#13 - FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - Horror Countdown to Halloween

#13 – FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (1996)

Dir. Robert Rodriguez

 George Clooney, starring alongside Quentin Tarantino, it’s the mother fucking dream team! You know what I’m talking about here, lucky number 13 on our Horror Countdown to Halloween From Dusk till Dawn! This 1996 film was the brainchild of Robert Kurtzman and was penned by, arguably the most entertaining writer in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino. Now to add to this amazing roster we get the prodigy child Robert Rodriguez directing this blood sucker of a film; oh and not to mention the always hilarious Cheech Marin playing three different roles throughout!

If you’re unfamiliar with this movie, it’s about the Gecko brothers (Clooney and Tarantino) and their trip down south to cross the border into Mexico. They’re being hunted by every person with a badge in Texas(including the feds) and need to get to Mexico where they have a contact offering them safe haven. They run across a family in an RV who stopped at a hotel for the night. The Gecko brothers do the only logical thing they can do and take the family hostage so they can use them and their RV to cross the border without getting caught. The family is lead by the father, and ex-pastor, Jacob, played by Harvey Keitel, who has a daughter with him named Kate. Kate is played by Juliette Lewis and her adopted brother Scott is along for the ride too.

They cross the border and end up at a giant grunge bar named Titty Twitser. The Titty Twister is full of truckers, rough necks and other brutish types who don’t take to kindly to these visitors. However, after Clooney’s character roughs up a few of the locals they allow the group to come in and drink. After a seductive dance by one of the club girls, played by the sexy Salma Hayek, things start to get a little hairy for our team. Just as you’d expect all of the locals at the bar start turning into vampire monsters who are out for the blood of the Gecko brothers and their new friends.

Now that you know what From Dusk till Dawn is about, I don’t think I have to tell you why it’s awesome, but I will anyways! As I hinted to earlier in this piece, the cast of this film is amazing. George Clooney gives a stellar performance in a role we don’t often see him in, the bad guy; Tarantino gives a great performance as Clooney’s brother and sidekick. Then we get a great performance by Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis. Now if that wasn’t enough amazingness for you, don’t forget that Cheech Marin plays three different small parts in the film and we get some really fun cameos from John Hawkes, Michael Parks,  Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, Salma Hayek and Tom Savini as “Sex Machine”! 

Another great note about this movie is that it’s almost two movies in one. The first half of the film is very much non-horror. It’s the story of a pastor who is questioning his faith because of the loss of his wife. He is on a road trip with his kids when they are taken hostage by a couple of scoundrels.They are forced to cooperate with these guys or they could be murdered. Then as the film progresses we get an all out monster action horror film as the 5 main characters now have to band together to fight the evil that lurks within the Twitty Twister. Overall this movie has everything you want in front of you, a great story, amazing actors and a ton of action and gore..oh and Cheech Marin. 






-Brett O. Walker