Street Trash

Ive just finished watching this remake/sequel and I have to say the dialogue & story are very weak. To me it felt like the script (if there was one) was loosely put together on set, my 10 year old can write better dialogue than this! I enjoyed the director's previous film Fried Barry as it was something I hadnt seen before and wasnt trying to be anything it wasnt so I had high expectations for this film of his.

Sadly this film is a miss for me, didnt like the cast or the FXs, everything was just to obvious however saying that it may pick up a Razzie award which could do it some justice down the road.

So apparently a remake of the '80s cult classic horror movie "Street Trash" was made in South Africa this year. I just watched it and it's got nothing on that original, and still very unique, movie. If you want a b-grade splatter flick, then I guess this remake might wag your tail. But I found it pretty forgettable.

The original movie didn't really have a plot, which is what made it so cool. Well, that and the fluorescent gore effects. It was just a series of riffs on splatter themes mixed with comedy and a sly wink at the audience that let you know the filmmakers were having fun and wanted us to join in. Considering it's well remembered by cult film fans decades later, I think it's fair to say we did.

This remake has more plot, seemingly, though it doesn't really make sense. It's homeless people again, including a Yiddish-spouting guy who looks a lot like Stanley Kubrick, and another one played by that extraordinary South African actor from the director's previous, and superior, "Fried Barry", who looks like a cross between Bad Boy Bubby and a caveman.

The way his eyes are clear but apparently see nothing, and the way he blinks and stands still like he's patiently waiting for somebody to tell him what to do, reminds me of the character creation screen in a CRPG.

He steals every scene he's in, simply by virtue of him being in it. He doesn't have to do anything, he's just such a bizarre specimen you always find yourself looking at him.

The same can't be said for the guy who plays the main character, unfortunately.

The plot, as near as I can tell, is something to do with a rich South African trying to kill the country's homeless population. I didn't really understand it.

They should have had the guts to make a plotless movie, like the original one was. This movie is unhinged and crazy enough- or seems to want to be - to pull it off. But the plot keeps getting in the way, such as it is.

I hate to say this, because I love the original Street Trash, and I'm also a fan of B-movies, bad movies and Troma, but I just didn't enjoy this new re-boot/sequel whatever it is. I thought the humour was lame and it tries to be quirky but came across as stupid but not the kind of stupid I like. For many it's worth watching for the gore and melts, which to me I'm guessing, is what most people will want in a Street Trash rehash. And the FX are done well. The story and characters I didn't like. I can see it pays a lot of homage to the original. It just didn't hit the right nerve for me. Still I'm glad it exists as many will like it and it's probably a nuts enough of a movie for any trash movie or body horror fan.

The original Street Trash from 1987 is a monolithic case in the sense that it notably conjured some of the most iconic imagery in perhaps the entire history of TRASH CINEMA. It's concept is also as perfect as one gets for this sort of film. But, what people don't mention as much is that, outside of it's iconic hyper-colored melt sequences, it's a TERRIBLE movie.

So, here, 37 years later, we have a remake coming out of South Africa, and honestly, I think it's kind of exactly what I hoped it would be. Though it's still blatantly and seemingly purposefully a "bad movie", it's very self-aware, so much that the random blue puppet-like creature who only appears to crack bottom-tier jokes about fellatio when hobos are hallucinating after drinking too much "Viper" is fully fitting and acceptable. While it's often being marketed as a remake, I think it best to think of it more as a spiritual sequel, sort of like Evil Dead (2013). It's packed to the brim with bright neon melt sequences, bodies dripping every colored ooze you can imagine, front to back. Most of the jokes are so bad that you can actually appreciate them for being so consistent, even if you're not laughing, but bad jokes aside, the whole thing feels really inspired and pretty fresh. Even the characters, albeit strong acting ability, manage to each have quite a lot of charisma, often making this feel like some gnarly Saturday morning cartoon from the late 80's or early 90's.

For fans of trash horror, and cult classics in general, this is 100% worthy of your viewing. All fans of the original should absolutely see it as well. For anyone else, probably not. This is the epitome of a movie made for a SPECIFIC AUDIENCE.

Who would have ever imagined that 37 years after low-budget cult body horror Street Trash, we'd be getting another dose of Tenafly Viper-fuelled craziness? Not me, that's for sure, but here it is - the follow up to Jim Muro's madcap melt movie.

What do we expect from a new Street Trash film? Lots of melting hobos and the occasional severed dick gag, that's what, and director Ryan Kruger more than delivers: this one is much messier and more manic than the original, with gallons of blood and multi-coloured goop splashed around as nasty Mayor Mostert (Warrick Grier) attempts to exterminate the city's homeless population with Tenafly Viper gas.

Only a brave group of down-and-outs can save the day: sex and drug addict Ronald (Sean Cameron Michael), Alex (Donna Cormack-Thomson), Chef (Joe Vaz), crackheads Wors and Pap (Lloyd Martinez Newkirk and Shuraigh Meyer) and crazy 2-Bit (Gary Green).

To put it simply, this film is bonkers. It took me a while to get into the spirit of things, but once I did, I had lots of fun with it. The characters are crazy, there's a lot more melting than in Muro's original, with excellent practical effects, and there's actually a better story this time around, as the street trash freedom fighters plot to overthrow the government to end their extermination.

Obviously, this type of film isn't going to appeal to everyone - it probably isn't going to appeal to most sane people, to be honest - but if you enjoy over-the-top trashy horror (think Troma at its most absurd) then you might have a good time. I actually enjoyed this more than the original, but then that one didn't have an invisible, blue, sex-obsessed, potty-mouthed creature called Sockle in it (stay right to the end of the credits to see just how filthy he is!).

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.