In the mid-80s, Troma Entertainment gained a reputation for their super-cheap and super-nasty exploitation pics, most notably 1984’s splatter-tastic The Toxic Avenger, now a cult classic. But they outdid themselves – at least in the cheapness and nastiness stakes – with 1987’s Surf Nazis Must Die.
Surf Nazis is set in a near-future California, shortly after an earthquake that we’re told was devastating but the main effect of which is that the beaches have become a warzone of rival surfer gangs. If you’re struggling to make sense of that, you’ll want to brace yourself before trying to follow any more of the “plot”.
The most prominent gang is – you guessed it – the Nazis. They give themselves names like Adolf and Mengele and adorn their surfboards with swastikas, and they also have a hideout with rude words like “DICK”, “HEROIN”, and “SPIT” graffitied on the walls, in case you were in any doubt they’re a bad lot. As the Nazis gain territory, they push other gangs out; one scene sees Mengele murder a bearded hippy called Jesus and crack “there’s no room for Jesus on the New Beach, that’s our final solution”, in what is, depending on your point of view, either the most tasteless line of dialogue you could get, or simply the most talentless.
But at least it provokes a reaction, unlike the more tedious section of the movie that sees various generic surfer gangs fighting back against the Nazis and invariably losing out. The fight scenes are bland, with the gangs both undermanned and lacking in memorable characters. What may stop you switching off at this stage, however, is that we know what’s around the corner. The Nazis have murdered the son of Eleanor “Mama” Washington, an aging African American woman. Played with relish by Gail Neely, Mama doesn’t play by the rules of her retirement home and decides to go vigilante. Mama’s vengeance is the campy shoot-‘em-up fun that you want from a Troma movie; it’s just a shame it takes the film most of its 82-minute run time to get to it.
This Blu-ray release from 88 Films is an odd product. Like many of its era, the perfect home for Surf Nazis was probably the VHS rental shelves, and restoring the picture to HD only draws attention to the poor camerawork and the graininess of the surfing footage. Nevertheless, for exploitation enthusiasts, there’s a fair selection of extras, notably a brand new interview with actor Tom Shell. There’s unintentional comedy in the pair of archive interviews with director Peter George, who it turns out is as cringe-inducingly incompetent on camera as he is behind it, while producer Robert Tinnell comes across a little better in his brief spot. Plus the usual deleted scenes and trailer.
Special features: Smeg’s Lament: A 2018 Interview with Tom Shell, Deleted Scenes with Audio Commentary, Interview with Director Peter George, Interview with Producer Robert Tinnell, Scenes From the Tromaville Café, Original Trailer
SURF NAZIS MUST DIE / DIRECTOR: PETER GEORGE / SCREENPLAY: JON AYRE / STARRING: GAIL NEELY, BARRY BRENNER, DAWN WILDSMITH, MICHAEL SONYE / CERT: 18 / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 27TH
