Horror Movie Review: Street Trash (2024)

I don’t need this. I already got trouble with my kids, my wife, my business, my secretary, the bums… the runaways, the roaches, prickly heat, and a homo dog. This just ain’t my day.

That one piece of dialogue sums up the 1987 cult classic comedy/horror ‘melt’ movie that is Street Trash. Obnoxious, gross, cheesy, stupid, and downright entertaining. You either love it, or you hate it, which is something director Ryan Kruger understands. Offering up a loving remake, that takes the core concept in a fresh dystopian direction, while being as distasteful as the original.

The 1987 film’s nuances around homelessness and how society treats those on the lowest rungs of life are simplified and enhanced here, and this remake is all the better for it. Set in a dystopian/futuristic city in South Africa where the class system is in full effect. There are those at the top, and those at the bottom.

Ronald (Sean Cameron Michael) is one such man at the bottom, and along with his friends (a very wacky bunch of characters) spends most of his days trying to stay out of reach of the authorities and away from Rat King’s gang. A non-confrontational man, he would like to be left in peace, but the government is cracking down on those deemed the dregs of society, and their plan is to unleash a chemical weapon on them.

This is quite a significant change to the original story, as out goes the poisonous booze (Viper) and in comes a less interesting, but more sensible, tool to get the ‘melt’ part of Street Trash off and rolling. Which, to be fair, is showcased from the start, literally. We are introduced to the film witnessing one character meet a horrible fate via the chemical weapon. It sets the film’s standard for glorious melting gore, and it’s nice to see practical effects and a vivid colour scheme in place. No amount of oozing blues and greens can detract from the horror of it all, especially as everything is filmed up close.

This part of the film’s trick of making the viewer part of the experience, something enhanced by characters breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the camera. It turns out, the viewer is a character too! It’s just the kind of lovable madness that Street Trash delivers, and it’s the kind of madness that is infectious.

So much so, that there are many times where it simply turns into nonsense, yet it’s still enjoyable to watch, provided you understand that this is what Street Trash is. It has a story, it has characters, and it has a point, but all of this comes via a tornado of chaos, gory and stupid chaos.

It’s a ton of fun, but it does have problems. None more so than the irreverent humour that misses the mark more times than it hits. Street Trash isn’t a funny film, certainly not the way it tries to be, and sometimes it can get a bit tiresome seeing it fall flat on its face again and again. Alongside that, the overarching story just isn’t that interesting, and there are moments between characters that feels awkward and forced, at complete odds with the tone of the film. None more obvious than Alex’s (Donna Cormack-Thomson) ‘emotional’ childhood conversation with Ronald.

When it’s all said and done, the only long term effect this remake will have on most is the delivery of insanity and modern melt imagery. Which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a remake of a cult classic made by those who adore the cult classic aimed at those who adore said cult classic. I’d say the mission was well and truly accomplished here.