TRACK #289

Body Talk by Sandy Farina

The Toxic Avenger Theme by Scott Casey is pretty damn Toxie, there’s no doubt about that. But for my money, nothing says “The Toxic Avenger” like Sandy Farnia’s leg warmin, synth-bassin, aerobicidin Body Talk.

Setting the stage for perhaps Troma’s most Tromatic and beloved film of all time – Lloyd Kaufman’s 1984 mold-breaking indie slasher, The Toxic Avenger.

While it’s certainly not out of place among the films featured on The Shindig, can The Toxic Avenger truly be considered a horror movie?

Well, being that it was Lloyd’s attempt to capitalize on the slasher craze of the early 80’s and that it started its life as The Health Club Horror, I think we definitely can. Toxie stalking his tormentors alone – one by one for his own horrific revenge – is the stuff of 80’s horror. Factor in his monstrous appearance and it’s Jaws-like slow reveal, and I think we’re looking at some genuine horror people.

All the humor and goofiness aside, Lloyd did something truly interesting and different with The Toxic Avenger. He made the slasher the hero (and a superhero at that) and simultaneously flipped both genre’s on their heads. He gave audiences a legitimate reason to root for the killer: an avenger for the common man, a slasher with a cause, a superhero that wasn’t affair to get his hands dirty.

Made a shoe-string budget and defining “reel” independence, this film gave a fledgling studio it’s mascot and craved their name into the history of cinema.

There’s just no denying the impact of The Toxic Avenger: the first superhero from New Jersey.

Now, let’s get physical!