Let’s take a closer look at “The Toxic Avenger,” the quintessential Troma Entertainment film that Joe Bob says defines the studio’s identity as much as Mickey Mouse defines Disney, but with a considerably higher body count and a notably lower budget. Released in 1984 and gaining wider distribution in 1986, this cinematic gem pioneered a new genre cocktail—a blend of gross-out humor, politically incorrect satire, horror, and comedy—that would become Troma’s signature style. This formula would be further refined in subsequent productions such as “Class of Nuke ‘Em High,” “Tromeo and Juliet,” and the poultry-themed (WTF?) zombie romp “Poultrygeist,” plus numerous sequels and various spin-offs, including a Broadway musical and a video game that likely caused more Game Boy controllers and F bombs to be thrown than the two world wars combined.
“The Toxic Avenger” is the bedrock upon which Troma built its schlock empire, marking a shift from the softcore “skin-a-max” sex comedies of its early years to the unapologetically lowbrow exploitation fare that would become its calling card. The film tells the heartwarming tale of Melvin, a mop boy at a health spa who, through a series of events that could only happen in a Troma film, finds himself on the receiving end of a cruel prank orchestrated by his co-workers. In a mishap that would make OSHA inspectors sully their clipboards, Melvin plunges into a vat of glowing nuclear waste, emerging as a grotesque, Mr. Potato Head-like creature with a penchant for brutally dismembering the scum and villainy of Tromaville. Think of it as a superhero origin story, but with gratuitous toxic sludge and a whole lot fewer capes.
As the newly christened Toxic Avenger, Melvin embarks on a rampage through the streets of Tromaville, literally tearing criminals and corrupt officials apart with an absolute raw fucking zeal that would make even the most hardened comic book vigilante say, “BRUH …”. But beneath his monstrous exterior beats a heart of gold, as evidenced by his touching romance with a blind woman named Sara, played by Andree Maranda. Their unconventional love story adds an unexpected layer of depth to the film, proving that even in the twisted universe of Troma, there’s room for a little sweet tenderness amidst the onscreen carnage.
“The Toxic Avenger” delivers with every frame, serving up a smorgasbord of splattered heads, brutally sadistic kills, and an eclectic mix of uber-violence and dark humor that could only spring from the demented minds of Lloyd Kaufman and co-director Michael Herz. It’s a testament to their twisted genius that they managed to create a film that’s both shocking and absolutely fucking hilarious, often within the same scene.
When our man Joe Bob Briggs first reviewed “The Toxic Avenger” back in 1986, he gave it a down right respectable three stars. But time has been kind to Troma’s flagship franchise, and today, with its firmly cemented cult status and undeniable influence on the world of independent cinema, it easily earns that coveted fourth star. As Joe Bob himself would say, “Check it out!” Just make sure you have a strong stomach and a healthy appreciation for the absurd before you dive into the radioactive world of Tromaville.