Being True to Yourself Sucks

On The Toxic Avenger (2023) Not Getting Theatrical Distribution

Back in the fall of 2023, I had passes to Fantastic Fest here in Austin due to the generous efforts of Max Booth III. There was only one film I really wanted to see that year, and that was the 2023 remake of the cult classic The Toxic Avenger. There was a problem, though: the only showtime was midnight.

Did I tell you I'm a huge dork who goes to bed early? Well, now you know.

That evening, I did everything I could in order to stay awake. From taking a nap to pacing like a madman to consuming caffeine, I was determined to make this late-night screening. And I almost didn’t. I even sent a regretful message to poet and publisher John Baltisberger stating that I didn’t think it was going to happen that night. I could tell by his one-word response that he was disappointed, but the way I saw it, I had to look out for myself.

After a pep talk from Jean, my fantastic partner, I reminded myself that this was a movie I’d waited to see for a few years, and if I didn’t see it that night, I might not see it for a lot longer because the road from film festival screening to distribution is long, perilous, and lined with plenty of false exits. I sent John another message.

“Fuck it. I’m on my way.”

We met at the Alamo Drafthouse location on South Lamar here in Austin. It’s arguably the nicest Alamo location, but it’s far from my favorite. The Ritz on Dirty Sixth certainly has more character and would have fit the vibe I wanted for checking out the remake to one of my favorite works of trash cinema, but I digress. While setting the mood before a movie is nice, it isn’t always necessary, and it wasn’t necessary here.

We got inside, showed our passes, and sat inside a sparsely populated theater. Ordered snacks and drinks and waited for the festivities to start. I was genuinely excited—this felt special. I couldn’t remember the last time I attended a midnight screening of anything. A young woman did a brief introduction, then the lights went down, and we got down to business.

The first thing I noticed was that unlike a number of “independent” productions, 2023’s The Toxic Avenger had only two companies in the credits: Legendary Pictures and Troma Entertainment.

Let me back up a little bit. For three years, I had a podcast dedicated to the history of cult, DIY, exploitation, and punk-rock cinema called Make Your Own Damn Podcast. It’s main focus during its first year centered around Troma and its mad-scientist-in-charge and creator of The Toxic Avenger (among other things), Lloyd Kaufman.

For the uninitiated, Uncle Lloyd has been a purveyor of low-budget movies for the past 50 years. He has launched nearly as many careers in genre cinema as Roger Corman, and his own films are slime-drenched hybrids of social satire, sex comedy, horror, and arthouse film. Aside from a decade in which he tried to take his company more mainstream, he's always done things his way.

His attempts to reach a broader audience resulted in some films that look sort of, but not quite, like what he and his collaborators achieved with the original The Toxic Avenger. Notable missteps include two sequels to the aforementioned film, an attempt at a sprawling war film, and Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD (an attempt to recapture some of the magic of Toxie and create a new superhero). The only highlight from these strange years was Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Part II, a film that embodies the Troma house style: slimy, irreverent, busy, and larger than life. In fact, I would argue that when one thinks of Troma—in particular, classic Troma—the aesthetic and energy of this film are what come to mind.

This decade in purgatory for Lloyd and company ended when he seemed to rediscover himself as a creator with Tromeo and Juliet. By then, all aspirations toward mainstream success seemed to have been brushed aside to focus on the production company’s small but devoted audience.

I mention all this because it came to mind when I saw that the new Toxic Avenger film was a joint production between Legendary and Troma. Now, even though it wasn’t directed by Lloyd—this film had Macon Blair at the helm—I couldn’t help but wonder: would this be another case of Troma needing to compromise its vision to the point where it’s barely recognizable, or had the company’s fifty-year run as an underdog film company earned them enough goodwill that they’d get to make something with a bigger budget that still felt like Troma?

To both my surprise and delight, Legendary fearlessly produced a film that felt true to Troma’s overall filmography. Every player in the cast performed in a way that signaled they either had a familiarity with Troma going in, or at the very least had been given a crash course by those on set who did.

This was a movie that had something to say, and it said it without coming off as pandering. The film didn’t skimp on splatter, irreverence, or B-movie insanity. And if you are a Troma fan, it had plenty of Easter eggs there for the finding. John and I came out of the theater hyped. I think I could’ve watched it again that night had the opportunity arisen, and I could hardly wait for it to get a wide release so both longtime Troma fans and total n0obs could see it.

Months passed with no news beyond a teaser trailer. Then, last week, Jeff Burk (my former cohost on Make Your Own Damn Podcast) shared this article on the distribution status of Macon Blair’s remake of The Toxic Avenger.

I’ll save you the trouble if you don’t want to click the link. The film has been deemed “unreleaseable” (not a real word, but whatever), “too niche,” and likely to wind up “on Tubi a few years from now.”

A big part of me didn’t want to be affected by this news at all. After all, it’s just a movie. And hey, at least I got to see it.

Sure. Sure.

But here’s the thing: to me, the inability of The Toxic Avenger (2023) to get theatrical distribution seems emblematic of a larger problem.

We want superhero movies, right? So, The Toxic Avenger remake should be a slam dunk, right? Wrong. We want superhero movies, but only if they fit into the Marvel blueprint.¹ If we want to feel like we’re taking a risk, we can follow the Zack Snyder blueprint, which is the same as Marvel’s, just more depressing and graywashed.

A unique superhero movie, you say? Get the fuck outta here!

I thought things were changing for the better. I’d hoped Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger would be part of that change, but alas, it still sometimes sucks for artists who are true to themselves.

Before I go, I’ll leave you with this wonderful video essay on Lloyd Kaufman by critic Scout Tafoya.

1. I like Marvel movies okay, but I’d much prefer one each year and less of a reliance on its formula for other, unrelated films.