Low Life Cult Flix Screen at Voodoo Scooters

The following communique was disseminated via DCat's subterranean show list. My only comment: BOSS.

"DJ Caterwaul teams up with Voodoo Scooters, on Thursday, May 19, to bring you some of the sickest, grimiest visions of human existence ever committed to celluloid. Well actually, there are sicker ones, but these two cult gems just radiate & revel in human degradation, with a wicked sense of humor at the same time.

Street Trash (J. Michael Muro, 1987) has a lot in common with early Peter Jackson movies in terms of pure grossout glee, but this one’s got a really nasty urban disposition. It was shot in gonzo fashion on location in NYC, during a small window of time when filmmakers could get away with a lot more shock value than now. And boy, do they ever. It’s definitely not for the politically correct or weak of stomach. Some of the scenes still make me cringe, and not for the gore effects alone, which are probably the most enjoyable part of the flick.

What’s the movie about? Oh, umm…the violent social ecosystem of homeless derelicts fighting to survive in pre-Giuliani NYC; dissing, robbing, raping, mutilating & killing each other. Occasionally the bums also drink poisoned rotgut liquor that makes them explode & melt all over the place in neon gore. It’s a sick hoot, and one of a kind- but don’t say you weren’t warned.

The Dark Backward (Adam Rifkin, 1991) is a lot tamer on the gore, but makes up for it in Lynchian weirdity and pure filth. If Street Trash is Bumsploitation, then this is literally Trashploitation, as garbage is practically a main character in the film. Textured layers of grime & scum cover every surface in almost every scene. Sordid & despicable human behavior fills out the rest. The plot follows two garbagemen, one of whom is a miserable failed comedian (that Neil Hamburger has to have been inspired by), the other a cackling, opportunistic degenerate who treats his buddy like shit. Out of nowhere, the comedian develops a bizarre physical mutation that his “friend” sees as a potential goldmine. More gratuitous misery ensues. This existential fable disguised as a cult film stars a nearly unrecognizable Judd Nelson, a maniacal Bill Paxton,Lara Flynn Boyle and freakin’ Wayne Newton as the sleazy promoter! You’ll definitely want a shower after this.

Thursday, May 19 @ Voodoo Scooter/The Shack (2318 Central SE) 8-11:30pm, donations welcome, popcorn on Tha Shack, BYOWhateva. Many thanks to Basement Films for the loan of the projector."