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:

troma | superhero | pollution | absurd violence | outcast | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Mark Torgl in the Apocalypse Soon documentary, the cast and crew mostly ate Jarlsberg cheese sandwiches three times a day. By the end of the shoot, everyone was getting tired of this "so-called diet" - so, the crew put the cheese to waste by throwing the leftover five to six loads off a mountain.

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Goofs

Camera shadows can be seen on the extras, when they mock Melvin.

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Quotes

Bruce: I heard that the monster is soooo big.
Chauncey: Well I bet he's got his eye on ME!
Bruce: For your information, everyone knows monsters prefer blondes.

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Alternate Versions

The unrated director's cut features more explicit gore, most notably when Bozo runs over the kid on the bicycle and in the death of the drug dealer in the health club. It also features additional outtake footage deleted from the non-extended versions of the film and an introduction from one of its creators.

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Connections

Referenced in Arkansas (2020)

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Soundtracks

Basement Chase Transformation
Composed and Performed by Christopher Burke

User Reviews

Has to be seen to be believed.

One of the craziest, most over-the-top, and bizarre films I've ever seen. Still feels surprisingly fresh and puts the majority of today's superhero films to shame, including recent hits such as "Avengers Assemble" and "The Dark Knight Rises" (Coincidentally, the latter stole a line from this film). Why? Because not only does this not take itself even remotely seriously, it's hilarious to the point where the comedic timing rivals that of some of the most beloved comedies out there. The pacing is also practically perfect, ensuring there's not a single dull moment during the entire runtime. The only time where I started to feel the length was during the finale, but that's only because I was watching it late at night. Herz and Kaufman proved here that they knew exactly what it took to make an entertaining camp trash classic. It also has some rather well implemented social commentary, but never preaches to the viewer or makes them feel as if they're watching a "message movie" in disguise. "The Toxic Avenger" is certainly not for everyone, and the average person is likely to automatically label it as juvenile garbage with no redeeming values, but for those with an open mind and a strong stomach for pretty much anything, it's simply an absolute blast from start-to-finish, and if any of Troma's other films are even half as entertaining, I have a feeling I'm going to quickly become a huge fan.

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)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1