Edinburgh’s Midnight Madness Gets Radioactive with ‘The Toxic Avenger’

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has secured a spectacular closing night for its Midnight Madness strand with the UK premiere of Macon Blair’s audacious remake of The Toxic Avenger. Featuring an all-star cast led by Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon and Julia Davis, the film will screen on 20 August, bringing the festival’s weekend of genre cinema to a gloriously gory and hilarious close.

Blair’s version revives the 1980s Troma classic about a bullied janitor, Winston Gooze (Dinklage), whose life is upended by a chemical disaster that transforms him into a radioactive crusader. Armed with a mop and an appetite for justice, the newly minted Toxic Avenger takes up arms against corrupt industrialists who threaten his son and the fabric of his community. Alongside Dinklage, the remake features Jacob Tremblay as his son, Taylour Paige as a fearless ally, Bacon as a ruthless corporate magnate, Wood in an unexpected supporting role and Davis as a scheming executive.

Signature Entertainment will release the film in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 29 August, but the EIFF screening offers the first chance for Scottish audiences to witness Blair’s riotous vision. Director and co-writer Blair collaborated with Lloyd Kaufman, Troma’s co-founder, and Joe Ritter on the screenplay, while production credits include Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma alongside Legendary Pictures veterans Alex Garcia and Mary Parent.

Festival director and CEO Paul Ridd expressed his delight at securing the premiere, saying, “We are absolutely over the moon to be hosting the UK Premiere of The Toxic Avenger, which will bring our Midnight Madness strand this year to an extravagantly gory and hilarious close. Peter Dinklage’s terrific reimagining of this iconic character in Macon Blair’s genius film makes for an absolute blast of cult cinematic energy. Bring it on!” Ridd and festival producer Emma Boa have led EIFF’s revitalisation, ushering in fresh leadership and an invigorated programme of independent film.

Katie Wilkinson, acquisitions and development manager at Signature, added, “We couldn’t think of a better place for The Toxic Avenger’s UK premiere than as the closing film of Midnight Madness at EIFF 2025. Genre fans can expect a crazy world of mutated maintenance men, killer chicken brutes and Elijah Wood as you’ve never seen him before. Peter Dinklage’s take on the Toxic Avenger will leave audiences forever changed.”

The Toxic Avenger joins Ben Wheatley’s Bulk among the horror and sci-fi highlights at Midnight Madness, which runs daily from 14 to 20 August. The festival’s board, chaired by Trainspotting producer Andrew Macdonald and supported by industry figures including Teresa Moneo of Netflix and Peter Rice of Disney, continues to champion boundary-pushing films and emerging talent.

For more information on the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and to book tickets, visit: www.edfilmfest.org/

The Toxic Avenger trailer