Street Trash



"Things in New York are about to go down the toilet."

Street Trash is a 1987 horror/splatter movie written by Roy Frumkes and directed by James Muro. Neither are well known for anything else, although Muro's steadicam work in this movie was so impressive that he later found regular work as a Hollywood camera operator.

The plot, loosely defined in this context, follows two young homeless brothers, Fred and Kevin, who live in a junkyard ruled by Bronson, a psychotic and traumatized Vietnam veteran. One day, the owner of a nearby liquor store discovers a crate full of Tenafly Viper: bottles of booze from the 1920's that had been stashed away behind a grate in the basement. Seeing an easy way to make some money, he decides to sell the Viper for a dollar a bottle. The local homeless population, needing to spend their money frugally, take advantage of this offer. There's only one catch: anyone who drinks the Viper melts into a streaming, day-glo ooze while screaming in horror.

Provides examples of:

 * Ax Crazy: Bronson, the ruler of the junkyard, has no qualms about using his knife. This would be a knife he made from a human femur bone.
 * Bloody Hilarious: Virtually every scene in which someone drinks the Tenafly Viper could qualify; of particular note is the shot of a bum melting into a toilet bowl.
 * Body Horror: Every time someone drinks the Viper.
 * Camping a Crapper: Hitman hired by Duran tries to do this to Fred.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Fred and Kevin make good use of a bottle of Viper and a compressed air cylinder, respectively.
 * Crazy Homeless People: Most of the characters.
 * Dead Baby Comedy: This is probably the best category available for this movie and virtually every scene in it.
 * Fat Bastard: Mister Schizer, the junkyard owner.
 * Five-Finger Discount: Burt, a friend of Fred and Kevin, does a little "shopping" of this nature. He's quickly caught with chicken in his pants.
 * Grievous Bottley Harm: Fred throws a bottle on Bronson's face when he comes to help Kevin.
 * I'm Melting: Anyone who drinks the Tenafly Viper meets their end this way.
 * Jerkass: Most of the cast. Fred, one of the protagonists, is an especially prominant example of this.
 * Keep-Away: Perhaps the most memorable scene in this movie involves this game. It's played with a severed penis.
 * Losing Your Head: After Bronson is decapitated, his brain lives long enough to take a look under Wendy's skirt and die smiling.
 * Motor Mouth: The doorman at Nick Duran's restaurant, while sitting in a police station next to Duran himself, won't stop slinging insults. He evidently thinks the police will protect him as a witness. Even when he's told they can't, he still keeps mouthing off. The fact that the role is played by James Lorinz from Frankenhooker has a lot to do with his apparent death wish.
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: One of Bronson's flashback dreams features Viet Cong Vampires!
 * Off with His Head: One of the most unusual decapitations in cinema takes place near the end.
 * Black Comedy Rape: Frank Schnizer, the owner of the junkyard, makes an attempt with Wendy, his young assistant. The tone of the scene, along with the background music, makes it clear this effort is meant to be Played for Laughs.
 * Rape as Drama: Another scene in which a crowd of derelicts brutally gang rape a poor drunken woman to death has a much, much darker tone.
 * Refuge in Audacity: To say the least.
 * Title Drop: Bronson calls Kevin "street trash" when he's chasing him during the climax.
 * Urine Trouble: One unfortunate derelict does this to Bronson, who reacts by removing his manhood. This leads to the aforementioned game of Keep-Away.
 * Villain Song: The final credits feature the song "We Do T'ings My Way", performed by Mafia boss Nick Duran.
 * Vomit Indiscretion Shot: After winning his battle with a Mafia hitman, Bill the Cop sticks his fingers down his throat and barfs on his opponent.
 * What Do You Mean, It's Not Heinous?: When Wizzie, Bronson's smarmy sycophant, is captured by the police, they threaten to give him a shower. He is horrified.