A grieving mother takes down the gang of surfing Nazis who murdered her son… eventually in the Troma cult classic SURF NAZIS MUST DIE. The Peter George flick catches a wave to 4K.
Let’s get it out of the way: Surf Nazis Must Die, written and directed by Peter George, may set a higher bar for entertainment than the movie delivers. Still, it’s stayed on the board as a flagship title in their catalog since its 1987 release. That goes a long way toward showing it has something of interest beyond the incredible fun of saying the title. Just don’t expect the high-flying, jam-packed Troma. But what we do get is entertaining and earns a place as a low-key cult classic.
The main issue is that the film takes a long time to get to the plot, with the real action only kicking in during the final 10 minutes of the 82-minute film. Much of the time, the Surf Nazis patrol their section of beach in a post-apocalyptic earthquake. Or so we’re told of the event; it looks pretty normal save for some detritus and the notable juxtaposition of the oil industry to the beach (which is real, and one of Peter George’s jumping points, along with running against a group of asshole surfers while starting the hobby). Adolf, Eva, Mengele, Hook, and Smeg are the core members and make themselves everyone’s problem, bothering and murdering other surfers, like some hippies that come in, fighting other gangs like Samurais, or driving around in their camouflage, finned and swastika adorned van. Also plenty of shots of them surfing; so many. If you remove that, the movie loses like 15 minutes. I love the Troma/Waters forced acting. Man, that just hits me in the right way in the right movies. And Surf Nazis Must Die is the right movie for it.
The main plot concerns Mama Washington, a woman who moves into a home. I don’t know why; she seems about 50 and healthy. But that’s what makes it fun: she disrupts the home with what she needs. Well, her son is murdered by the Surf Nazis, and she decides to take them down. Eventually. I love this woman, and Gail Neely gives the flick a burst of energy. A brief bit with Smeg, one of the Nazis living at home with his mom, who gets on him for his actions, is a highlight. And Mom, Bobbie Bresee, is wonderful.
I did like Surf Ninjas Must Die, and I’m glad to finally see the Troma Cult Classic. It might not live up to the energy of the awesome title, with plenty of filler moments; but it’s a fun little flick nonetheless, for those who go for it. And I do.
Packaging and Presentation
Troma Entertainment puts Surf Ninjas Must Die on two discs: one 4k UHD, with new artwork, and one Blu-ray, with the movie poster. While they released a 2022 Blu-ray, it isn’t just a repackage. The fit on either side of a 4k box with the single-sided slip is the original poster art. A cardboard O-sleeve has new art.
The picture looks alright; it’s the best it can do given the filming conditions. Not sure if I see a 4K-ness to the design. Sound is occasionally muddled but does the job. In English.
The Features
As noted, Troma most recently released Surf Ninjas Must Die on Blu-ray in 2022. This edition adds an interview and removes some of the Troma-based extras.
Disc one
Podcast w/ Interview
An episode of the Projection Booth podcast plays as a podcast. Including a nice interview with Peter George, they have a fun appreciation of the flick, issues and all, in the same way I, and those who go “ooooh” at a new release, do. (71m, so it ends 10 minutes before the film)
Trailer
A little goofier than the movie itself (3m)
Who Owns the Beaches? (new)
Troma head Lloyd Kaufman interviews Peter George and his daughter, who strangely becomes the focus as a voice of the new generation. A brief, but fun look back at the 40 years since release and its “legacy” (9m)
Disc Two
The Blu-ray has everything on Disc 1 plus:
Blu-ray Intro
Kaufman, pretending to have a lockdown meltdown, introduces the film (2m)
DVD Intro
Just a quick how-ya-do, enjoy the flick (1m)
From Tromaville Cafe
Seems to be from a VHS release. A wonderfully fun, dumb bit between the hosts, plus a quick interview with Kaufman and George! (3m)
The Waves Are War: Two interviews
Peter George talks about where the idea came from, filming surfing in Hawaii, and a little more (4m)
Producer Rob Tinnell gives some anecdotes of the production 2m
Deleted scenes
A few brief scenes, with no audio. George talks us through. 7m no audio
As always, several extras are Troma-only, with little or nothing to do with the film, and most appear on various other Troma discs, though the first here is new to me.
Independent artists vs Corrupt Cartels (2018)
Kaufman rants and breaks down YouTube’s revenue-stream issues and those of other conglomerates. (10m)
Radiation March is a short anti-pollution PSA (1m)
Soul of Troma
Motorhead! A song with a video advertising Troma flicks (2m)
Innards
Music video (2m)
Toxic Avenger in Ukraine.
The short that has been auto-playing on Troma releases is moved to here instead. Toxie takes down Russian troops. (2m)
Troma Sleepover
A silly commercial for TromaNow, their streaming service. 2m
Trailers
8 Trailers for Troma films
Final Thoughts
While not quite living up to the title, Surf Nazis Must Die is a Troma cult classic for a reason. Its interesting enough with a Troma expected pile of extras.