The Toxic Avenger (1984)

Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.

Directors:

Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman (as Samuel Weil)

Writers:

Lloyd Kaufman (story), Joe Ritter (screenplay)

Stars:

Andree Maranda, Mitch Cohen, Jennifer Babtist

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andree Maranda	...	Sara
Mitch Cohen	...	The Toxic Avenger (as Mitchell Cohen)
Jennifer Babtist	...	Wanda (as Jennifer Baptist)
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
David Weiss	...	Chief of Police
Dan Snow	...	Cigar Face
Doug Isbecque	...	Knuckles
Charles Lee Jr.	...	Nipples
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Leroy (as Pat Kilpatrick)

Storyline

This is the story of Melvin, the Tromaville Health Club mop boy, who inadvertently and naively trusts the hedonistic, contemptuous and vain health club members, to the point of accidentally ending up in a vat of toxic waste. The devastating results then have a transmogrification effect, his alter ego is released, and the Toxic Avenger is born, to deadly and comical results. The local mop boy is now the local Superhero, the saviour of corruption, thuggish bullies and indifference. Troma classic with good make-up effects and stunts, a pleasant surprise indeed.

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Plot Keywords:

absurd violence | absurdism | troma | superhero | pollution | 

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Taglines:

He was 98 lbs. of solid nerd until he became...

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was chosen for the notorious german "SchleFaZ" series. It was aired September 2019 on german TV station Tele5. ("SchleFaZ" is a german abbreviation, means "the worst films ever". In that series 2 hosts present the whole film and make fun of it throughout the movie.)

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Goofs

When Melvin falls into the toxic waste, he is wearing tights and a tutu; yet the stunt double wears trousers and a shirt.

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Quotes

[Julie and Wanda are looking at pictures of a dead kid]
Julie: That new camera really captures the moments.
Wanda: I know. The reds are so red. It really gets me hot.

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Alternate Versions

The film was heavily censored by approximately 7 minutes by the India's Censor Board (CFL/3/62/1999-MUM).

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Connections

Referenced in Scream Queens (2015)

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Soundtracks

Work Out
Written and Produced by Mike Forte and McKinley Horton
Performed by Andree Maranda

User Reviews

the epitome

Troma's best to this day, I still believe. Actually, I haven't seen the vast majority of their movies, but this has got to be the one on top. I love this! Deservedly the companies' most widely recognized film, it can't be ignored for it's willingness to go ahead and do whatever the hell it wants! The acting is completely ridiculous, but when was the last time you had so much fun watching??? The effects are pretty good, nice and gooey in all the right parts....If you've got a special place in your heart for satire, or just like bad, goofy movies, this is the one to see. All the pieces fall into just the right places.

Details

Official Sites:

Officially sanctioned Toxic Avenger fan site Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Health Club

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$475,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Troma Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 78 min (R-rated) 91 min (Japanese cut) 75 min (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1