The corrupt mayor of Tromaville, New Jersey, sits idly by while robbers and teenage punks victimize helpless citizens. When Melvin, a nerdy janitor at the local health club, falls into toxic waste, a metamorphosis takes place. He turns into the Toxic Avenger, doer of good, and brutal mauler of evil.

The Toxic Avenger is the flagship title from the infamous American independent production company Troma. Directed by the company’s founders, this is an endlessly inspired oddity of a superhero movie—made long before the genre became rife with convention and impersonality.