Troma's latest cinematic opus, Tales from the Crapper, purports to be the first shot on video film to adhere to the Dogpile 95 doctrine of filmmaking. A direct razz on Dogme 95, more info can be found at http://www.dogpile95.com, and I have to admit, it makes sense...sorta. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't deny the fact that for the past 30 years Troma has been one of the most outrageously, outlandishly and outstandingly independently run studios to ever grace any coast (I'm just glad their home is the East coast). In addition to making their own films, they manage to secure the rights to cult classics (for better or for worse) for release on DVD and generally set them loose with a boatload of lovingly executed extras. Being a big fan of Troma and their wily ways, I was most interested in an early screener for Tales from the Crapper once it arrived. In the end it's a mixed blessing, but certainly a step in the right direction for Troma's unique brand of filmmaking to splash around on the digital format.

Tales from the Crapper takes its cue from Tales from the Crypt (in case you couldn't figure that one out already) in that it presents two 'genre' style stories with wraparound segments hosted by 'The Crap Keeper' himself (Troma head honcho Lloyd Kaufman with a trash bag wrapped around his head). The other focal point here is B-Movie Queen Julie Strain, who inhabits both segments and must have a stake in the profits or something.

The first story centers on an alien who has crash-landed on earth and has to pass time while attempting to fix his spaceship. He spends most of his time at strip clubs (including the Shimmering Clam) laying waste to 'puny' humans while satisfying his seemingly neverending bloodlust. This includes stabbing a gentleman to death with his own penis, and cramming a urinal cake down another's throat before stomping on his head (with squishy results). Julie Strain plays an undercover cop, posing as s stripper, in an attempt to thwart the aliens plans of...well, whatever his plans are, she wants to thwart them.

The second story, about a prospective college students fundraising 'stripper bash' gets off to a slow start, but has one hell of a finale. Unbeknownst to him, the strippers are blood-crazed vampires and the party is nothing more than feeding time. Both stories are tied together with vignettes starring The Crap Keeper, and they are just as outrageously executed as the stories themselves.

It may sound a little pedestrian, and in the story department, it most certainly is. But Troma still delivers their off brand humor and bizarro style in spades. Say what you want about Troma, but they always seem too retain a certain level of consistency. It's the unexpected bits and pieces throughout that make Tales from the Crapper such an enjoyable viewing experience, and while it's not one of Troma's best recent efforts (Citizen Toxie anyone?) It still packs enough of a powerful punch for me to say, "Oh yeah, go see it."

We'll start off with Troma's usual brand of low-grade humor mixed in with offensive violence. If you love this stuff as much as I do, you're in for a real treat. While the first story has nasty bits scattered throughout (ie: penis stabbing and urinal cake in mouth) the second story's balls to the wall party massacre of a finale is really the icing on the cake. Once Julie Strain gets all vamped out, the blood sprays through the roof, and unexpected partygoers (like Cabin Fever director Eli Roth) are put through their Tromatic paces. It's offensive and gruesome, but like a good Troma production, a hell of a lot of fun.

Added for comedic touches we have the film switching on its own to 'audio commentary mode' with people like the art director and 'director Oliver Stone' speaking their minds - ha! Not to mention the 'Boner Vision' cam which offers endless amounts of nudity in the corner of the screen when something 'serious to the plot' is happening. It's little touches like these that give Tales from the Crapper that added oomph, which should satisfy those lustful Tromatic pallets.

Since I was sent a screener only copy it'll be difficult for me to judge audio/video quality but I'll do my best. There were no extras on the screener, but I'd wager dollars to donuts that the official release will contain more Tromatic goodies than you could shake a stick at, we'll see. Video quality is about on par with just about any shot on video film - some of the darker scenes are just that, dark. But overall, Tales from the Crapper looks just fine. Audio is another story. At times, volume levels shift so I found that I had to keep the remote handy, hopefully, these levels will be adjusted with the final release.

Overall, I'd like to give a full-fledged recommendation for Tales from the Crapper when it hits DVD, end o' September. It's good to see that Troma is up to their old tricks and still as strong as ever. More I say...more!