The Toxic Avenger (1984)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Directors:

Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman

Writers:

Lloyd Kaufman (additional dialogue)
Lloyd Kaufman (story)

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

"Melvin was a 90lb. weakling until nuclear waste transformed him into..." [The Toxic Avenger]

Plot:

This is the story of Melvin, the Tromaville Health Club mop boy, who inadvertently and naively trusts the hedonistic...

Plot Keywords:

Health Club | Toxic Avenger | Corruption | Superhero | Toxic Waste

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Andree Maranda	...	Sara
Mitch Cohen	...	The Toxic Avenger (as Mitchell Cohen)
Jennifer Prichard	...	Wanda (as Jennifer Babtist)
Cindy Manion	...	Julie
Robert Prichard	...	Slug
Gary Schneider	...	Bozo
Pat Ryan	...	Mayor Peter Belgoody (as Pat Ryan Jr.)
Mark Torgl	...	Melvin Junko
Dick Martinsen	...	Officer O'Clancy
Chris Liano	...	Walter Harris
Dan Snow	...	Cigar Face
Doug Isbecque	...	Knuckles
Charles Lee Jr.	...	Nipples
Xavier Barquet	...	Man Killed In Mexican Restaurant
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Leroy (as Pat Kilpatrick)

Also Known As:

Health Club (USA) (working title)
Health Club Hero (USA) (working title)
Health Club Horror (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min | Canada:78 min | USA:110 min (director's cut) | USA:82 min (unrated version) | Argentina:87 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 (director's cut) | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) (director's cut) | Singapore:(Banned) | Norway:15 (director's cut) | Italy:VM14 (VHS rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Argentina:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Boonton, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Troma Entertainment

Trivia:

The spinning newspapers were simply newspapers placed on a spinning cheese rack.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Melvin is putting the cream and ice cream on one of the robber's faces, the bowls and bottles, and the ice cream on the robber's face all keep changing position.

Quotes:

Officer O'Clancy: No way, you're wasting your time.
Cigar Face: That's where you're wrong. YOU'RE wasting our time. And now we're gonna waste you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

IS THIS LOVE

The "Citizen Kane," uh, Citizen Toxie of b-pictures...

For those that don't know, there are intentionally "bad" movies, and then there are intentionally bad movies; "The Toxic Avenger" is the latter. Troma Entertainment is the undisputed king of bad b-pictures, but the 1985 cult hit "The Toxic Avenger" ranks as their finest effort. Essentially a take on superhero movies and sci-fi pictures, "The Toxic Avenger" is Troma's "Citizen Kane."

With co-directors Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman at the helm, respective veep and president of Troma Entertainment, "The Toxic Avenger" begins with a humiliating prank gone horribly wrong. Melvin, the resident 90-pound geek and janitor of the Tromaville health club, is fooled into thinking a blonde bimbo wants him. But instead the prank, which involves a stuffed goat and pink tutu (don't ask), goes wrong and ends with Melvin diving out a second-story window and landing in a vat of misplaced toxic waste.

What emerges from the bubbly green goop is Tromaville, New Jersey's hideously deformed, bloodthirsty vigilante mutant monstrosity who sets out on a vendetta against all forms of evil in his hometown, particularly against the jocks (who are too sick to be believable) who made him what he is. Meanwhile, Toxie eventually finds romance with a blind woman who is unaware her boyfriend is responsible for the recent wave of gruesome vigilante killings (in essence, they're the perfect couple).

A sick and depraved sense of humor is flaunted throughout this low-budget film project, which is in itself (to the politically-correct), an inspired, mean-spirited, overtly racist, funny, and completely, utterly insane cult flick that also reveals a slight penchant for animal cruelty.

The acting is atrocious, the gore is plentiful and the low budget shines, but there's no question I loved this flick. Like any horror film, it's rightfully found its place in this film lover's heart.

Vote for Citizen Toxie in 2006!

10/10