First cameStreet Trashin 1987, a fun little Brooklyn-set cult classic that would become known as one of the rare “melt movies” in the horror industry, gooey and gory movies that include melting faces or bodies. Now there’s the 2024 film of the same name, now available on digital — though its director is here to tell you that it’s not a remake. Rather, filmmaker Ryan Kruger’s latest feature is an in-universe continuation of the foundation established in the original story, with new characters introduced to carry on the homeless heroes' legacy that was fleshed out in the source material.
One such addition to theStreet Trashensemble is Chef, played by Joe Vaz — and if his physical presence strikes a nostalgic nerve in the minds of cinephiles, that’s because he looks exactly likeStanley Kubrickfrom a certain era. Ever heard of him? This is no accident, and MovieWeb learned why in our recent interview with director Kruger — who also happens to be a true film enthusiast of the decades whenthe legendary Kubrickwas making arguably the finest films of his career. And the list goes on, in terms of other folks inStreet Trashresembling icons from landmark Hollywood films.
“All the characters in this movie had a lot of references to other movies,” Kruger told us. “[Gary Green’s character] 2-Bit, you know, he’s got the red dungarees and the yellow gloves, which is like Roger Rabbit, you know? I have Alex [aka Donna Cormack-Thomson’s] character, who is [dressed] like Ripley fromAlien. [Sean Cameron Michael’s character] Ronald was likeThe Fisher King[star] Robin Williams. And then there was Chef, which was Stanley Kubrick. He’s got the jacket, he’s got the glasses. There’s always like hidden Easter eggs from movies that I loved growing up, whether it’s like ’70s movies or ’80s movies, or early 90s movies.”
Related:‘Street Trash’ Review: Reimagining an O.G. Melt Movie
Street Trash Director Ryan Kruger Dishes on His Gooey & Gory Melt Movie Remake
Filmmaker Ryan Kruger spoke with us about his new film Street Trash, which he calls more of a sequel to the hardcore ’80s classic than a remake.
Street Trash 2024: More a Remix Than a Remake
Street Trash (2024)
In the year 2050, global economic turmoil has destroyed the middle class in Cape Town, South Africa, which is now divided between the ultra-rich and the displaced. Ronald and a group of fellow houseless friends uncover a plot by the local government to ‘wash away’ the houseless population with a sinister chemical agent called ‘V.’ Now, they must risk everything to expose the truth and resist a society that’s determined to erase them.
And in the vain ofKevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, Kruger was excited to share with us how characters from hisStreet Trashfilm could go on to be featured in any one of his future projects. “What happens is,” said Kruger, “people go, if they haven’t seen the original, they go revisit the original… A lot of people sawFried Barry, my first film, and if they haven’t, and they enjoy this, then they go watchFried Barrybecause they’re like, ‘Oh, I want to see what else this guy’s done.’ So I think everything kind of goes hand in hand.”
On a similar note, that’s why he doesn’t like to call his latest movie a remake of the original, since it instead builds upon the elements of the initial film and sort of continues certain plot points, creating more of a sequel feel. Says Kruger:
“I thinkStreet Trashis dated, the original, but it’s also like — again, as a fan of the original, I love it, nothing to change. It’s made at that certain time, which is amazing that, you know, it’s a big part of my childhood, sitting there watching those films. So, at the same time, I don’t want to change that. I want to keep that the same. And it would be s*** if I copied it exactly, you know what I mean? It would be terrible. And when it comes to sequels, there’s a lot of sequels that do just copy and are the exact same thing. I’m like, ‘It’s brainless!'”
