PopHorror Let's Get Scared
With the zombie horror genre pretty much have taking over the last few years, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a great vampire horror movie. So, I was thinking maybe we should revisit one of the great cult classic vampire movies of all time and celebrate it’s 20th year anniversary. Yes, From Dusk Till Dawn turned 20 years old earlier this year! Can you believe it? Even though the time has passed us by, this movie certainly hasn’t aged at all. It’s completely worth a celebration and let me break down why.
On January 17th, 1996, director Robert Rodriguez and Oscar-winning screenwriter Quentin Tarantino brought us the astounding cult classic film, From Dusk Till Dawn. Its theatrical debut grossed over $10 million dollars on opening week, making it the number one. Altogether it ended up grossing a little over $25 million. Once it was released on video, word got around and the film developed a cult following. It has since spawned two prequels: From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) and From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter. Both were direct to video. There was also a video game released for the PC in 2001, a first-person shooter taking place directly after the original film ended. In 2014, a television show of the same name was developed. You can now watch the first two seasons on Netflix.
From Dusk Till Dawn follows two bank robbing brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Ritchie (Quentin Tarantino), who are trying to escape Texas and cross the Mexico border. Problems quickly arise as they kill a sheriff and burn down a gas station. They go to a motel, where they run into a distraught widower (Harvey Keitel) and his two children (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu). They see that the family has an RV and kidnap them in hopes that it will help them cross over into Mexico. After arriving in Mexico they go to a bar called the Titty Twister. But this club happens to be a nest of vampires, whom the group must battle until dawn breaks. Who will survive?
What makes this movie so fun is the fact that it is literally two movies into one. Double the awesomeness! At first, you’re on this journey with the bank-robbing Gecko brothers. You’re wondering if they will be caught by the law, what they’re going to do this family, and what how much more creepy can Tarantino get? However, that’s only a small part of the movie. The vibe completely changes once they reach the Mexico border and visit the Titty Twister club. Plus, Quentin Tarantino is absolutely fantastic on and off screen, the characters and the actors who play them are amazing, and it has an epic fucking twist that no one would ever expect. All of these factors play a huge part in why this vampire film stands out among the rest and is a timeless classic!
As I mentioned, Quentin Tarantino is amazing. This script has his name all over it as it is unique and bizarre in the best way possible. It’s also one of his biggest roles in a movie. He’s always kind of a creeper and off the wall, but in this one even more so with his crazy sadistic thoughts that he believes to be true. For a change, though, he actually got to be part of his foot fetish with the sexy vamp (Selma Hayek). Seriously, the guy has a thing for feet. It’s incorporated into all of his films. This one is no exception!
Beyond Quentin Tarantino, the other characters deliver great performances as well. Let’s talk about George Clooney who went from playing a sweet doctor on the television show ER to a sexy bad ass with a hot neck tattoo. I believe this movie made him into the sex symbol he is now. Then there is Juliette Lewis, which we knew from her unbelievable crazy psycho performance in the 1994 cult classic Natural Born Killers, playing Kate, the sweet and innocent daughter. That woman can act! Also multiple cameos from the ever-hilarious Cheech Marion who dropped some great unforgettable one-liners such as “You know what they say about me? I suck.” Also, Harvey Keitel is a must for a Tarantino film. He added much to the role of the grieving father who lost his faith in God, but steps up when he needs to and will do anything to protect his kids. And last but not least who can forget the character “Sex Machine,” played by Tom Savini. Without him, the movie wouldn’t have been the same.
This is one of the best twists and unique stories ever: going from bank robbers to kidnappers to the crazy turn of events in which they end up ending up in a vampire lair. Like seriously, who thought this movie would end up this way? From Dusk Till Dawn makes you feel like you are on drugs not knowing which way is up and which way is down or what’s going to happen next. Tarantino delivers the right amount of shock value at the end, even though it’s slightly over the top. But this is why we all have come to love him so much.
Final Thoughts:
Twenty years later and this movie is still a freaking blast. I recently read that Tarantino is only going to make two more movies and that better be an internet lie because his films are honestly timeless. Whenever I turn this movie on it’s like watching it for the first time all over again. If you find yourself browsing Netflix and can’t find anything decent to watch, do yourself the favor and honor this movie by celebrating its anniversary. In the words of Seth, “be cool” and hit play!
