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The Toxic Avenger 2025 Collective Nightmares Podcast New Episode Release
The Toxic Avenger (Blair 2023)
Marshall recommended this mostly because he had confused Macon Blair with Jeremy Saulnier. But also having been aware of the Troma films for most of our lives, we were curious to see what a modern version of one might look like.
This is an intentionally so-bad-it’s-good kind of film. And, for better or for worse, they generally succeed. Laura emphasizes that with a reasonable amount of additional effort it could have become worthy of cult-classic status.
Marshall and Laura found the anti-hegemonic messaging–anti-capitalist, pro-worker, pro-environment, etc.–in this film to be so revealing of just how intensely Hollywood films are ingrained with the hegemonic versions–nuclear family above all, heterosexual imaginary, capitalism is good, yeah corporations, etc. It is well worth the watch just to experience that.
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SPOILERS IN THIS EPISODE
The Toxic Avenger (Blair 2023)
Minor Spoilers
Blue Ruin (Saulnier 2014)
TOPIC INDEX – The Toxic Avenger (Blair 2023) (times are approximate)
0:30 – Introductions
3:15 – Film discussion begins without spoilers
4:00 – Our histories with Macon Blair, Jeremy Saulnier, and Troma Entertainment
6:00 – campy, black comedy, horror musical films
12:00 – Hollywood tropes with an anti-hegemony agenda
14:00 – Comparison to The Conjuring
17:00 – A brief compaison to Superman digression
21:30- SPOILERS BEGIN
21:30 – we understand it is a lowbrow production but still
22:00 – comparisons to Come to Daddy and 31
26:00 – ethics of established stars and passion projects
29:00 – camp? 35:00 – how did this come together?
47:30 – analyzing the ideology
50:00 – comparison to Rebel Ridge 54:00 – this film’s place in time
56:30 – grading the film using the Collective Nightmares Evolving Rubric of Social Responsibility
1:00:00 – Post Credits Scenes
Related Episodes
Dark Waters (2019)
Related Films
John Q (Cassavetes 2002)
Rebel Ridge (Saulnier 2024)
Blue Ruin (Saulnier 2014)
Credits
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“Horror films are our collective nightmares.”
Episode 151