The Toxic Avenger (1984)

Directors:

Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman

Writers:

Lloyd Kaufman (additional dialogue)
Lloyd Kaufman (story)

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Not all monsters are scary to people. Not if it's one fighting crime in the Garden State.

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 | Superhero | Corruption | 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:

It took four hours to get Mitch Cohen into the Toxic Avenger costume. While wearing it, he could only eat through a straw.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the Mexican Palace scene, Toxie throws away one of the mobs in the kitchen. When he lands, he's covered in tortilla chips. In the next shot, he's covered in taco shells.

Quotes:

Frank: Now if you all do just what we tell you, you just might, just might get your asses home all intact.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Slither (2006)

Soundtrack:

THE STALK

Undeniably fun

You always have to take Troma films with a grain of salt, and that's exactly what I did. I enjoyed this film quite a bit. Though it's a typical B-movie, the premise is creative and I actually felt sympathy for the character of Melvin before his mutation. I know what it's like to be the underdog, so I was able to somewhat relate to him. So while some may have laughed at his quirky antics, I was too busy feeling sympathy for pool little Melvin.

The film is filled with quirky, low-brow humor, which often works. I just felt that the premise wore thin after a while, and that's when the film seemed to simply go through the motions.

Despite that, I had a good time and can understand why this is the film that put Troma on the map. So if you're in the mood for a funny, low-budget, low-brow horror-comedy, then please check out "The Toxic Avenger."

My score: 6 (out of 10)