What was once a genre almost exclusively targeted towards children has since evolved to include adult-oriented crime dramas and cosmic war movies, and that’s why it’s no surprise that superhero stories have steadily become grittier and more violent over the years. And while I’m of the opinion that a no-kill code is essential for most […]
What was once a genre almost exclusively targeted towards children has since evolved to include adult-oriented crime dramas and cosmic war movies, and that’s why it’s no surprise that superhero stories have steadily become grittier and more violent over the years. And while I’m of the opinion that a no-kill code is essential for most superheroes in order to distance them from real life vigilantism, not all heroes are created equal. For instance, in a town as thoroughly beset by evil as Tromaville, concerned citizens are in dire need of a brutal hero willing to get his hands dirty when mopping up crime!
Thankfully, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz came to the rescue with 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, with the film (and its sequels) feeling like the result of an unholy union between a slasher flick with a superhero comic. And in honor of Macon Blair’s long-anticipated reboot finally hitting the big screen this month thanks to Cineverse, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six of Toxie’s most gruesome kills throughout the entire Toxic Avenger franchise!
For the purposes of this list, we’ll only be considering deaths that were either directly or indirectly caused by Toxie (so no iconic kills like the ill-fated kid who gets run over in the first film). We also won’t be including scenes from the remake in order to avoid spoiling it for readers.
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite kills if you think we missed a particularly gruesome one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Deep Fried Hands – The Toxic Avenger (1984)
Including this kill on the list may seem like a cop-out due to the relatively bloodless nature of the criminal’s death (not to mention the exceedingly simple effects that bring this moment to life), but I actually think that death by deep-fried hands is a perfect example of the cinematic power of suggestion. After all, clever blocking and editing are all you really need in order to traumatize audiences with the mere implication of oily pain.
The added sound effects and the actor’s terrified performance also help to sell the effect despite the lack of complex chemical reactions or burned skin prosthetics. In fact, I dare you to rewatch this moment without at least wincing at the idea of having your hands forcibly turned into extra crispy fast food.
5. Heads Up – Citizen Toxie: TheToxic Avenger IV (2000)
Troma is no stranger to potty humor, but it seems like the more mainstream entertainment invests in low-risk crowd-pleasers, the more the world’s longest-running independent studio insists on creating new and more elaborate moments of gross-out humor and over-the-top violence.
I imagine that this punk rock rebellious attitude is what motivated the production team on The Toxic Avenger IV to craft so many memorable kills, with one of the most disgusting yet cartoonish scenes in the entire series having Toxie literally punch a villain’s head through his own body and out through his anus in a nauseous combination of blood and feces. Toxie then completes the humiliation by decapitating the goon with a single punch!
It doesn’t get more Tromatic than that.
4. Devilish Overkill – The Toxic Avenger Part III:The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989)
The more despicable the villain, the more potential there is for our hero to give him a satisfying punishment. And when it comes to bad-guys, who’s more despicable than the devil himself? The reveal that Satan was leading the corporation responsible for destroying Tromaville admittedly comes out of left field, but it’s also one of the most memorable ideas in this controversial little movie.
Of course, the way that Toxie proceeds to dispatch the rubbery demon is more interesting than the actual villain, with the hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength methodically mutilating the corporate overlord in a hilarious case of practical-effects-driven overkill.
3. The Noxious Offender’s Disembowelment – Citizen Toxie: TheToxic Avenger IV (2000)
Boasting a more focused script spearheaded by Deadgirl scribe Trent Haaga and a deluge of minor roles performed by notable artists like Matt and Trey Parker, James Gunn and even Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, there’s a reason why so many fans see the fourth entry in the Toxic Avenger series as a return to form after two controversial sequels. Of course, the increased violence and low-brow humor was also a factor in making this the most beloved sequel so far.
And among the flick’s exaggerated displays of cinematic violence, it makes sense that Toxie’s final kill is also the most ambitious. After all, his evil counterpart from an alternate dimension is capable of taking a lot of punishment, so our hero has to get his hands dirty in order to stop his nemesis’ rampage by removing his internal organs while simultaneously making a point about how the original is always better!
2. Fresh Fish – The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)
Say what you want about this first half of a movie that really shouldn’t have been released on its own (something that the upcoming Mr. Melvin is finally going to address), but at least Toxie’s second outing still boasts quite a few entertaining scenes of over-the-top martial arts action – as well as a handful of memorable kills.
Of course, one of the most brutal moments here has to be the scene where Toxie throws a random goon onto a fish-monger’s cutting board during a fight, with the knife-wielding worker becoming so distracted by the awesome fight choreography that he doesn’t notice he’s now cutting up a living human being instead of dead fish. This may have been an indirect (and arguably accidental) kill, but that doesn’t make it any less gruesome.
1. Head Press – The Toxic Avenger (1984)
One of the most iconic deaths in the original film, Dennis’ head press is also one of the most violent. Not only does this moment touch on relatable fears that any gym member has probably already daydreamed about at one point or another, but it also features the movie’s best practical gore effect in the form of the drug dealer’s blood-squirting head.
This instance of cranial trauma is a far cry from the melon that hilariously served as a vegan-friendly head substitute for the skull-crushing that occurred earlier in the film, and I actually think that the added realism helps to reinforce the notion that Melvin really can’t control himself while in the presence of evil.
See brand new brutal Toxie kills in The Toxic Avenger in theaters on August 29!
