my thoughts on.... 'Street Trash'

There are some of the films that defy description. Some of the films that fell through the cracks of horror history. The films that die hard fans hold dear and that are now starting to see the light of day, thanks to the love and care of some amazing restoration artists. These are the cult classics and b-grade schlock fests that we all secretly love, behind closed doors. These are some of the films, that are now slowly finding their way into my collection, onto my shelves and into my heart. They say that the Blu-ray medium will never replace the digital revolution. These films may just prove that theory wrong. These are the diamonds in the rough. For your consideration, I give you....
'Street Trash' (1987)
James M. Muro, has only one feature length film directorial credit to his name. It's a shame that beyond that one film, he never gave the world anything more than some episodic television, but it doesn't matter. He gave the world 'Street Trash'. Together with writer, Roy Frumke, they created the kind of weird magic that only happens once in a blue moon. This film kind of defies explanation, not that it's totally unique, but in it's presentation and considering when it was made it's kind of an anomaly. This is the kind of gem that you would have found on your local video store shelf and immediately shared it with any and all of your friends. After the fall of the video store, so many titles like this went the way of the dinosaur and slowly became extinct, never to be heard from again. If it wasn't for the die hard fans resurrecting these from the horror graveyard, they would have stayed gone forever. Blu-ray has become the medium of choice for the cult movie collector, as the results can be staggering and the extra features put your average film releases to shame. It says a lot about the rabid fan base that horror has. No longer relegated to the shadows, these cult favorites have a new audience and a new lease on life. Even myself, someone who considers himself a horror nerd, has realized that there's a whole sub basement to the genre that even I have yet to explore.

Similar to 'The Stuff', that was released 2 year prior, 'Street Trash' tells the story of a seedy liquor store owner who finds a crate of liquor hiding in the basement. What he sees inside of the crate, is a dust covered collection of something called Viper. Realizing the potential to make a quick buck, he prices the bottles at a dollar a piece, puts them on the shelf and waits for the profits to start rolling in. Soon, our wayward “hero”, Fred, wanders in and promptly steals a bottle. That bottle then gets stolen from him and what happens next, is something that you have to see.... to believe. A fellow bum and petty crook, takes his ill gotten liquor and goes to his secret spot, to drink it all by himself. After a mere swig of Viper, he begins to melt. Not just into a pile of ordinary people goo, he begins to bleed and dosolve into a multicolored mess of a former man. What could have been something horrifyingly disgusting, turns into a living work of art. As the story progresses, we see the street bums being killed off one by one by the mysterious Viper. A side story develops between Fred and a psychotic street urchin named, Bronson. As most of you know, I don't like to lay out the entire plot, as I feel the joy of the movie goers experience lies in the journey and not just the destination. With that being said, you'll have to see for yourself, what happens next.
Despite my utter praise for this film, it's not without it's drawbacks. My biggest and only real complaint with this film is one sequence in particular. It's when Fred comes across a drunken socialite who's not a good person, but whom doesn't deserve the punishment she receives. Upon finding her, she mistakes him for her boyfriend, follows him back to his home in the dump and they have some rather awkward sex. What happens after that is not pleasant. If I could edit that who sequence out, this would be a near perfect example of old school, indie film making with a message. However, I cannot and although I don't like it, I respect the vision of the writer and director to include it in the final cut. Other than that, this stands alone as a weird missing chapter in horror history. A page that was, somehow, torn out and lost under the couch. Thankfully, it's been found and restored to even better than it's former glory. It simply blows my mind what was able to be accomplished with this film. Not only is it well directed, but it's well cast, the story is unique and the cinematography is quite brilliant. It literally feels like a work of hobo art. If you choose to venture down this newly paved road, I highly recommend you watch the feature length documentary about the making of this movie. It made me appreciate it that much more and gives some amazing insight into what went into this film and where the actors are today. There also is a wonderful explanation of why the victims die the way they do. According to the visual effects creator, she wanted the characters to blend into their surroundings and to become one with the world that was created. So, because it's a city full of broken down buildings, a dump full of everything under the sun and graffiti is everywhere, it stands to reason that their multicolored melt downs would look the way they do. This also gives the viewer a break from the horror they're actually witnessing and makes it all a little easier to swallow.

'Street Trash' is a perfect storm of all the elements of horror film making blending into one cohesive narrative about life on the streets of 1980's New York. Except that it's taken to a hyper realistic place that doesn't exist in any other format, other than this disgusting morality tale about disgusting people becoming beautiful piles of living abstract art. If you think you've seen everything under the sun and consider yourself a jaded horror fan, then I challenge you to watch this film and I can almost say with all certainty that you will walk away feeling satisfied and with a new appreciation for the genre. A solid 4 out of 5 stars and something that will stay with you long after the credits roll. This is a stand alone classic that we may never see the likes of again. Thankfully, it's been given a proper release and can be enjoyed in all it's gory rainbow glory.

If you like this, I'd normally point you in the direction of some other similar titles, but this is in a class by itself. The closest titles I could relate it to are possibly some of the Troma catalog.