Horror Stack - From Dusk till Dawn (1996)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Cast: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Tom Savini

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 108 min

Horror Stack is a series dedicated to reviewing films within the horror genre specifically during October in order to get myself into the mood of the Halloween season. Whether I've seen them before or not at all, those stacks of horror film DVDs and Blu-Rays are never better than during October.

From Dusk till Dawn is a fantastic action/horror hybrid that pays tribute to all things 'grindhouse' and genre cinema in general. Excluding the anthology film Four Rooms, From Dusk till Dawn was the first true collaboration between director/writer buddies Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) and Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Sin City). Besides their affinity for genre films, gore, and expletives, the two filmmakers could not be more different than one another. 

Tarantino directs slow paced dramatic thrillers that feature oodles of dialog and odes to his favorite films. His films tend to be critically and commercially successful too, garnering numerous Academy Awards and cementing various actors' careers for good (i.e. Tim Roth, Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, John Travolta, Christoph Waltz). He also works with fairly big budgets and only shoots on film. Tarantino is such an accomplished filmmaker that each new film of his is typically regarded as an event amongst film buffs.

Rodriguez on the other hand is a completely different filmmaker. He works cheap and always shoots on digital. He also works with impressive casts, but rarely crafts memorable characters for said actors. Rodriguez's cinematic odes to his favorite genre films tend to come off more as pastiches than legitimate homages (excluding El Mariachi trilogy). However, the man has a recognizable name, and a small group of film buffs admire the filmmaker for his DIY filmmaking techniques. Whereas Tarantino has consistently grown as a filmmaker, Rodriguez has slumped and fallen. 

George Clooney takes aim at John Hawkes gangster style.

However, neither filmmaker's importance should be taken for granted. Each played an important part in the initial low budget indie scene of the 90s, Rodriguez with El Mariachi and Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs. Therefore, it's nice that the two filmmakers drifted towards one another with From Dusk till Dawn in 1996. The film is the perfect split between the two. Rodriguez directed and brought all of his energetic camera work and eye for mayhem to the film while Tarantino starred and wrote the script. Even though one could argue that the film is both theirs, various elements of the film are more Rodriguez than Tarantino and more Tarantino than Rodriguez. The general consensus is that the first half is a Tarantino film while the second half is more a Rodriguez film. Regardless, From Dusk till Dawn is the true 'grindhouse' collaboration between the two and a more honest love letter to exploitation cinema than either filmmakers' future Grindhouse double feature.

Newcomers should be warned that From Dusk till Dawn is infamous for its third act twist in which the film completely shifts genres. Therefore, do not read any further if you wish to experience the film for yourself. You've been warned.

From Dusk till Dawn tells the story of the Gecko Brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino), two notorious criminals who are currently making their way to Mexico in order to lay low after robbing a bank. The two hold a family hostage and force them to drive them to Mexico. The family, composing of Jacob (Harvey Keitel), Kate (Juliette Lewis), Scott (Ernest Liu), has no say in the matter and plays along with the brothers' game. After the group successfully crosses the border, they rendezvous at the Titty Twister, a trucker bar, until Seth's contact meets up with them. Unfortunately, the group picks the worse bar in the country, as the Titty Twister turns out to be a bar run by vampires! The rag tag group fights for their lives against an onslaught of vampires, along with the help of fellow bikers Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and Frost (Fred Williamson). 

The two brothers land themselves in Vampire Hell.

From Dusk till Dawn is an excellent blend of all things action, suspense, thriller, comedy, exploitation, and grindhouse. The film features not only an incredible cast of characters (courtesy of Tarantino's excellent writing), but also a plethora of gory special effects and amazing animatronic creatures. From Dusk till Dawn is such a great film because it features a memorable cast of characters with well defined backgrounds and characteristics. It's one thing for a film to feature head decapitations, murderous vampires, and buckets of gore. However, if you combine said elements of genre cinema with excellent characters, than you have a film that viewers will root for and get behind. Tarantino did this as well with Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained by creating genre films that homaged his favorite films of the past but also featured excellent characters that most genre films of the past never had. The cinematic rule learned here is: always have great characters, and you can get away with anything.

The Gecko Brothers are a tricky pair of leads for a film of this nature, as neither is morally upright or particularly redeemable. While Richie does nothing but creep his way through the picture until his death, Seth showcases a sense of moral righteousness even if he is a murderous thief. He seems to be against killing innocent people who harm him in no way. Look to his tough but honest regard for the middle aged hostage at the beginning of the film or Jacob's family. Seth will kill you if he has too, but ultimately doesn't want too. He puts on a tough act, but deep down is ultimately a redeemable character, just barely though.

