"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.

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!

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.

Tu-Tus do serve a purpose!
Ok-so it's a "wierd" film- a very wierd film! When I first watched it in early '80s- I was considered "normal". Then I had a medication caused stroke! Right side entirely paralozed-didn't remember even my brother's name-much less my then-fiancee's (together 7 years!) or where I worked-& I was a new partner in the company! Ssslllooowwwlllyyy memory & "right side" return. So movies-like this-are good in a different way! Enjoy!

The first superhero from New Jersey!
Around Halloween time last year, my satellite provider was running a special presentation every night entitled "The best worst horror movies ever made". Among these atrocities was a film "The Toxic Avenger", which was presented as the highlight. The name rung a bell and reminded me of the Toxic Crusaders cartoon from my childhood, so I sat down and watched out of curiosity. The campy B-movie charm hit me almost instantly, I was stunned at how goofy yet entertaining this movie was! More shockingly, the film was over 20 years old! How could I have not seen this sooner?

Well within a matter of weeks I was completely absorbed by the world of Toxie, and had purchased the Toxic Avenger along with parts two and three. The sequels unfortunately didn't quite live up to the original by my estimation, but I have done seperate reviews for those. Needless to say this Director's Cut DVD thrilled me even more than the tame television edit, and the head crushing scene floored me. Packed with gore, corny humor, and absurd cruelty, this is the definitive B-movie!

The plot follows dorky janitor Melvin as he is belittled by two ruthless teen couples. As a result of a prank gone wrong, Melvin is thrown into a barrel of toxic waste transforming him into the Toxic Avenger. Now as a super hero, he fights the city's crime and gets his own revenge on the forementioned antagonists. Although Troma is notorious for its low quality film making, this one raises the bar and goes down as their best offering.

Although the movie has bits of comedy throughout, it sticks mostly to the violent, gory side of the spectrum. We have the infamous hit and run scene, a girl masturbating to photographs of a mutilated child, a dog getting blasted with a shotgun, hands dipped in a hot oil vat, senior citizen beat downs, dismemberments, guts ripped out, and much much more. Throw in some naked women, some tasteless humor, and you have The Toxic Avenger. This film is not for the faint of heart, or the faint of imagination. The Toxic Avenger is an unsung classic that should be in every gore hound's library!