Horror Extreme Movie Catalog - Editorial Reviews

He was 98lbs of pure nerd until he fell into a barrel of Toxic waste and transformed into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength! In 1985, The Toxic Avenger opened in one NYC movie theater but just a few short years later, Toxie would become a household name! Up in the superheroic stratosphere with characters as eclectic as Swamp Thing, Spidey, and the Incredible Hulk, The Toxic Avenger endures till this day! Through three smash hit sequels, a children?s cartoon show, lines of comics, toys, public appearances and even his own Nintendo video game, Toxie has been the creature on the scene! From the NY Times to Ralph Nader?s presidential campaign, and beyond, few figures receive as much adoration as the Toxic Avenger, and this wacky, violent and hilarious movie started it all! The DVD release includes tons of tromatic extras, including lost scenes, an interactive tour of Troma Studios and an audio-commentary track from Troma president and creator of the Toxic Avenger, Lloyd Kaufman! The toxic Avenger is presented uncut and uncensored, featuring the full head-crushing scene!

The most widely known of Troma Films' stable of low-budget exploitation, The Toxic Avenger is an exuberantly crude poke at superheroes and monster movies, delivered with a healthy dose of cheap gags, splattery special effects, and T&A. It's also a genuinely funny film, and its no-holds-barred attitude has a grubby charm that eludes most gross-out comedies. The Toxic Avenger opens with an absurdly vicious crew preying upon Melvin, a nebbishy janitor. Their pranks land him in a vat of chemical waste, which transforms him into a lumpy monster that deals out gruesome revenge. Directors (and Troma company heads) Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz aim low in detailing "Toxie's" vengeance spree, and the subsequent carnage should please gorehounds. But they're also savvy enough recognize the film's limitations, and wisely camp things with plenty of slapstick. The result is a frantic and funny mess that should amuse even the most dour cult movie fan. --Paul Gaita