Terror Firmer is a 1999 American comedy horror film directed by Lloyd Kaufman, written by Douglas Buck, Patrick Cassidy, Kaufman, and James Gunn, and starring Will Keenan, Alyce LaTourelle, and Kaufman. The film was produced by the Troma Entertainment company, known for distributing campy exploitation films. The film features several direct references to the previous Troma films, such as The Toxic Avenger, and includes famous Troma props, like the 'Penis Monster' and a severed leg. It was loosely based, in that respect, on Kaufman and Gunn's book All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger.
Plot
The film is the story of a New York low-budget film crew, led by their insane and egotistical blindfilm director, Larry Benjamin, who is trying to create a work of art. In addition to the typical trials and travails of a Troma set, the crew is preyed upon by a sexually conflicted, bomb-toting serial killer. Among the large poorly paid film crew, the movie centers mostly on production assistant Jennifer, who struggles to do her job while deciding between the two men in her life; the strait-laced boom operator Casey, and the rebellious special effects operator Jerry. The love triangle intensifies as the dead bodies mount with increasingly brutality. At the climax, the entire film crew bands together against the mortal threat in their midst.
Terror Firmer is the first Troma release to be edited digitally on Avid. The 'Morton Springer Show' sequence was based on the experience Lloyd Kaufman had on the Morton Downey Jr. Show. The end credits states, "A VERY SPECIALTHANK YOU TO: The New York City Police Department, for their unstinting cooperation and invaluable help throughout every part of this production." The documentaryThe Making of Terror Firmer shows the police clashing with the production on several instances. The movie includes songs from notable punk bands, including NOFX, the Vandals, Bouncing Souls, Blood for Blood, Anti-Flag, and The Melvins. A soundtrack for the movie was released by Go Kart records in October 2000.
Alternate versions
The 2-Disc Special Edition gives the viewer a choice to watch the Director's Unrated Cut or to watch the Director's Unrated Cut with even more deleted scenes put back into the film. This makes the film's running time 123 minutes.
The 98-minute release R-rated version features several boxes that contain the words "CENSORED", covering various body parts. Additionally, for the heavier cut scenes, the movie freezes and a window appears on the screen with Kaufman explaining or comically re-enacting what was supposed to go on in the scene. The voices of characters uttering profanity at some moments are replaced by an obviously mismatched voice that says the accepted version of the word. Finally, some body parts are replaced by images of animals.
The unrated director's cut runs 114 minutes. The heavily edited R-rated version runs 98 min.
