Ah, Grindhouse. What a special little project that came together during a time in which the horror genre was, well, not in the best shape, to put it nicely. The market was saturated with certain genres and movies of a low caliber. Well, Grindhouse does actually fit into one of those excessive genres, but there’s a lot to it that makes it so special. An ode or tribute to the grindhouse horror double-features that took place before I was born, Grindhouse mimics the cinematic experience of that time.

Wikipedia defines “Grindhouse” as:

“A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the “grind policy”, a film-programming strategy dating back to the early 1920s which continuously showed films at cut-rate ticket prices that typically rose over the course of each day. This exhibition practice was markedly different from the era’s more common practice of fewer shows per day and graduated pricing for different seating sections in large urban theatres, which were typically studio-owned.”

— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindhouse

The actual Grindhouse double-feature put together by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino pays proper homage to the experience, especially with the assistance of bonus directors who put together spoof trailers of other horror films. This includes Eli Roth and Rob Zombie—two directors whose movies I tend to dislike, but they’re more tolerable in small doses. There are portions of the two primary films that have the distinct film grain quality to make them look cheap. There are also moments where the movie claims to have scenes missing—which reminds me of a particular Nine Inch Nails music video. It’s an experience that, for years after its release, was only something you could get in the theatres because the movie studios decided to split up the two major pictures into their own separate DVDs. However, not long ago they re-released everything (including the trailers) as a Blu-ray package. I got to experience it all again for myself in my home recently and, despite not being in a theater, it was still a fun blast from the past.

That’s not to say I think Grindhouse and the movies within it are a must-have for horror fans. As the quote suggests, the type of horror on display is specific. Psychological thrillers or thoughtful films like Silence of the Lambs or Under the Skin are not the type that would be here. It’s immature, oversexualized, raunchy, and violet horror. The trailers and the first feature of Grindhouse, Planet Terror, fit right into this description. Death Proof, the second film, has its gory & sexy bits as well, but more of it is dedicated to dialogue and a car chase sequence. If you’ve never seen either of these or the whole package, I’ll give you a quick rundown with my opinions.

Planet Terror

Planet Terror starts with a sexy dance by a stripper named Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan). Shortly after the opening credits end, the movie cuts to a military base where a shady deal is going down, and one gentleman’s testicles are forcibly removed as punishment for his failures. It gets worse for everyone there, however, as the military crew that was previously helping with the shady deal pulls a double-cross in the hopes of getting a mysterious gas mixture that they need for reasons unknown.

The containers for said gas get damaged in a firefight and before you know it, people are getting infected with something that gives everyone boils on their skin and a hunger for human flesh. Cherry’s ex, Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) is driving her home in his tow truck when they’re attacked and the zombies rip off Cherry’s right leg. Wray takes her to the hospital, which is quickly being overrun and that’s where the ridiculousness starts to ramp up.

Up to this point, Planet Terror is pretty standard zombie horror with some dumb jokes. It has some extra gross gore effects for all the boils on the zombies’ faces, and the scenes in which someone dies are appropriately excessive in their gore. The more unique fun comes with the Robert Rodriguez flair and comedy. For example, Wray adds a table leg to Cherry’s stump to give her a peg leg. As they escape the hospital in the commotion, Cherry is spinning and slipping all over the place as she tries to get used to walking. Meanwhile, Wray is doing acrobatic flips and spins as he tears zombies apart with his knives. Likewise, there’s a sequence in which characters are preparing for an attack. The scene is “missing” however, and we jump back to see one of the characters is severely injured and others might be dead. It’s the bait & switch humor similar to Tenacious D’s “Tribute” where they’re playing a song in tribute to the greatest song in the world that they can’t remember how to play. I haven’t even mentioned the funny addition that Cherry gets to her leg later that everyone knows about.

There’s other immature humor as well that plays off the gore. One character who's planning on sexually assaulting Cherry is also melting at the same time, so we can only guess what she sees that’s so disgusting when he pulls down his pants. Like I said, this is some gross, raunchy horror. Planet Terror isn’t trying to be the next George A Romero zombie movie. It’s mostly just trying to be ridiculous and fun, which I think it achieves quite well.

