The Toxic Avenger

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The Toxic Avenger

R,

1985,

1h 22m,

Horror/

Comedy

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Watchlist

75%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

20 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).

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

Mar 28, 2007

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

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

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

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Stephen Holden

New York Times

Aug 30, 2004

3/5

[It] may be trash, but it has a maniacally farcical sense of humor, and Tromaville's evildoers are dispatched in ingenious ways.

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Charlotte Simmons

The Treatment (Substack)

Nov 8, 2025

There’s no diplomacy to be found here; the film knows it needn’t play with the specifics of the corruption amalgam or otherwise mythologize the villainy of the system; it trusts the audience enough to not be corpo-worshipping morons.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Sep 1, 2025

4/5

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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 28, 2023

3/4

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

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Leia S

Oct 26, 2018

You can't get more politically incorrect. This movie could never be made today, and it's awesome from start to finish.

Albus M

Oct 14, 2018

Now here's some good trash.

Kylo P

Jul 1, 2018

One of those supposedly so terrible movies we are supposed to give credit and be enamored of the horrific acting, budget and production , but sometimes a spade is just a spade and this movie is terrible.

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Hagrid R

Jun 26, 2018

3/5. The Toxic Avenger is over-the-top, and I'm not just talking about it's gore. The story isn't great and the humor is meh, but the movie is so ridiculously fun, you can't help but have a good time.

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Anakin S

Jun 19, 2018

Pretty much the best B movie I've ever seen. The movie is totally ridiculous and a lot of the characters don't make too much sense, but it just makes the movie that much funnier. A must see for anyone who likes B-movies and over the top raunchy action and humor.

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Albus S

Apr 19, 2018

Genuinely funny and bloody delight!

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Michael Herz

Director

Lloyd Kaufman

Director

Andree Maranda

Sara

Mitch Cohen

The Toxic Avenger

Mark Torgl

Melvin Junko

Jennifer Prichard

Wanda

Castle Freak

67%

44%

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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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