Collector's Crypt Review - TROMA'S 'SURF NAZIS MUST DIE' Blu-Ray

There are few studios out there that elicit a strong love/hate relationship more than TROMA. For 48 years (TROMA’S 50th Anniversary is in 2024) they have produced some of the most celebrated, divisive, legendary, and depraved films ever put on film. With such a long-standing history in the cult/horror/exploitation business, it can be hard to pinpoint when, or even if, a studio has reached its peak. For me, I think TROMA hit its stride between the years 1980 - 1998. During that time we got classics such as MOTHER’S DAY, THE TOXIC AVENGER, CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH, REDNECK ZOMBIES, SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD, TROMEO & JULIET, and TERROR FIRMER to name only a few. As a child of divorced parents, I used to carry around a duffle bag full of my favorite VHS tapes when I would go between visiting my mom and dad and inside contained at the very least five TROMA tapes at any time. In hindsight, I’m not sure who allowed me to buy BLOODSUCKING FREAKS from Suncoast video, but I think I turned out alright. Of all of the TROMA films I consumed in my teenage years, SURF NAZIS MUST DIE was the one I probably saw the least amount of times. So when the fine folks at MVD ENTERTAINMENT provided us a copy of the recently released SURF NAZIS MUST DIE blu-ray, I immediately jumped at the chance to revisit it.

Is this new HD release a diamond in the rough or has age not been kind to this tale of fascism and far-out waves?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

An earthquake leaves the California coastline in ruins and reduces the beaches to a state of chaos. A group of neo-Nazis led by Adolf, the self-proclaimed "Führer of the new beach", takes advantage of the resulting chaos by fighting off several rival surfer gangs to seize control of the beaches. Meanwhile, an African American oil well worker named Leroy is killed by the surf Nazis while jogging on the beach. Leroy's mother, "Mama" Washington, devastated by the loss of her son, vows revenge. After arming herself with a handgun and grenades, she breaks out of her retirement home and exacts vengeance on the Surf Nazis.

HOW IS IT?

As far as TROMA films go, particularly of this time period, SURF NAZIS MUST DIE is a more subtle film than those that came before and after it. While the title certainly suggests something only TROMA could deliver, this isn’t your typical over-the-top absurdity. I think the best way to describe this movie would be “The Warriors in Southern California” as most of the runtime is devoted to a tug-of-war between rival surf gangs trying to lay claim to the Beach Cities of Southern California. In fact, if it weren’t for the side story about Elenor “Mama” Washington this would actually just be a west coast warriors movie. In true TROMA fashion, there is a mixture of comedy, exploitation, and visceral violence littered throughout all combining to create a viewing experience that is as unique as it is audacious. What really stands out in this film, aside from its provocative title, is that it feels more grounded than most TROMA films. There are moments in SURF NAZIS MUST DIE where things feel more serious than you would imagine them to be, and that includes the death of Mama’s son Leroy. Sure, there are plenty of moments where things fly off the rails, especially with regards to the titular surf nazis, and yet it never lingers on those moments long enough to feel as exploitative as it could be.

I often find when watching older TROMA films that I’m caught off-guard by how witty and funny they can be. Don’t get me wrong, many of the jokes are still intended to offend for shock value, and yet there are some genuinely funny moments in SURF NAZIS MUST DIE that stand out largely because they aim higher than you might expect. Early on there is a quote where the head surf nazi Adolf proclaims that “goofy footers are an inferior breed”, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the use of fascist ideology juxtaposed with stance preference as a means to help characterize our antagonists. They aren’t necessarily nazis in the historical sense as much as they are nazis of the beach whose ire is directed more at other surfing gangs and not as much at people of different religious or ethnic backgrounds. This is not to say they do not exhibit some of those traits, it just isn’t their prime motivation to target specific groups of people as much as other rival gangs. That’s also what makes the character of Mama Washington such an amazing protagonist in that she single-handedly rocks the world of said surf nazis after being pushed over the edge. All of this is of course intercut with some really gnarly surfing footage that seems to be sourced by the film's creators and not from pre-recorded footage, however, I cannot confirm that.

SURF NAZIS MUST DIE has a lot of charm, and yet, it’s not without its flaws. The biggest one is the pacing and how uneven it can make the movie feel. This could be explained by the low-budget approach, or rather that the action tends to happen in spurts rather than more set-piece style moments that audiences are accustomed to. It also suffers from a shifting focus where it becomes hard to know what we are supposed to care about. Two-thirds of the movie is about a gang war, whereas the final third is a revenge story. I mention this mostly because the shift in focus is pretty noticeable and doesn’t connect early enough for it to feel cohesive. This is also a more subdued TROMA film in that it doesn’t have heaps of sex or violence on display. There is plenty of the latter in the final act, it just isn’t the same kind of head exploding and comically overdone gore you get from similar films like THE TOXIC AVENGER or CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

SURF NAZIS MUST DIE is presented in high-definition with a newly restored transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Details are scarce on this transfer and overall its decent considering TROMA films are not known for their cinematography and A/V components. The 2K transfer on this disc did look a bit soft and not as crisp as other restored titles from the likes of Vinegar Syndrome, Severin, or Arrow, but it’s unclear how much those treatments would have benefitted the film overall. There is a haziness that I’m sure is in large part due to filming in and around the beach cities just south of Los Angeles. Anyone who has been around that area knows that the marine layer can sometimes make the surrounding area look out of focus.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Nothing special to write about with regards to sound as well. The audio track is a Dolby 2.0 Stereo track and it’s fine considering that films around this time and from this studio are often not made to take full advantage of better surround sound mixes. The biggest crime here is really that there are no subtitles for the film, which in this day and age is becoming more inexcusable.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

As is par for the course with TROMA releases, there are not a lot of special features for enthusiasts to dive into. There are some noticeable additions from the previously released DVD, specifically a couple of new interviews, but overall this release is pretty barebones. Although, the introduction from Lloyd Kaufman is a lot of fun and very timely considering the date of release and what has been going on for the past couple of years. It also begs the question, how much content should be sourced for films like this which may not(or may) have big followings. A full list of special features is listed below:

EXTRAS:

- Intro with Lloyd Kaufman

- Interview with Peter George

- Interview with Robin Tinell

- Deleted Scenes

- Public Service Announcement 1 & 2

- The Projection Booth Podcast (New Peter George Interview)

- Indie Artists vs Cartels

- Blood Stab

LAST RITES

SURF NAZIS MUST DIE is lighter TROMA fare than the traditional release, and has plenty of SoCal surfing charm and hilarious wit to encourage viewing for those that are curious and never heard of this one before. For TROMA die-hards, this is no-doubt one you should be adding to your collection as it may be the last time we get this film in any physical format.

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing me with review copies, and if you would like to purchase please consider buying directly from MVD or TROMA!

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