The Toxic Avenger (1984)

Directors:

Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman

Writers:

Lloyd Kaufman (additional dialogue)
Lloyd Kaufman (story)
(more)

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Not all monsters are scary to people. Not if it's one fighting crime in the Garden State.

Plot:

This is the story of Melvin, the Tromaville Health Club mop boy, who inadvertently and naively trusts the hedonistic...

Plot Keywords:

Health Club | Toxic Avenger | Toxic Waste | Mayor | Corruption

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Andree Maranda	...	Sara
Mitch Cohen	...	The Toxic Avenger (as Mitchell Cohen)
Jennifer Prichard	...	Wanda (as Jennifer Babtist)
Cindy Manion	...	Julie
Robert Prichard	...	Slug
Gary Schneider	...	Bozo
Pat Ryan	...	Mayor Peter Belgoody (as Pat Ryan Jr.)
Mark Torgl	...	Melvin Junko
Dick Martinsen	...	Officer O'Clancy
Chris Liano	...	Walter Harris
Dan Snow	...	Cigar Face
Doug Isbecque	...	Knuckles
Charles Lee Jr.	...	Nipples
Xavier Barquet	...	Man Killed In Mexican Restaurant
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Leroy (as Pat Kilpatrick)
Larry Sulton	...	Frank
Michael Russo	...	Rico (as Mike Russo)
Norma Pratt	...	Mrs. Haskell
Andrew Craig	...	Fred
Ryan Sexton	...	Johnny
Sarabel Levinson	...	Melvin's Mom
Al Pia	...	Tom Wrightson
Reuben Guss	...	Dr. Snodburger
Kenneth Kessler	...	Toxic Avenger's Voice
Barbara Gurskey	...	Barbie (as Barbara J. Gurskey)
Donna Winter	...	Mayor's Secretary
Mary Ellen David	...	Woman Whose Car Gets Stolen
Dennis Souder	...	Drug Dealer
Joe Zarro	...	Mr. Wilson
William Christopher Weiss	...	Body Builder
Dan Hogan	...	Aerobics Instructor
Myrna Williams	...	The Kansas Runaway
Richard Duggan	...	Ice Cream Man
Bruce Morton	...	Tony
John Stobaeus	...	Truck Partner
Joe Supor Jr.	...	Truck Driver
D.J. Calvitto	...	Skippy - Boy On Bicycle
Cosmo Wilder	...	Mayor's Secretary
Brigitte Douglaston	...	Mayor's Secretary
Nancy Compansanto	...	Mayor's Secretary
Andrea Suter	...	Mayor's Secretary
Matt Klan	...	Boy Hero
Joey Calderone	...	Boy Selling T-Shirts
Sherry Park	...	Woman In Salon
Vickie Usher	...	Woman In Salon
Barry Shapiro	...	Bruce
Andy Stamatin	...	Chauncey
Betty Pia	...	Woman In Salon
Teddy Copley	...	Blonde Teeny Bopper
Dolly Hall	...	Girl In Health Club
Alisha Riggs	...	Girl In Health Club
Vicki Juditz	...	Girl In Health Club
Roxanne Maranda	...	Girl In Restaurant
Maxine Hayt	...	Sara's Neighbor
Teresa Simpson	...	Body Builder
Don Costello	...	Sara's Neighbor
June De Young	...	Reporter (as June DeYoung)
Joe Curtis	...	Policeman
Peter Racini	...	Policeman
Martin Scott McMann	...	Policeman
Ed Carrion	...	Policeman
Charles Dicagno	...	Policeman
Bruce Zimmerman	...	Policeman
Skip Hamra	...	Policeman
Eileen Nad Castaldi	...	Woman In Restaurant
Nathan Jon Castaldi	...	Baby In Restaurant
Britt Martinsen	...	Hero Fan Club
Kristen Martinsen	...	Hero Fan Club
Lisa Martinsen	...	Hero Fan Club
Dianna Flaherty	...	Teenage Drug Buyer (as Dianna-Jean Flaherty)
Donna-Marie Stipo	...	Health Club Member
Mary Cox	...	Distressed Mother
Jessica Perkins	...	T-Shirt Salesperson
Giorgio Calderone	...	Hero Fan Club
William Klan	...	Interviewer
Margaret Riley	...	Lady Crossing Street
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rick Collins	...	Unnamed Bully (uncredited)
Patricia Kaufman	...	Woman with Popcorn (uncredited)
Lenny Mandel	...	The Rabbi (uncredited)
Alandra Miller	...	Swimmer (uncredited)
Donald O'Toole	...	Man that hates his mother in law (uncredited)
John Reidy	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Emma Terese	...	Health Club Girl (uncredited)
Marisa Tomei	...	Health Club Girl (uncredited)
Karl Woitach	...	TV News Cameraman (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman		(as Samuel Weil)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lloyd Kaufman		additional dialogue
Lloyd Kaufman		story
Joe Ritter		screenplay
Stuart Strutin		additional dialogue
Gay Partington Terry		additional dialogue (as Gay Terry)

