Like any red-blooded horror junkie, the Troma Team holds a special place in my gooey heart. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs in the mid-’90s, the mall was our teenage sanctuary, and Suncoast Video was our oasis. My friends and I ultimately made a game of seeing how many Troma VHS tapes we could spot—the more obscure, the better. In the 1980s, USA network’s Up All Night was many a burgeoning horror fans entrée into the Troma universe, a toxic netherworld filled with surf nazis, radiation meltdowns, and gratuitous sex and gore. Perhaps most importantly, Troma upped the ante on the crazy quotient, satiating those looking for more insanity than those provided by Vestron, Full Moon Entertainment, and other penny-pinching exploitation studios of the era.

Fulfilling an odd, life-long fantasy, I drove 11 hours to Tromaville a.k.a. Queens, New York. There I met Troma co-founders Lloyd Kaufman, the Toxic Avenger (Toxie) and the elusive Michael Herz (often portrayed as the portly, dearly departed Joe Fleishaker in Troma films). Lloyd’s office has the feel and look of a speed-addled Troma enthusiast. Behind the penis monsters and assorted props, the 71-year-old Kaufman constantly mans the phones like a Mad Men secretary, as, in the end, Troma is still a very small, independent company. Some people have Graceland. I’ve got Tromaville. Come along for the guided tour with us!