The Toxic Avenger (1984) – The Test of Time

Longtime readers of Arrow in the Head will probably remember the article series The Test of Time. Now The Test of Time has been revived as a video series, and you can check out the new episode in the embed above! With this one, we’re looking back at Troma’s 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger (watch it HERE). Does it still hold up nearly forty years after its initial release? Find out by watching the video embedded above.

Directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Joe Ritter (based on a story by Kaufman), The Toxic Avenger has the following synopsis: What’s faster than a spreading germ… more powerful than Mr. Clean… and more lethal than nuclear waste? Is it a floorcleaner? Is it a waste site? No… it is the TOXIC AVENGER, the first super hero from New Jersey! He french fries his foes… dry cleans the dastardly. Watch out, bad guys! Truth, Justice, and The American Way is on a righteous rampage – it’s Melvin, alias THE TOXIC AVENGER, and he’s gonna getcha! Transformed from wimp to warrior by a dip in a chemical pool, Melvin (“Tox” to his friends) battles corruption and crime in a small American town. But can even an industrial-strength super hero survive a showdown against an army of tanks and troops? Thrill to the action, adventure and yes, romance, of this hilarious tongue-in-cheek hit. WARNING: Explosively funny. May cause irritation to the excessively serious.

The film stars Mitch Cohen, Mark Torgl, Andree Maranda, Pat Ryan Jr., Sarabel Levinson, Dan Snow, Dick Martinsen, Gary Schneider, Robert Prichard, Jennifer Babtist, Cindy Manion, Chris Liano, David N. Weiss, and Patrick Kilpatrick. If you watch the director’s cut, you might spot Marisa Tomei in there as well.

The Test of Time series has the following description: We all have certain movies we love. Movies we respect without question because of either tradition, childhood love, or because they’ve always been classics. However, as time keeps ticking, do those classics still hold up? Do they remain must-see? So… the point of this series is to determine how a film holds up for a modern horror audience, to see if it stands the Test of Time.

This episode of The Test of Time was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

What do you think of The Toxic Avenger? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

A couple of the previous episodes of The Test of Time can be seen below. To see more, click over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!