Troma pretty much sums up everything I both love and hate about film. The films they produce/distribute are, like them or not, constructed specifically to entertain. They make the most of every opportunity, filling every frame with visual gags, poop humor, vomit-inducing (yet tickle your funny bone) visual effects, and pretty much anything that could be considered incorrect in any spectrum, be it political, racial, etc. As a result the Troma catalogue consists of some great films (Tromeo & Juliet; Terror Firmer; Cannibal: The Musical) and some less than fantastic efforts (Bloodsucking Freaks). Good or bad, you always get the impression that Lloyd Kaufman and co. are attempting to push the boundaries for one simple purpose, to increase enjoyment for the audience, and it works more often than not (in my opinion, anyway).

Poultrygeist is the jewel in the crown that is Troma. It takes all the standard Troma fare, yet it all seems much more refined. There's an abundance of low-brow humor - which I dare not give away, but they're on display from the film's opening sequence – but amidst all of these attempts at humor there are incredibly successful lines of dialogue that had me in hysterics:

A priest walks up to the restaurant counter, gesturing to his food.
“I don't mean to complain, but there's a severed penis in my Sloppy Jose.”
“That's weird” – replies our hero behind the counter.

Brilliant. The restraint shown in that scene perfectly displays why Poultrygeist is so damned good. In previous Troma films, subtlety was never even considered; the blatant gross-out was the way to go (Sgt. Kabukiman is the only exception that comes to mind), and as such, Poultyrgeist marks a distinct increase in maturity on the part of Lloyd Kaufman, and the film is all the better for it.

All of this would be for not if the film didn't have a capable cast to deliver the humor, and this is perhaps Poultrygeist's most significant achievement. Both leads, Jason Yachanin and Kate Graham deliver their lines flawlessly, and this is no easy feat considering some of the scenes require them to abandon any and all self-consciousness to get the laugh. They allow themselves to look and sound completely ridiculous as the script calls for it, and their performances help elevate Poultrygeist above standard Troma fare. This is the best pair I think I've ever seen lead a Troma film, and they're not bad singers either…

Which brings me to a key point which I have neglected to mention – Poultrygeist is a musical… a horror-comedy-musical, to be more precise, and I'll be damned, the music is pretty good. Certainly the most intriguing aspect of Poultrygeist, the songs are often hilariously crude (‘Bumping Tacos'), and hit more often than they miss, making Poultrygeist successful in nearly every respect. The gore is unique and excessive enough that I give the horror a definite pass; I've already covered the comedy, which successfully combines toilet humor with some brilliantly written sequences; the music's pretty great too. All of this results in Troma's best release to date.

Unfortunately, word on the street is that Troma is having some financial difficulties, and while I can not attest as to whether this is true or not, I can say that I appreciate what Troma does for the world of independent film making. While not all of their films are ‘classics', the company best represents my view of what independent film should try to accomplish. I appreciate their desire to entertain, and have their own fun in the process; I would be very unhappy to see them go.