Mon. Feb 10th, 2025

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) – 4.5 Bloody Tequila Shots

From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino.

The film follows the Gecko brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino), who are dangerous bank robbers on the run.  They take a family hostage and cross the Mexican border, where they end up at a remote bar called the Titty Twister, which is run by vampires.

The film starts as a crime thriller but then takes an unexpected turn into the horror genre, shocking the audience. It combines vicious violence, humor, and over-the-top vampire action.

Review by Ben Dover:

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) – 4.5 Bloody Tequila Shots

Well, slap me silly and call me a Baptist preacher in a strip club! Just when I thought I’d seen it all, along comes “From Dusk Till Dawn” to remind me that Hollywood can still surprise this old coot. This flick is what you’d get if you tossed “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Evil Dead,” and a bottle of mezcal into a blender and hit puree.

George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino play the Gecko brothers, two criminals who could teach a masterclass in dysfunction. Clooney struts around like he’s God’s gift to women (and vampires), while Tarantino proves that his talents definitely lie behind the camera. Seriously, his acting is stiffer than week-old roadkill.

The first half of the movie is a crime thriller that’ll have you thinking you accidentally switched films halfway through. Then BAM! Faster than you can say “Holy guacamole,” we’re knee-deep in vampire strippers and more fake blood than a Transylvanian blood bank.

Enter Harvey Keitel as a crisis-of-faith preacher and his two kids, who look about as comfortable in this movie as a nun at a biker rally. They’re dragged along for the ride in what has to be the worst family road trip since the Donner Party.

Once we hit the Titty Twister (and boy, what a name for a bar), all hell breaks loose. And I mean that literally. We’ve got vampires doing strip shows, a band made of skeletons, and more creative kills than you can shake a stake at. It’s like someone gave Robert Rodriguez a blank check and said, “Go nuts, amigo!”

The action is more over-the-top than a Cirque du Soleil performance on steroids. Guns, stakes, holy water squirt guns – you name it, they use it. There’s even a codpiece gun that’ll make you question everything you thought you knew about anatomy.

Salma Hayek’s vampire dance number is hotter than a jalapeño enema and twice as uncomfortable to watch with your kids. Not that you should be watching this with your kids. Unless you want them to need therapy until they’re my age.

Is “From Dusk Till Dawn” high art? Hell no. Is it a rollicking good time? You bet your sweet bippy it is. It’s the kind of movie that grabs you by the collar, slaps you across the face, and says, “We’re going on a ride, pendejo. Try to keep up.”

So, if you like your movies with equal parts blood and ridiculousness, and don’t mind feeling like you need a shower and a tetanus shot afterwards, give “From Dusk Till Dawn” a watch. Just maybe skip the tequila while viewing. You’ll need your wits about you for this one.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go gargle some holy water and make sure my local dive bar isn’t secretly run by the undead. Can’t be too careful these days.

Notes:

Gross worldwide:
$25,837,169

Budget
$19,000,000 (estimated)

Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes

Salma Hayek has a real fear of snakes and had always refused to be near them. Naturally when she read the script, she knew her phobia would prevent her from taking the part. Robert Rodriguez conned her into thinking that Madonna was ready to nab the part instead so Hayek spent two months with therapists to overcome her fear.

Green blood was used for the vampires to get the movie past the censors that much blood in1996 would have meant the dreaded NC-17.

Quentin Tarantino was originally set to direct the movie, but decided not to, so that he could focus more on the screenplay and his role as Richard Gecko.

Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) served as make-up artist on almost all of the films of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

Quotes:

Carlos: So, what, were they psychos, or…
Seth: Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don’t give a fuck how crazy they are!

Kate: Where are you taking us?
Richie: Mexico.
Kate: What’s in Mexico?
Richie: Mexicans.

Jacob: Does anybody know what’s going on here?
Seth: I know what’s going on. We got a bunch of fucking vampires out there, trying to get in here and suck our fucking blood. And that’s it. Plain and simple. I don’t want to hear anything about “I don’t believe in vampires,” because I don’t fucking believe in vampires, but I believe in my own two eyes, and what I saw, is fucking vampires. Now, do we all agree that what we are dealing with is vampires?
Kate: Yes.

Critics Consensus:

Critics 63% Audience 76% Rotten Tomatoes

The film received mixed reviews but has since gained a cult following. It was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money and From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter.

Overall, From Dusk Till Dawn is a unique genre-blending film that showcases the talents of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez…

Trailer:

AI Images:

Kind of went insane with the AI on this one

By Michael

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