History Film / AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes

* Expy: In the Animated Series, underwater expert Greg Colburn is replaced with a similar character named Floyd Bridgework and Russian Olympic athlete Gretta Attenbaum is replaced with a similar character named Mary Jo Nagamininashy, except she is German.

* LampshadeHanging: The heroes in the Animated Series comment that they'll have to defeat Gangrene because he never succeeds in the opener to the Second Season. He then beats them and the entire season is about his domination of the world.
** The second season premiere also lampshades Gangrene's success at the end of the episode: "This is not a two-parter, this is a one-parter."

''Return of the Killer Tomatoes!'' was released in 1988 and featured the same devotion to quality special effects, acting skills, and tightly scripted dialog as the first film: Still none detectable. Although it clearly does benefit from the increased budget, the film retains the original's tongue-in-cheek self-aware bad-movie quality, only now with more sex jokes. This film also introduces [[MeaningfulName Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene]], played by John Astin, who apparently enjoyed [[ChewingTheScenery chewing on the scenery]] a lot as he returned for every subsequent sequel (and the AnimatedAdaptation).

* RefugeInAudacity: There's really no other words for it, is there?

** IncrediblyLamePun, behold thy greatest example ''ever!''

''Return of the Killer Tomatoes!'' was released in 1988 and featured the same devotion to quality special effects, acting skills, and tightly scripted dialog as the first film: Still none detectable. Although it clearly does benefit from the increased budget, the film retains the original's tongue-in-cheek self-aware bad-movie quality, only now with more sex jokes. This film also introduces [[MeaningfulName Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene]], played by John Astin, who apparently enjoyed [[ChewingTheScenery chewing on the scenery]] a lot as he returned for every subsequent sequel.

Called ''Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!'', but based mostly on ''Return of the Killer Tomatoes!'', it tones down the sex and violence, ups the kiddy antics, and adds in a huge dose of satire to make it tolerable to adults. The result is stunningly watchable, which, sadly, also made it {{Too Good to Last}}. One notable feature of the series was the large number of FourthWall jokes, including the regular appearance of Censor Lady, the woman charged with keeping the show suitable for children. In one memorable appearance in the episode ''Spatula, Prinze of Dorkness'', she demanded the vampire tomato that Gangrene had created to cease talking about biting and blood, and do something more wholesome to turn victims into vampires, such as kissing them... and guess who wound up as '''the first victim'''!

* EvilIsHammy: Dr. Gangreen... 100%!

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Justified because they are gathered by a man who wants them to fail so that the tomatoes can run wild longer. They are more misfitish than normal, even considering this.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Doctor Gangreen loves it [[Series/TheAddamsFamily when Morticia speacks French]]!
** Igor was a [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 skatboarding, nunchaku-wielding turtle]]!
** Tara was a [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures a purple skunk girl at ACME Looniversity]]!
** Zoltan and The Missing Tomato Link were played by [[WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain a hyper-intelligent mouse]]!

* BookEnds/ChekhovsGag: The Missing Tomato Link's fax number, noted in the first season's episode "The Tomato From the Black Lagoon", and used in the second season episode, "Stemming the Tide".

* HeyItsThatVoice: Doctor Gangreen loves it [[TheAddamsFamily when Morticia speacks French]]!
** Igor was a [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 skatboarding, nunchuck-weilding turtle]]!
** Tara was a [[TinyToonAdventures a purple skunk girl at ACME Looniversity]]!
** Zoltan and The Missing Tomato Link were played by [[PinkyAndTheBrain a hyper-intelligent mouse]]!
* HellishCopter: Unexpectedly, [[ThrowItIn a real helicopter crash.]] [[hottip:*: The pilot escaped the crash unharmed.]]

* NoFourthWall: The cartoon broke the fourth wall at ''least'' OnceAnEpisode.

''Return of the Killer Tomatoes!'' was released in 1988 and featured the same devotion to quality special effects, acting skills, and tightly scripted dialog as the first film: Still none detectable. Although it clearly does benefit from the increased budget, the film retains the original's tongue-in-cheek self-aware bad-movie quality, only now with more sex jokes. This film also introduces [[MeaningfulName Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene]], played by John Astin, who apparently enjoyed chewing on the scenery a lot as he returned for every subsequent sequel.

* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Tara mostly fits, but given she was made as a sex-slave...

* ObjectCeilingCling: There is a pizza stuck to the ceiling.

* RefugeInAudacity: There's really no other word for it, is there?

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: In the animated series, the tomatoes are clearly sentient and aware, but are killed by the hundreds. Except Tara and FT. Tara turns into a cute human and FT is already cute, so killing them [[ButThatWouldBeWrong would be]] ''[[ButThatWouldBeWrong wrong]]''.

-->'''Link:''' Not all tomatoes are bent on plunder and pillage.

* TheFilmOfTheBook: "Based on the novel ''[[TheGrapesOfWrath The Tomatoes of Wrath]]''"

* HilariousInHindsight: As mentioned, a young GeorgeClooney appears in the second film, in the role of the heros horndog best friend. In one scene, he is found running a fake "Win a date with Rob Lowe" contest to trick attractive young women into going out with him. Naturally, this scene is now hysterically funny for a dozen reasons nobody involved could have imagined.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: Lois has a friend named Clark. He wears glasses. [[Comicbook/{{Superman}} He can fly.]] Lois doesn't seem to notice.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/attack_of_the_killer_tomato.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:350: ''You've never seen a film like it!'']]

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* LawyerFriendlyCameo: Lois has a friend named Clark. He wears glasses. [[{{Superman}} He can fly.]] Lois doesn't seem to notice.

* MisfitMobilizationMoment: At the climax, Wilbur gathers a mob, [[RagTagBunchOfMisfits made up of the only people too crazy to evacuate when the tomatoes attacked,]] to fight the tomatoes. The credits actually list them as "Every screwball in San Diego County."

* TheOtherDarrin: Richardson, Sam Smith, and Greg Colburn are all played by different actors in the second film.

* TakeThatMe: The animated series uses footage from the first film at one point as CoolAndUnusualPunishment.
** This happens in the far-flung future in Season one episode, "Terminator Tomato From Tomorrow"... torturing Wilbur and the Killer Tomato Task Force.
* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: Yes, they couldn't possibly have made a movie this bad without doing it on purpose. And then they did it again and...

Can Wilbur get rid... of that dumb parachute?\\

* ActorAllusion: A few background gags reference John Astin's career as [[TheAddamsFamily Gomez]], such as an ice cream truck that plays the Adams Family theme in the second movie and a copy of the Adams Family board game in the torture basement of the fourth film.

* [=~I'm a Humanitarian~=]: Sam Smith learns to enjoy his meal with the tomatoes.

** Not exactly a cameo, but "Puberty Love" was sung by Matt Cameron, future drummer for Soundgarden and PearlJam (he is credited as "Foo" Cameron).