enough with Kaufman’s other films to say for sure, I certainly see a go-for-broke spirit in Poultrygeist that’s only possible from a director who’s got nothing to lose. In his own way, Kaufman spews a lot of bile in the film, and in many directions as well- at the fast food establishment, at the pseudo-activists who pretend to fight the establishment only to roll over once they’ve been catered to, and at those people who settle into low-pay jobs rather than fulfilling their potential. Granted, these themes have been tackled by other movies, but how many of those movies have included a subplot in which a gay illegal immigrant worker gets run through a meat grinder only to return as a talking, lisping sandwich? Troma’s films may not be for everyone, but if Poultrygeist is any indication, they’re right up my alley. So readers, I ask you: what other Tromas would you recommend?

What’s next for Reviews By Request? I’m still catching up on some 2008 releases, and this week’s choices include a crowd-pleasing British comedy, a typically bizarre Takashi Miike film, the latest starring vehicle for the inimitable Ana Faris, and a pair of acclaimed documentaries, one about a counterculture icon, the other about a famous trial and media circus. Which will it be?



Feel free to stump for your favorite in the comments section, or even recommend possible future titles for this feature. Remember, voting closes on Monday night. See you in two weeks!