Jacob is another interesting character who undergoes the same arc as Mel Gibson's character from Signs in that he gains his faith back in God. He starts off as a hardened widow who finds himself caught in a tricky situation when Seth and Richie threaten to murder his children. Fortunately, Jacob plays along with them and becomes an integral part in defeating the vampires. It's a God send that Rodriguez and Tarantino were not only able to create memorable characters, but were able to populate said characters with excellent actors like Clooney, Tarantino himself, and Keitel. 

When this is the cast of your movie, you really can't go wrong.

From Dusk till Dawn also features some of the best damn cameos and supporting performances this side of the 90s. Appearances by genre legends John Saxon (Enter the Dragon, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Parks (Death Wish V, The Evictors), Fred Williamson (Inglorious Bastards, Vigilante), and Tom Savini (Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead) spice up the film's genre infused proceedings. The film also features appearances by Rodriguez's good 'ol friends Danny Trejo (Machete), Salma Hayek (Desperado), and Cheech Marin in a tri-role performance as a border patrol officer, a vampire, and Seth's contact! Along with small appearances by John Hawkes, Kelly Preston, Greg Nicotero, and band Tito & Tarantula, From Dusk till Dawn has one of the best ensemble casts of any action film to date.

Rodriguez's eye for action is as spot on as his other 90s action pictures, El Mariachi and Desperado. It's a joy to see Rodriguez play with practical gun and gore effects in his action scenes as well, as the filmmaker would go on to ditch all things practical in favor of digital this and that in Once Upon a Tim in Mexico and the Machete films. From Dusk till Dawn is truly Rodriguez at his peak, working with both an excellent cast, crafting memorable action, and directing a great script by his buddy Tarantino. Even though Rodriguez would go onto create Sin City, arguably the best film in his entire filmography, From Dusk till Dawn is consistently my favorite film of his purely for its gung-ho story and senseless regard for reality or restraint.

Unfortunately, the film is held down by only a few minor flaws. As far as mythology building goes, From Dusk till Dawn has no interest in it. While the first half of the film is tight and to the point, the vampire portion of the film is filled with plot holes and nagging questions. For example, how is this the first time that any survivors have put up a fight against these vampires so easily? Has every biker fallen at every vampires' hand before? After all, Fred Williamson picks up vampires like nobody's business and stakes them to death as if he were taking out the trash. I guess it helps when you are George Clooney or Tom Savini, as you will most likely out live Biker #1 or Biker #2. Still, it's a frustrating question and one that pops up in your head once the vampire mayhem begins.

Also, why does each vampires' death vary so greatly? Some explode, some melt, some ooze goo, and others burst into flames. It's all fun and games to Tarantino and Rodriguez, but frustrating to those hoping for a semblance of rule establishment. The two filmmakers throw all care to the wind when Clooney rips the head off of a vampire only for its leftover body to turn into a physical rat creature! There is no explanation or precedent for it either! A decapitated vampire literally turns into a rat creature. Therefore, one must throw all reason to the wind in order to properly enjoy From Dusk till Dawn. It's just a slight betrayal by the two filmmakers to establish believable and legitimate characters in a world where anything can happen monster wise. 

Academy Award winning actor George Clooney ladies and gentlemen.

Besides the script's disregard for rule establishment concerning its monsters, From Dusk til Dawn also features Rodriguez's flaws as a fast paced filmmaker. The film is littered with continuity errors concerning Clooney's revolver shooting. Sometimes the gun can fire seven to twelve shots, and sometimes it can only fire a few before needing to be reloaded. Regardless, Rodriguez and Tarantino should have chosen a different signature hand gun for their lead protagonist to blaze away with.

Tarantino and Rodriguez would go on to direct a Grindhouse double feature in 2007, consisting of Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Tarantino's Death Proof. Whereas From Dusk till Dawn feels like an honest to goodness collaboration between two different artists, the two Grindhouse films feel awfully disparate from one another. Planet Terror is overstuffed with unnecessary characters and silly pastiche while Death Proof is a slow paced dialog fest with minimal exploitation elements. Therefore, viewers should turn towards From Dusk till Dawn if they want to see the true 'grindhouse' collaboration between Tarantino and Rodriguez, not that silly filth from 2007. Highly recommended amongst genre fanatics and Tarantino heads.

Rating: 8/10 - Mild flaws are the only thing keeping From Dusk till Dawn from being one of the all time great horror films. Still, it's easily one of the best horror films to come out of the 90s.

Franchise:

From Dusk till Dawn (Robert Rodriguez, 1996)

From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (Scott Spiegel, 1999)

From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (P. J. Pesce, 2000)