That isn’t to say it’s perfect. I couldn’t really tell you much of the plot because I don’t remember there being much of one. It’s a zombie movie that is far more focused on the gags than a thrilling story or deep characters. It’s pure, simple, “turn your brain off” entertainment and the passion of Robert Rodriguez is clearly on display. If you’ve watched From Dusk Till Dawn or Desperado, you’ll get the same sort of tone and humor mixed with over-the-top action.

Death Proof

When people talk about Grindhouse with reverence, I feel that most people talk about the second film Death Proof, rather than Planet Terror. Planet Terror is the more visually striking movie and kind of seems to be the marketing movie of the double feature because there’s just so much craziness you can use for marketing material. However, when it comes to the more memorable movie of the two, Death Proof has that honor. Well, a few key sequences of the movie are more memorable.

Of the two films, I prefer Planet Terror as a whole, and that’s not just because I often find Tarantino to be overbearing with his style. It’s that there’s a fair amount of Death Proof that I think doesn’t really add much to the experience and because there are some really questionable choices made with the style of the movie. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel) is an older gentleman and former stuntman (maybe) who frequents a local bar. He drives a modified Chevy Nova that he claims is death-proof and comes across as friendly enough but clearly has a dark edge to him as well. A group of young girls who are trying to have a fun night out at the bar interact with him for a while. One named Pam (Rose McGowan) gets in his car hoping for a ride home. Unfortunately for all of them, Stuntman Mike is a psychopath who likes to kill people with his car as his weapon of choice. With his deed done and not enough evidence to convict him, Mike disappears for a while before he returns to menace another group of girls. This group happens to be some daredevils, which sets things up for a big finale.

Now, despite me not giving a whole lot of details in that last paragraph, I’ve basically told you 90% of what happens in the movie. A significant portion of the film is spent in the bar with the first group of girls. The film spends a lot of time having them discuss their friends, boyfriends, and drama in their lives while also allowing Kurt Russel to outact everyone else there. It’s a mixed bag of quality. On the one hand, I like that the movie really wants you to just spend time with Stuntman Mike like the girls do so you can see why he can be charming, but also a bit dangerous. I like that despite being a horror movie that delivers on the gory impact, it really is in no rush to get there. On the other hand, the dialogue itself and what happens during this portion of the movie is not as engaging as the film thinks it is and feels pointless when the movie is over. You have to be interested in Mike and Kurt Russel’s ability to play this type of character to really enjoy it. Otherwise, it feels like a portion of the film that you might almost be better off skipping entirely.

When the movie shifts focus to the group of daredevils, Death Proof improves in a lot of ways, despite losing the cool film-grain look. The dialogue of this group of women is far more compelling and there’s a sequence in particular that showcases it. It’s a scene where the four of them are in a diner and the camera is spinning around them as they talk. It stops to focus on one of them as they’re talking or reacting, then swivels back around as the conversation continues. The dialogue itself is pretty good, as it establishes the personalities of each woman pretty well, while also setting up for the scenes that follow. It goes on for about 8 minutes and is one long shot. This simple direction/cinematography trick makes the conversation more interesting, which it already is in comparison to the discussions happening earlier. Shortly after this, the main attraction of Death Proof begins.

The main reason people remember Death Proof more than Planet Terror is because the car chase sequence at the end is so good. I’ll admit that I was gritting my teeth as I watched it once again. It’s tense, harrowing, and stunning because of the fact that it was as real of a chase as you could get. It’s a testament to the power of practical effects and real stunts in how they can affect your enjoyment of an action sequence. It’s why the crazy stunts of Mad Max: Fury Road are so much more compelling than 90% of what you see in modern action movies. Death Proof is paying tribute to the action movies of the ‘70s that had crazy car chases, directly referencing Vanishing Point during the diner conversation. Other movies like Bullet, Gone in Sixty Seconds, and even some James Bond films during the ‘70s had amazing car chase sequences with real crashes and stunts that you just never see anymore because they were so dangerous and expensive. It comes across as even more dangerous when you have the actors doing their own stunts instead of a stuntman or stuntwoman, which is the case here. Zoe Bell is on the hood of the car the whole time during this sequence and would definitely have sustained severe injuries or died if something didn’t go right.

