The Toxic Avenger

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The Toxic Avenger

R

1985

1h 22m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A 98-pound nerd (Mark Torgl) from New Jersey lands in a vat of toxic waste and becomes a benevolent monster (Mitchell Cohen).

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Critics Consensus

A silly and ribald superhero spoof, Toxic Avenger uninhibited humor hits more than it misses.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Cruddy, primal, extremely violent, and fairly entertaining, it captures some of the snot-flicking spirit of the old EC comics.

Mar 28, 2007

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Variety

An outlandish mix of gory violence and realistic special effects.

Mar 28, 2007

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

It all falls apart after an hour, chunks of the preceding entertainment reappearing as random montages.

Feb 9, 2006

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

A film that revels in bad taste, but it's got such a big heart and goofy sense of humor that it's difficult not to be won over by its charms.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 1, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

It sports a frenzied and freewheeling attitude that none of the follow-ups were able to recapture.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 28, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Watching The Toxic Avenger isn't about literalism or taking the material seriously as a text; it's about identifying with Troma's defiance of good taste and low culture, therein celebrating its excessive forms of deviancy in all their many violations.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 11, 2022

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Abigail C

What’s cool is that the movie is super low-budget and kind of goofy, with rubber monster suits and over-the-top gore, but it’s got a weird charm to it. It’s funny, messy, and full of 80s style—especially the soundtrack, which really sets the mood. Even though it looks like a silly monster movie, it’s actually about outsiders and misfits, and it’s got some sneaky social messages in there too. It’s not your regular superhero story, but that’s what makes it so memorable and fun to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

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Poncho J

So bad it's... just kidding, it's just bad.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/25/25

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Angela C

I think this movie was alright it had its funny moments but I wouldn't call it horror just because it has gore and violence and personally it was a bit excessive with the gore. I also think that acting was just bad and sometimes it was laughable but others it made want to move on and speed it up.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/24/25

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Liam D

By today standards it is; crude, offensive, graphic and over the top but that’s what makes the film so iconic in low budget filmmaking. It is an superhero parody that isn’t afraid to go all out and it’s both kinda funny and kinda hard to watch

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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Wylie T

The Toxic Avenger is a wild and over the top mix of horror and comedy. It tells the story of a shy janitor who turns into a deformed superhero after falling into toxic waste. The movie is full of ridiculous violence, gross effects, and silly jokes, but that is what makes it fun. It does not take itself seriously at all and feels like a cartoon for adults. It is messy, strange, and very low budget, but it has a lot of energy and heart.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/21/25

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Noah S

One of the better film's that I have watched in my film class. While the movie was pretty disturbing and gruesome, the film had a romantic feel to it because of Melvin and Sara's cute relationship. I didn't like how Sara's dog was killed for absolutely no reason. I'm glad Sara and Melvin got to live peacefully at the end of the film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/25

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Michael Herz

Director

Lloyd Kaufman

Director

Andree Maranda

Sara

Mitch Cohen

The Toxic Avenger

Mark Torgl

Melvin Junko

Jennifer Prichard

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Synopsis

A 98-pound nerd (Mark Torgl) from New Jersey lands in a vat of toxic waste and becomes a benevolent monster (Mitchell Cohen).

Director: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Producer: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Screenwriter: Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Ritter
Distributor: Troma Films, Lightning Video, Cinepix Film Propertes Inc., Creative Axa Co. Ltd. [jp], Beam Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Troma Entertainment Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 1985, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 2015
Runtime: 1h 22m

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