It’s hard to describe the Toxic Avenger; on paper, he very literally doesn’t make any sense. Originally a low-rent antihero for the straight-to-video crowd, courtesy of DIY schlock factory Troma, Toxie became arguably the most unlikely cultural icon of the 1980s. The mop-wielding 7-foot janitor in a tutu suffering from radiation poisoning was a runaway success, somehow spawning an army of sequels, a line of Marvel-backed comic books and most bizarrely of all, a Saturday morning kids cartoon (the Toxic Crusaders theme tune remains a stone-cold banger).
But the film that started it all (and to be fair, all three of its cinematic sequels) was pure bad taste comedy. Cheap, nasty, incredibly violent, and famously banned in the UK for a big squishy set-piece where a gang of punks reverse over a young boy’s head with their car. So how do we get from the (literal) bottom of the ’80s exploitation barrel, to a big(ger), somewhat glossy Macon Blair-helmed Hollywood remake starring Emmy-award-winning leading man Peter Dinklage, among others? Who in their right mind thought, of all the intellectual property ripe for the picking, that this was their one-way ticket to box office success?
I’ll be dammed if I know, but the result – this unrelentingly dumb, plasticy-looking avalanche of dismemberment and dick jokes – fucking rips. The sort of lovingly crafted, extremely niche, surprisingly expensive-looking genre masterpiece that never, ever seems to happen anymore, because much like Toxie himself, its very existence doesn’t make any god damn sense.
Dinklage is in full-on heartbreaker mode as Winston Gooze, a struggling single father and janitor who discovers his job at the Kevin Bacon-run Pharma-giant BTH, has left him terminally ill. And naturally, it’s not long before a chance encounter with an avenging whistleblower (a dynamite Taylour Paige) leaves him submerged in sinister green toxic waste, only to emerge as the hideous but hyper-strong Toxie.
A wonderfully cast Jacob Tremblay (again, so much of this cast list reads like a dream line-up for such a strange and silly movie) is Gooze’s son, soon in the crosshairs of Bacon’s dastardly crew. A rogue’s gallery fronted not only by the British comedy royalty Julia Davis(!) but a horrifically styled and understated Elijah Wood, dressed like an alcoholic Riff Raff impersonator whose just been hit by a bus.
It’s a total fever dream of a remake, so faultlessly faithful to the vibe of the tricky source material, while still going out of its way to cover new and more current ground. Reagan-era pollution politics becomes the US healthcare nightmare; a doofy teenage boy becomes a hopeless big hearted father (the film itself sat on a shelf for two full years, and still feels current as ever). The plot and tone and even the genre might prove a little different, but Blair understands the point of Toxie where most others really wouldn’t, knitting in an actual point amongst all the mop-twirling, arm-ripping, heavy metal mayhem.
Because even though this Toxic Avenger is perhaps a big-screen comedy first and foremost (with one of the year’s most impressive gag rates), there’s no shortage of disgusting violence, although, sadly, very driven by CGI this time around. Again, it’s a credit to Blair’s mastery of the Troma world that in its best moments, his version plays like a gloriously gory live-action cartoon, full of killer jokes and backed up by a stellar physical performance by Luisa Guerreiro as Toxie’s “bod” (with Dinklage still on voice duties).
To say it’s not for everyone would be a massive understatement; despite the star-studded cast, this is about as cult as comedies get. And it’s clear that both Blair and Toxie’s co-creator and key protector over the years, Lloyd Kaufman wouldn’t have it any other way – there’s been no shortage of failed attempts at big-budget remakes. But it does really make you wonder how this very unique combination actually came together – the best possible new big screen outing for one of the most loved (and most niche) characters around.
The Toxic Avenger (2023) screened as part of FrightFest 2025.
