I’ve owned a tumblr account since the beginning of time (to follow just click on the tumblr link at the top of the page). Well, actually about a year but in “internet time” that is equivalent to at least a couple of decades, right? Having a specialty themed account (slasher movies, who knew?), I tend to see a lot of the same movies repeated over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, I love “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” as much as the next slasher fan but there are only so many stills and gifs that anyone can make from one particular movie. It is when I see a still from a slasher flick that I’ve never even heard of that my interest is immediately piqued. The last few weeks I have been seeing more and more stills from a little, relatively obscure horror movie by the name of “Street Trash.” What is this movie and why haven’t I heard about it until now? Thanks to my good friend Tony Brown, I was able to take a stab at this “gorerific masterpiece.” Does the movie live up to the hype or is there a reason why many horror fans have long since forgotten about this movie?

“Street Trash” begins with the owner of a liquor store in lower Manhattan finding a case of cheap liquor (“Tenafly Viper”) in his basement. After a little bit of research, the shop owner finds out the the liquor is over 60 years old and has gone bad….really bad. Nonetheless, he decides to sell it to the local hobos anyway for a dollar. A dollar for a bottle of liquor? That’s a steal. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s not like the stuff is going to kill you. Right? Of course the rancid liquor does have some side effects. Turns out that anyone who drinks this Viper melts away in a hideous fashion. At the same time, two brothers find different ways to cope with homelessness, while an overzealous cop (Bill Chepil) tries to get to the bottom of all the deaths, all the while trying to end the tyranny of deranged Vietnam veteran Bronson (Vic Noto).

Sound like too much story for any one movie to handle? Well..you would be right. “Street Trash” is a mess and I’m not just talking about what happens to the hobos after they drink the Venom. Part “Dirty Harry”, part social commentary, part Troma flick, and part “Hills Have Eyes”, “Street Trash” doesn’t stay in any particular genre for very long. Just when you think the movie has settled into horror, we get crude comedy (fart jokes anyone?), just when you think it has settled into Troma land with body parts galore, the film turns into a cop drama. None of it really gels. You know what? It doesn’t matter. Why you ask? Because of the gore! Ohhh the glorious gore in this flick. You want to see a kalidoscope of killings? It’s all right here in just about every color of the rainbow imaginable. I’ve never seen death in a horror movie be so….beautiful. That’s right, it’s beautiful damn it and when the movie focuses on the gore it is a rousing success. The fx in this movie truly must be seen to be believed. This is the kind of little gem that isn’t for everyone and it is bound to offend most (rape, torture, homeless homicide..it’s all here), but it won me over with its low budget charm. Oh…and did I mention the gore? Check it out.