A true horror icon is joining Joe Bob Briggs for the latest episode of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. Lloyd Kaufman, the co-founder of Troma and director of The Toxic Avenger, will join the host this week for Shudder’s mystery Friday night double feature. Though, with Kaufman on the bill, one has to imagine a Troma classic is on deck.
The announcement was made by Shudder ahead of The Last Drive-In season 2’s fourth episode. This season has already featured several impressive guest stars, such as wrestling star Chris Jericho, Chopping Mall star Kelli Maroney and the Sultan of Splatter Tom Savini. In a statement, host Joe Bob Briggs had this to say about Lloyd Kaufman.
“I knew Lloyd Kaufman when he was a young man struggling to make a living by releasing one cheap exploitation film after another. After a rich and varied career at the helm of Troma Films, he has risen to the top of the indie business and today . . . releases two cheap exploitation films at a time. Let us praise his legacy of distributing hundreds of indie films, all of them made with cameras.”
Lloyd Kaufman has had an impressive career and, as co-founder of Troma, has been a true champion of indie film. Many filmmakers got their start at Troma, including James Gunn, director of Guarians of the Galaxy. Kaufman has personally directed more than 50 movies, including Cass of Nuke ‘Em High, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. and Tromeo and Juliet. But it was 1984’s The Toxic Avenger that served as Kaufman’s true breakout as a director. The movie inspired a franchise, including three sequels, a musical and an animated series.
Troma was founded in 1974. In the years since, the company has released more than 1,000 independent movies. That makes Lloyd Kaufman the perfect person to sit down with Joe Bob Briggs for a conversation on The Last Drive-In. Taking to Twitter, Joe Bob Briggs offered fans a little tease of what’s to come this week, providing some hints about the double bill.
“Hints for this week’s movies: the first one is made by a low-budget genius who went high budget and crashed. The second one is made by unknowns who ended up with worldwide distribution.”
The Last Drive-In brought Joe Bob Briggs back to TV following his days hosting Drive-In Theater and MonsterVision. Briggs’ return, which kicked off with a 24-hour marathon in 2018, proved to be so popular that it crashed Shuuder’s severs at one point. That led to a new series, with a new double feature for genre fans to enjoy each week. The streaming service was quick to hand out a second season renewal for the show, which is running on Fridays now through June 26. Subscribers can stream the show on the service’s “Shudder TV” channel each week. Lloyd Kaufman’s episode will air Friday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET on Shudder.
Hints for this week’s movies: the first one is made by a low-budget genius who went high budget and crashed. The second one is made by unknowns who ended up with worldwide distribution. @Shudder@kinky_horror@FANGORIA@REBELLERpic.twitter.com/X0YCWLegkp
— Joe Bob Briggs (@therealjoebob) May 11, 2020
