diff --git a/mypy.ini b/mypy.ini
index 75e6a5646b9352802d8cd3bf39c378de14029e3a..999a7e5904e2df44d08d8fd449465c56a970fa21 100644
--- a/mypy.ini
+++ b/mypy.ini
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@ exclude = "src/pystencils/old"
 [mypy-pystencils.*]
 ignore_errors=true
 
+[mypy-pystencils.backend.*]
+ignore_errors = False
+
 [mypy-setuptools.*]
 ignore_missing_imports=true
 
 [mypy-appdirs.*]
 ignore_missing_imports=true
-
-[mypy-pystencils.backend.*]
-ignore_errors = False
diff --git a/src/pystencils/backend/functions.py b/src/pystencils/backend/functions.py
index bddb5ca1a6ddfe3883bbe005b375b79b51639fab..81c48d108f091b14348d1e9fbecb8979fd896ee8 100644
--- a/src/pystencils/backend/functions.py
+++ b/src/pystencils/backend/functions.py
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ from typing import Any, TYPE_CHECKING
 from abc import ABC
 from enum import Enum
 
-from .types import PsAbstractType
-
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .ast.expressions import PsExpression
 
@@ -97,43 +95,3 @@ class PsMathFunction(PsFunction):
     @property
     def arg_count(self) -> int:
         return self._func.arg_count
-
-
-class Deref(PsFunction):
-    """Dereferences a pointer."""
-
-    def __init__(self):
-        super().__init__("deref", 1)
-
-
-deref = Deref()
-
-
-class AddressOf(PsFunction):
-    """Take the address of an object"""
-
-    def __init__(self):
-        super().__init__("address_of", 1)
-
-
-address_of = AddressOf()
-
-
-class Cast(PsFunction):
-    """An unsafe C-style type cast"""
-
-    def __init__(self, target_type: PsAbstractType):
-        super().__init__("cast", 1)
-        self._target_type = target_type
-
-    @property
-    def arg_count(self) -> int:
-        return 1
-
-    @property
-    def target_type(self) -> PsAbstractType:
-        return self._target_type
-
-
-def cast(target_type: PsAbstractType, arg: PsExpression):
-    return Cast(target_type)(arg)