“The Toxic Avenger is a terrible movie, but I have to admit, it has its moments.”
With those words, veteran New York City film critic Judith Crist summed up The Toxic Avenger — Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman‘s 1984 schlock masterpiece about “the first superhero from New Jersey.” After being dumped on by his peers and dumped in chemical wastes, a 98-pound nerd becomes the disfigured defender who cleans up the town his way — with hilarious results. The movie became an instant cult sensation, spawning the unlikeliest franchise in the history of cinema (it’s spawned several sequels, a cartoon series, a comic book, action figures, and even a musical) and helping to put Troma Films on the map. As goofy as it is charming, The Toxic Avenger is nothing short of a watershed moment in independent film.