Troma Entertainment 4K UHD: Surf Nazis Must Die (1987) - Reviewed

on
 

Writer-director Peter George’s 1987 Troma Entertainment acquisition and directorial debut film Surf Nazis Must Die (previously reviewed by Michelle Kisner here) is the sort of film where you feel stupid reading the title but get sort of involved once the disc starts spinning in your DVD or Blu-ray player.  From its synth-oriented soundtrack by Miami Connection composer Jon McCallum to accomplished music video cinematographer Rolf Kestermann’s overqualified imagery giving this otherwise lean mean cheapie a semi-polished regional feel, Surf Nazis Must Die from its post-apocalyptic Mad Max inspired premise to its subversive mixture of surf movie and outlandish revenge action/comedy is poised from the outset to be cheap insta-cult beer-and-pizza party fodder.  Think of it as Death Wish by way of A Clockwork Orange or The Warriors with a lot of Morning of the Earth surfing filler padding out the running time in between.

 
In a near-distant future (sound familiar already?), an earthquake has irreparably damaged the California coastline with survivors on the beach terrorized by a rogue group of neo-Nazis led by Adolf (Barry Brenner).  Intent on taking control of the beachfront amid several rivaling gangs, the self-proclaimed ‘Surf Nazis’ begin their A Clockwork Orange styled gang-fights with the Nazis wearing pretty much the Billy Boy gang’s outfits from that movie.  In the crossfire an African American oil well worker named Leroy (Robert Harden) jogging on the beachfront who intervenes when the Nazis terrorize an old woman is killed in racially charged violence right down to the N-word being dropped.  However, in the wake of his murder the young man’s mother Eleanor “Mama” Washington (Gail Neely) escapes her retirement home and vows bloody vengeance.  Beginning her own rogue operation, the Surf Nazis soon find themselves being systematically hunted down by “Mama” who delivers the much deserved and well earned just desserts on the cronies who killed her son.

 
If it wasn’t for the blaxploitation revenge factor or Jon McCallum’s soundtrack or music video filmmaker Rolf Kestermann’s better-than-this-shoot-deserves cameraman for hire, Surf Nazis Must Die sounds wilder on paper than in print.  While sporting some wonderfully apocalyptic looking locations like what appears to be a hangar with burning cans and fascist regalia decorating the walls, much of the dialogue in this by Jon Ayre and director Peter George is as dumb as a rock.  Gail Neely’s mad-as-Hell Esther Anderson stereotype is the best thing about the movie and some of the visual setups are clever like when she pins a Nazi against a wall sporting the King Crimson debut album cover.  There’s also a bit of proto-Brick dark comedy in it involving a teenage Surf Nazi trying to sneak out of his bedroom window at night only to be accosted by his several-steps-ahead mother who knows he’s up to no good.  Mostly though, there’s a lot of surfing onscreen in this, a lot of it, which tends to be a bit of a buzzkill with the beer-and-pizza factor. 

 
Originally this hit Blu-ray in the UK via 88 Films in 2018 in a restored matted 1.85:1 widescreen transfer before Troma Entertainment did their own Blu-ray debut in the winter of 2022.  Running 83 minutes, that edition featured the usual extras such as Lloyd Kaufman’s tongue-in-cheek introduction, an interview with the director, deleted scenes and more than they can list on the back of the cover box.  Now circa 2026, the Troma team is back with another new 4K UHD special edition of the same including a newly filmed interview with Peter George and Lloyd Kaufman sporting many of the same extras ported over from the 2022 BD edition. 

 
While indeed boasting a newer crisper scan, the transfer is unrestored and is rife with blemishes and at one point a piece of tape appears in one of the frames.  There’s indeed something to appreciate in doing an undoctored scan of the original camera negative but some fans eager to see this new 4K upgrade will get one of the more damaged looking UHD disc transfers they’ve seen.  For someone who regularly attends 16mm screenings of films in a micro cinema, print damage comes with the territory but it is unexpected on 4K UHD digital masters.  If you’re already a Troma disciple and are keen on upgrading from your tape or laserdisc editions, knock yourself out.  As for myself, it was just okay.  Lloyd Kaufman, try as he may, will never be Frank Henenlotter. 

--Andrew Kotwicki