The Toxic Avenger (1986)

Only In Tromaville Can You Get Away With Murder In Public

It's pretty tame by today's standards, but the Toxic Avenger is still one of the best movies of the gore/horror genre that you can find today. In it's day, it had some pretty shocking scenes. How far have when come in society that it doesn't even phase me to see a kid getting his head run over by a car? That is only one of the many scenes that are very memorable from this movie. In the world of many superheroes, there is only one Toxic Avenger, a hero that can kill people and be cheered instead of arrested. If you love B-rated movies from the 80s, and this film is proudly B-rated, then this is for you. A classic for sure, but not everyone will find it appealing. September 27, 2008

A Tad Too Toxic

This was A pretty good B horror film,some decent laughs,clever moments,and good special effects(Especially The Transformation Scene).The only thing was,it was A little too gory.If you can get past the excessive gore,you'll like this movie.But if your squimish,this film isnt for you.For me A big plus,of this movie was the bizarre romance between the hero and A pretty,blind girl he rescues.3 stars,only because of too much gore. September 2, 2008

"Skippy, don't forget your helmet!"

As a huge fan of goofy, campy, and frequently ultraviolent b-movies such as 'Pink Flamingos' and 'Street Trash', it goes without saying that I loved 'The Toxic Avenger.' So much of it defies good taste that it makes the movie more laugh-out-loud hilarious than it already is. And there is much to laugh at.

The story revolves around a Mama's-Boy 80s nerd named Melvin Ferd (Mark Torgl), who is the brunt of mockery and practical jokes around the Tromaville Health Club where he works, especially at the hands (and boobs!) of airhead blondes Julie and Wanda and their boyfriends Bozo and Slug (all of whom seem to spend a good 95% of their free time at the health club, while the other 5% of their time they seem to spend running over pedestrians for points [an infamous scene will demonstrate this early in the film]). When the gang decides to play a practical joke on Melvin and have Julie pretend to seduce him, it results in Melvin falling out of (more like DIVING head first of) the second story of the health club into a strategically-placed vat of toxic waste! But instead of going the Paul-McCrane-in-Robocop route and melting into liquid within second, he instead catches on fire, runs around Tromaville on fire with dramatic classical music in the backdrop, and hours later turns into a hideous creature of superhuman size and strength, the Toxic Avenger! As Toxie (his pet name throughout the series), Melvin has a sixth sense for evil and literally destroys evildoers wherever he finds them in increasingly bloody and graphic ways.

I'm fairly new to the world of Troma flicks and everyone seems to agree that this is the Troma masterpiece. Its filled with humor both intentional and unintentional, as well as some surprising social commentary (for one example, it seems to bring up the concern of environmental waste but at the same time lampoon those Al Gore types who obsess over it to the extreme and act as if it is bringing the apocalypse). There is a tremendous style in a lot of its presentation, and even a distinctly Quentin Tarantino-esque feel with its usage of poppy jukebox-esque tunes to such scenes as Melvin gleefully marching around in his tutu prior to seeing Julie, as well as the scene of Skippy the kid bicyclist riding around at night and...um...turning it in early. I was not surprised to read later on that Tarantino turns out to be a huge Troma fan and cites them as an influence, as these particular scenes in particular are so Tarantino-esque you'd swear he directed the film. It certainly contains enough sadistic, comical violence and black humor to be in his league.

In short, if you enjoy your movies with heavy doses of un-politically-correct happenings, inane ultraviolence, social commentary, and irony, look no further than this classic of 80s trash awesomeness. June 4, 2008

THE KING OF B-MOVIES!

I rented the toxic avenger when it came out in the mid 80s, i was about 9 or 10 years old, i was sitting on the couch watching it and when the part when the car hit the kid on the bike i laughed so hard, my mom came in and seen what i was watching and made me turn it off and return the tape back to the video store, the next day i went back and rented it again!
This movie made me realize what kind of humor i have, and now im 31 yrs old and have a ton of b-movies in my collection...and it was all from this lloyd kaufman masterpiece. If your looking for cheap B-movies..... THIS IS THE MOVIE! April 30, 2008

The toxicity of our city

Look!!
It's a bird!
It's a plane!
It's a toxic revolting puss-infected filthy distorted repugnant hero with a mop!

}-The Toxic Avenger-{

This is the classic B-movie horror comedy flick. Here's the story--
Nerd gets picked on.
Nerd falls in toxic waste.
Nerd gets vengeance.

Yeah it's simple. It's cheesy. And it's totally awesome!

Troma owns disorder. February 17, 2008

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