Melvin, a dorky teenager who works as a mop boy at the Tromaville health club, is harassed by his peers which results in him landing in a vat of toxic waste. He then transforms into The Toxic Avenger where he endeavours to fight crime and bring justice to Tromaville.
Lloyd Kaufman got the idea of setting a horror movie at a health club when he was working as a pre-production supervisor for Rocky. He then set out with his friend Michael Herz to make the movie under the name 'Health Club'. This later developed into what we now know as 'The Toxic Avenger'.
The Toxic Avenger is one of those b-movies that is so well done in its execution that you can't help but love it. From the outrageous and over exaggerated performances to its tongue and cheek writing to its extreme graphic violence, it's got everything you want from a movie of this kind. It's self-aware of its outrageous premise and has fun with it by satirising eighties culture and pushing the limits of controversial content.
It spawned a plethora of sequels and spin offs, even infamously a Saturday morning cartoon for kids which also resulted in toys and other merchandise. However, the original The Toxic Avenger is NOT for kids. It has sex, swearing, drugs and violence that I can imagine many parents at the time were shocked to find out if they didn't look at the R rating on the cover of the VHS.
The Toxic Avenger is an entertaining and hysterically funny film that I recommend to fans of superhero comedies.
Lloyd Kaufman got the idea of setting a horror movie at a health club when he was working as a pre-production supervisor for Rocky. He then set out with his friend Michael Herz to make the movie under the name 'Health Club'. This later developed into what we now know as 'The Toxic Avenger'.
The Toxic Avenger is one of those b-movies that is so well done in its execution that you can't help but love it. From the outrageous and over exaggerated performances to its tongue and cheek writing to its extreme graphic violence, it's got everything you want from a movie of this kind. It's self-aware of its outrageous premise and has fun with it by satirising eighties culture and pushing the limits of controversial content.
It spawned a plethora of sequels and spin offs, even infamously a Saturday morning cartoon for kids which also resulted in toys and other merchandise. However, the original The Toxic Avenger is NOT for kids. It has sex, swearing, drugs and violence that I can imagine many parents at the time were shocked to find out if they didn't look at the R rating on the cover of the VHS.
The Toxic Avenger is an entertaining and hysterically funny film that I recommend to fans of superhero comedies.