Troma continues celebrating its landmark 50th year with a new 4K collection for its major cult classic Surf Nazis Must Die (1987). Featuring a shimmering new 4K scan of this beachpolitation action/comedy, Troma’s excellent, definitive new edition gathers a pile of archival and new extras.
Order now directly from Troma or from MVD.
Director Peter George has one of the strangest filmographies I have ever seen. I mean, who else has a film about surfing Nazis and a Nathaniel Hawthorne adaptation as their sole film credits? It honestly looked like George was gonna be a one-and-done in the years after Surf Nazis Must Die, as it took him more than half a decade for that second credit on Young Goodman Brown (1993). Surf Nazis Must Die remains George’s only writing credit for his original story, although the film’s final screenplay is credited to Jon Ayres.
I like Ayres script for Surf Nazis Must Die a lot. In fact, it is my favorite aspect of the film. I find it clever, funny, and slyly subversive.
Story is pretty simple:
It’s the future.
Things aren’t going well.
Nazis have taken over the beach
and a pissed-off granny with a gun
isn’t having it.
That’s pretty much it, but it is all Ayres needs to create something wonderfully off-kilter. Surf Nazis Must Die is a comedy, but…hear me out…it has a point. I mean, the Nazis indeed must die, and the title stays true to its promise.
Surf Nazis has a fun youthful ensemble at its core, but the film is totally controlled by Gail Neely’s hysterical performance as Eleanor ‘Mama’ Washington. Neely turns what might have been an overly stereotyped role into a truly great performance. She is awesome here, and it is no wonder she wound up in larger-budgeted studio pictures after this.
Shot well by cinematographer Rolf Kestermann, this is a particularly sunny dystopian future, and his photography lends a lightness to what is at its heart an exploitation film. Even better is the super-neat synth score by Jon McCallum, which gives the film an incredibly cool feel that nostalgia-heads will devour.
Running under 80 minutes without credits, Surf Nazis Must Die never comes close to outlasting its welcome, and it remains consistently funny throughout. Perhaps not as memorable as Troma’s Toxic Avenger or as original as something like Tromeo and Juliet, Surf Nazis Must Die still remains among the legendary company’s most iconic titles.
Troma’s new 4K looks incredible. Yes, it shows off some of the film’s low-budget limitations and age, but Troma has done a great job on this release in every way. Armed with a slipcover, reversible sleeve, and a bonus Blu-ray, this is easily the best edition of this title ever released. Extras on the 4K disc include a full Projection Booth podcast (acting as an audio-commentary) and a new director’s interview. The bonus Blu-ray contains the film, new features, and all of the older archival material, including more interviews. Tromas has done an exceptional job on this 4K, and I highly recommend it for fans of the film and independent American cinema in general.
-Jeremy Richey, November 2026-
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