The ‘melt movie’ that became a cult favourite in the VHS era is back in a fantastic 4K restoration.
Expanding on his 1984 short (also included here), Jim Muro’s film is set in the ultimate scuzzy ’80s environment. A group of homeless people in the slum areas of lower Manhattan drink Tenafly Viper, a 40-year-old wine from the local liquor store, which causes them to melt in horrifically graphic ways.
Forget the recent remake, Muro’s Street Trash is the real, gloopy deal. It’s more than just an excuse for some (actually impressive) gore effects, set in the pre-gentrification of areas of New York. There’s also a rather amusing ‘keep away’ game involving one unfortunate’s penis, which is something you don’t see every day. Not that you’d want to!
Street Trash is the most Troma-esque non-Troma film you’re likely to find. It’s in gloriously bad taste but a lot of fun, with funny dialogue and remarkably cinematic (Muro is an accomplished Steadicam operator, as seen here).
The 4K release from Lightbulb makes the movie look as good as you’d expect, given the low-budget source. It’s packed with informative extras, including a pair of feature-length documentaries that essentially give you the final word on the film, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the commentaries! And if you have an appetite for more ‘melt movies’, there’s a video essay from genre historian Darrell Buxton that will point you in the direction of more. Ephemera fans will be happy with the art cards, poster, and nifty laminated beer mat, not to mention the retro-style VHS-sized case it comes in.
