EAN 5037899047798

The foundation stone of the Troma label's trash-movie empire, The Toxic Avenger introduces the character of nerdy janitor Melvin, who suffers heaps of abuse from local bad-guys and is stuffed into a vat of toxic waste while dressed in a ballerina outfit. He emerges mutated into a Swamp Thing/Hulk-style monster hero who romps around the blighted township of Tromaville, New Jersey, offing the grotesque villains in nastily gruesome ways and mooning over his blind true love. The Troma style is unique, and perhaps predates the anything-gross-for-a-laugh approach of the Farrelly Brothers by a good 10 years, but it sometimes wavers between the good-natured gags and genuinely unpleasant plot images that somewhat spoil the tone.