Return to Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1

Cult filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman—head of the infamous low-budget exploitation studio Troma—revives the mutant high school series he launched in 1986 with his first directorial effort in almost a decade. Kaufman builds this new chapter quite literally on the ruins of the previous films, with an organic food factory—resting on the bulldozed remains of the old nuclear power plant—serving up tainted food in the high school cafeteria. That's pretty much the plot in a nutshell: students eat the glowing green tacos, leading to a succession of mutant outbreaks and dumb gags that escalate with the spread of the green slime (which is transmitted just as effectively through sex as through cafeteria food). In the middle of it all is a love story between Lauren (Catherine Corcoran), a dizzy rich girl with a runaway pet duck, and social activist blogger Chrissy (Asta Paredes), whose instant animosity to Lauren turns into lust. This being Troma, the film features gratuitous nudity, mutant creatures, melting bodies, spontaneous combustion, adolescent fart gags, foul language, and outrageously bad behavior, as Kaufman indulges his fondness for old-style slapstick mixed with grotesque, gooey, over-the-top gore effects. Forget satire, this is for cult audiences who loved The Toxic Avenger. Be warned, however: this is just the first installment of a two-part story. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)