The Toxic Avenger

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The Toxic Avenger

R

Released Apr 11, 1985

1h 22m

Horror

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

70%

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20 Reviews

64%

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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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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

Full Review

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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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The humor is not merely sophomoric and silly, it's aggressively so, and the bargain basement gore effects are over-the-top and excessive.

May 4, 2017

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Saul J

Didn't take it's self too seriously it's an enjoyable time the effects are good for the time

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

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Tim S

A stunning film made in a culture that doesn't exist in 2025. Watching it feels insane and even the most "bit" characters manage some shockingly offensive and ridiculous outbursts of slurs and violence or some other mind-blowing transgression against good taste or subtlety.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

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Oaklee D

A pure master-class in 80s schlock! Buckets of gore, the hammiest of acting and a story that is completely over the top, what more do you want? You need to see this flick atleast once!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Jason W

Silly, campy, cheesy and awful with bad acting (as it is intended), but has some great special fx and gore.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

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Bryan M

For a grade B cheese flick this is an amazing film. Pokes fun at the superhero genre by having the main character a skinny wimpy janitor named Melvin who is bullied at work turn into a mutant crime fighting superhero. Classicly cheesy lines and dialogue along with over the top action and gore. What more could you ask for ?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/26/25

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Jeffrey P

More horrifying than one would expect because it is so over the top ridiculous in ways that young people of today cannot even imagine.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/23/25

Full Review

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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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