Summary

The Toxic Avenger remake was deemed "unreleasable," but is now headed to theaters.
The Terrifier franchise's success with gore and violence could help The Toxic Avenger become a hit.
Both films target a similar audience hungry for graphic content and have garnered positive reviews.

The Toxic Avenger remake was deemed "unreleasable," but it is now set for a theatrical release, and thanks to the Terrifier franchise, it could be a huge hit. The Toxic Avenger was the creation of Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Entertainment, the longest-running independent film studio in the world, specializing in B-movies. The first film was released in 1984. It sees lowly janitor Melvin fall into a vat of toxic waste, which transforms him into the disfigured superhero, The Toxic Avenger, who uses his new skills to fight crime.

The franchise produced three sequels: The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. However, after the fourth installment in 2000, the B-movie franchise went dormant until a remake was announced in 2010. After numerous delays, the remake went into production in 2021 and premiered at the 2023 Fantastic Fest. After several festival appearances, it was dubbed "unreleasable." It is finally garnering a release date in August 2025, and thanks to the success of the Terrifier sequels, it may be poised for success.

The Terrifier Franchise is Wise to End With the 4th Movie

Art the Clown might go down as a great slasher villain if the franchise ends with a bang.

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By Conor McShane

Why Was The Toxic Avenger Remake Deemed "Unreleasable" For Years?

toxic-avenger-2025-5 — Toxic Avenger 2025

The Toxic Avenger remake is written and directed by Macon Blair, who was behind the Netflix film I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. It also features a stellar cast, with Peter Dinklage in the lead as Winston Gooze, the man who turns into The Toxic Avenger. He is joined by Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay, and Kevin Bacon. The Toxic Avenger character is brought to life by Luisa Guerreiro in the makeup, with Dinklage providing the voice.

While the talent in front of and behind the camera spoke volumes, the production could not secure a distributor when The Toxic Avenger began screening at festivals in 2023. As reported by Word of Reel, it quickly looked like the remake had a big problem, and word began to spread about the film's gore, graphic content, and "niche" appeal, with those in the know calling it "too out there."

Filmmaker Adam Masnyk even confirmed that The Toxic Avenger had been deemed "not safe enough to market. " The situation appeared dire enough that some thought it may never see the light of day, or if it did, it would be dumped onto a streaming service. The movie finally received some good news in early 2025, when Cineverse acquired the distribution rights and planned to bring The Toxic Avenger to theaters.

Terrifier Has Proven That Genre Fans Are Hungry For Gross, Over-The-Top Antics

Art the Clown smiling creepily in a costume store

The Terrifier franchise paved a unique path to success, as the first film wasn't exactly a blockbuster. However, the creative team behind Terrifier took the film's slasher character, Art the Clown, and turned him into a horror icon. The Terrifier films are some of the most uncompromisingly violent and gory movies audiences could ever see, as they hold back nothing, with anyone and everyone being a potential victim.

Terrifier 2 is a magnum opus of violence, running a staggering 2 hours and 18 minutes, and produced for a mere $250,000. Terrifier 2 relied on viral marketing and word of mouth to propel the film. Thanks to alliances with media outlets and those who had seen screenings praising its unrelentingly graphic content, the sequel quickly became the movie that needed to be seen to be believed. Terrifier 2 earned a modest release but saw a $15.8 million return, with even more discovering it on VOD and streaming. However, it became notorious, as even hardened genre fans had trouble sitting through some scenes.

Terrifier 3 followed two years later, and even with an increased budget of $2 million, the slasher film saw substantial audience growth thanks to the second movie. While fans of the gory films knew they were in for another merciless installment, many others showed up to see how far the film would push the envelope with Art's violent antics. The holiday-themed installment was another unapologetically gory sequel with fantastic reviews, and it pulled in over $90 million at the worldwide box office, which ensured a fourth film is on the way.

The Toxic Avenger Appeals To The Terrifier Crowd, Setting It Up For Success

The Terrifier films were released unrated, which is now the set path for The Toxic Avenger remake, despite it initially being set to be rated R. However, it also plays into the same things that helped Terrifier tap into an audience it found, playing up the graphic content and violence to lure people in based on spectacle. Current unrated posters advertising The Toxic Avenger (via Bloody Disgusting) promise things like "ultra violent/toxic content," "mutant nudity," and "splatter laughter," promoting all the content that once caused it to be deemed "unreleasable."

Terrifier 2 and 3 also ensured that people would talk about the movies' graphic content, allowing word of mouth to help the film, which The Toxic Avenger could benefit from if it ends up being as gross as promised, offering scenes that audiences won't believe exist. The Terrifier sequels proved that audiences will show up for gross-out content and genre-defining gore, with The Toxic Avenger being able to satiate that same demographic.

It also doesn't hurt if the movie is well reviewed, which the Terrifier films are. Each movie in the trilogy is Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, holding 62%, 87%, and 78%, respectively. However, The Toxic Avenger may have the same benefit, as the remake currently holds a 92% rating on the review aggregate, comprised of reviewers who have had a chance to see the film through its various screenings. The current critic's consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: "Like the original, The Toxic Avenger isn't for everyone -- but viewers seeking an extremely gory, extremely silly good time won't be disappointed." While The Toxic Avenger may have experienced a troubled road to theaters, the Terrifier films have proven that it may be poised for success thanks to an audience hungry for envelope-pushing content.