In case you couldn’t tell, I think the last forty-five minutes of Death Proof—from the moment the first group of girls is killed—is where the movie is at its best. It’s why I would almost recommend skipping ahead to that point and not even bothering with the first half, despite its positives. Part of this is just how good the second half is, but another part is the fact that the movie seems inconsistent with the two separate halves. It’s as though we’re watching a sequel to the movie within the same movie. The way Stuntman Mike is portrayed in the first half of the film and the second half is also inconsistent. He’s brooding and tough but is then made into a joke by the end. I don’t really understand the decision behind it. If you skip the sequence that makes him more menacing, then it’s less jarring to see him blubbering and whining in his car at the end when the tables have turned.

The Trailers

There are four separate trailers that make up the time before and between the films. Their names are Machete, Thanksgiving, Werewolf Women of the S.S., and Don’t. Of all the trailers featured, the only one I’m aware of ever actually leading to a full-length film is Machete. Part of that is probably because it’s Danny F***ing Trejo in the hero role, and he’s willing to be in any movie, regardless of quality. Part of it is that it very clearly is another Robert Rodriguez classic in the making. I can’t speak to the full-length Machete’s actual quality, as I have not yet seen it at the time of writing this. However, there’s a reason it’s the first trailer you see because it sets the tone for the rest of the Grindhouse experience.

The other trailers are kind of in line with the styles of their directors. Thanksgiving was directed by Eli Roth. Werewolf Women of the S.S. was directed by Rob Zombie. Don’t was directed by Edgar Wright. Eli Roth is known for his preference to make gore the highlight of the show and often considers it more important than his plot, or anything else for that matter. In fact, when I think of a grindhouse-style director, it’s a neck-and-neck race between him and Zombie as to who fits that role more. The promotional voice chosen for the trailers perfectly matches the tone of each trailer, with Thanksgiving and Don’t just having their titles repeated whenever something “scary” happens. Werewolf Women of the S.S. is much more bombastic as though it were a Rob Zombie music video. And of course, his wife has to be featured in the trailer as well because a Rob Zombie movie wouldn’t be complete without her or Bill Mosely.

Machete is probably the only trailer I would have an interest in actually seeing. I like Wright’s movies far more than Roth’s or Zombies, but Machete is the only one that looks like it has much of a plot. Obviously, I can’t fault any of them for lack of plot when they were just meant to be jokes, so take it for what you will. I laughed at all of them. Even if you don’t like them for whatever reason, they’re gone before you know it. Regardless, they add to the overall unique experience of Grindhouse.

Worth Remembering?

Absolutely! I know that the world is moving further and further away from physical media with various streaming services—a movement I am fighting tooth and nail. However, we risk losing experiences like Grindhouse as a result. I didn’t get to partake it in when the movies were originally in theaters as a double feature, so I only saw Planet Terror and Death Proof on their own without the trailers in between. Obviously, YouTube made it easy enough to see the trailers on my own time, but without the context of the intended Grindhouse experience, the jokes don’t land quite as well.

I recently saw that streaming services were offering special versions of films—Harry Potter on HBO, for example—in which trivia and director’s commentary were added back into the film. So there’s a hope that they would be willing to do something similar for horror movies like this. I think it would be great to make your own double-feature experience with something like a playlist to give you a similar sensation of going to the theater. However, I’m also not so naïve to think that streaming services would be willing to do that without additional fees for very long. If you can find the Blu-ray for Grindhouse that has both films and the trailers, I recommend you pick it up before it goes out of print and you lose your chance to experience it the way it was intended for a second time.

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