Produced by
Michael Herz	....	producer
Lloyd Kaufman	....	producer
Stuart Strutin	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Lloyd Kaufman
James A. Lebovitz		(as James London)

Film Editing by
Richard W. Haines		(as Richard Haines)

Art Direction by
Alexandra Mazur
Barry Shapiro

Makeup Department
Jennifer Aspinall	....	special makeup effects
Ralph Cordero	....	special makeup effects assistant
Tom Lauten	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Caroline Baron	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph Solomito	....	first assistant director (as Joe Solomito)
Joe Zubrovich	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
John Elias Michalakis	....	sound editor
Mark Pancza	....	sound recordist

Stunts
Ray Abbott	....	stunts
Xavier Barquet	....	stunts
Charles Croughwell	....	stunts
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunts (as Jeffrey Gibson)
Alex Harper	....	stunts
Scott Leva	....	stunt coordinator
Durrell Nelson	....	stunts (as Durrell Nelson Jr.)
Mick O'Rourke	....	stunts
Tom Sierchio	....	stunts (as Tom Sierchia)
Jeff Strutin	....	stunt cars & mechanics
Matt Vogel	....	stunt special effects rigger

Camera and Electrical Department
Alex Aurichio	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bryna Levin	....	wardrober

Music Department
Mark Hoffman	....	composer: theme music
Dean Summers	....	composer: theme music

Other crew
Mark Greene	....	location manager
Joseph Solomito	....	production executive

Production Companies

• Troma Entertainment

Distributors

• Troma Entertainment (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1986) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lightning Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Lightning Video (1987) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Troma Team Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Troma Team Video (1998) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Video Sales Network (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Health Club (USA) (working title)
Health Club Hero (USA) (working title)
Health Club Horror (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min | Canada:78 min | USA:110 min (director's cut) | USA:82 min (unrated version) | Argentina:87 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 (director's cut) | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) (director's cut) | Singapore:(Banned) | Norway:15 (director's cut) | Italy:VM14 (VHS rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Argentina:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Boonton, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Troma Entertainment

Trivia:

Jennifer Prichard and Robert Prichard fell in love on the set and got married.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Melvin is putting the cream and ice cream on one of the robber's faces, the bowls and bottles, and the ice cream on the robber's face all keep changing position.

Quotes:

Officer O'Clancy: No way, you're wasting your time.
Cigar Face: That's where you're wrong. YOU'RE wasting our time. And now we're gonna waste you!

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Soundtrack:

NOTHING AT ALL

Kick Ass Troma film!

Rated R for Strong Violence/Gore,Sexuality,Nudity and Language.

The Toxic Avenger is one of those "so bad its good" Troma made films.This is the only Troma film I have seen fully though I saw a bit of Class Of Nukem High.I saw this a while back on the channel Drive In Classics.The Toxic Avenger is a great movie.Yes it is cheaply made but it has a great mix of gore and comedy.The movie is about a geek who one day falls into a batch of toxic waste.He then becomes this deformed "superhero".He basically then fights crime while befriending a blind girl.The Toxic Avenger spawned three sequels, none of which I have seen.The Toxic Avenger is a great movie and if you like those entertaining "so bad its good" films, then I recommend it.