Skip to main content

The Toxic Avenger (1984) - Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman


Toxic Avenger is a ridiculous film. From the first scene to the last we are bombarded with the most ludicrous humor and horror. To some it may appear to be far too much. However, to me it was pure genius. I remember seeing Toxic Avenger in the horror aisle at Blockbuster, but something kept me from checking it out. It wasn’t until after high school that I would even watch it. I didn’t know what to expect but I liked what I got. This isn’t a movie to watch with the family. This isn’t going to be a good one to watch with old mom and dad. No. This movie is best viewed in the privacy of your own home. Preferably with friends. Preferably with some sort of mind altering substance. It’s just that kind of picture. 

You can’t look too deeply into this. It’s not Catcher in the Rye. This movie is about a wimpy, shrimpy little nerd named Melvin, who gets bullied by some uber-dickish assholes named Slug and Bozo. These creatons, along with their girlies, get their kicks by running people over. They even created a little game for it. Slug and Bozo, again with their girlies, just happen to go to the same gym that Melvin works at. They appear to harass him daily. This leads to the entire gym coerce Melvin to throw himself from a second story window. Unfortunately, he lands in a vat of toxic sludge. It doesn’t kill him. It just turns him into a deformed musclebound superhero, The Toxic Avenger! Now the scum in Tromaville can really get mopped.


Don’t think that this movie will be tame just because it’s ultra low budget. This one isn’t for the feint of heart. Sure the acting is atrocious and the quality, overall is pretty terrible. However, it somehow all comes together to make a really cohesive film that just works. Toxie is cheesy but instantly lovable. His dubbing and lack of face time actually make for some of the most hilarious things in the movie. 

The gore is shocking and plentiful. Some scenes really leave you thinking, ‘...did they just go there?’ and yes, they did. Brains, guts and limbs are strewn all about Tromaville. The Toxic Avenger makes sure to eliminate crime with extreme prejudice. It’s amazing. This isn’t a quality film. It’s sole purpose seems to be nothing more than to shock you.

This movie isn’t safe for all ages. It’s not appropriate or decent. But none of that matters. It’s pure exploitative drivel done in the most sincere way. This movie is great for group settings or a solo viewing. However, I wouldn’t suggest watching this with a date. It goes into too many uncomfortable places. 

Director: Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman
Producer: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman, Stuart Strutin
Starring: Mitch Cohen, Mark Torgl, Andree Maranda and Pat Ryan Jr.
Studio: Troma Entertainment
Release Date: April 11, 1986
Country: USA
Did ya know: The violent-looking crushing of a child's head in the movie was accomplished by injecting a melon with corn syrup and red food dye. A wig was placed on the melon and it was fitted onto a dummy. Though cheap, the effect is highly unsettling.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Human Monster (1939) - Walter Summers

Bela Lugosi turns in a fantastic performance. It is right on par with the exact same films that had made him famous like Dracula . My personal favorite being The Black Cat . Like the latter, this film suffered from poor circulation and lack of advertisement. Either that or the public wasn't interested in seeing Lugosi in anything else other than his famous bloodsucker. This film has a broad and well acted plot that was rich with detail.  Lugosi has two sides in this picture. His well loved and compassionate side. The other is a strict, brutal lone shark that acts as a sinister villain to blind and handicapped people. He really brutalizes his victims. It's a macabre message to pay your bills.  The film is slow moving and plagued by the usual setbacks from its time. Most of the nation wasn't really that concerned with horror at the time. But studios knew that they would always have an audience. This film is a prime example of that. It's sad because it's 

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t

Inseminoid (1981) - Norman J. Warren

What can be said for mindless schlock pictures like this one. They were pumped out in droves during the eighties. Inseminoid !? give me a break! It sounds like some pre-pubescent teenage boys came up with the title. On the plus side the movie isn't horrible to look at and it has a decent amount of gore. If you can separate yourself from the political incorrectness, then you might have a perfectly decent Sci-Fi Monster Feature.  A research team exploring caves on Jupiter accidentally awakens an ancient alien that rapes and impregnates one of the team members. She suffers from terrible shock and trauma, leading to a complete mental breakdown as her pregnancy accelerates faster and faster. Feeling threatened she decides to kill anyone she deems a threat. Can the rest of the research team survive or will they all become victims of INSEMINOID! Apparently this movie had a million dollar budget. That's really shocking considering the outcome of the picture. The acting