Planet Terror
Director Robert Rodriguez is something of a modern day John Carpenter in many ways, so it seems fitting that his ode to Seventies horror films would be an homage to the films of Carpenter, particularly Assault on Precinct 13. Everything from the characters to the plot to the music is straight out of Carpenter - and yes, that is very much a good thing.
Following a band of survivors in a small town infested with zombies, Planet Terror does something that few horror movies do anymore: it creates interesting characters. These aren't simply people to be killed off one by one (though that does happen). These people have personalities, and as such it actually fun to watch them interact with each other and their zombie antagonists. Of particular note are El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), a mysterious drifter who really has a way with weapons, and Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a former go-go dancer whose dreams of being a stand-up comedian are dashed when a zombie eats off her leg. If that sounds ridiculously campy, you'd be right. And that's where the real fun lies.
The thing about grindhouse films is that most were pretty bad to begin with, and Robert Rodriguez acknowledges that by making his film overly ridiculous. The end result is extremely entertaining, perhaps the most crowd pleasing film of the year thus far. If you love schlocky old horror films but recognize that they have flaws, this film was made for you.
The Trailers
There are four trailers interspersed throughout the films, as well as other small things like commercials and theater advertisements.
The first trailer is for Machete, an Mexsploitation film (which is exactly what it sounds like). Danny Trejo is very amusing as the titular Machete, and his jacket of weapons is hilarious. Overall it might have been the weakest trailer, but it was still great.
Werewolf Women of the SS is a bit unlike the other trailers in that it seems like it knows it is a joke, whereas the others imply their movies are real. It is still very funny, as the whole concept of Nazis and werewolf women is great, and the final surprise cameo at the end of the trailer makes it perfect.
Don't is possibly the funniest trailer, as it relies almost entirely on the voice over to tell you about the film. The number of times the word "Don't" is uttered is hilarious, as is the reveal of the film's title.
Finally there is Thanksgiving. It is so dead on accurate as to how those old trailers were made, right down to the voice over, that it honestly felt like a lost horror movie that someone finally found thirty years later. It also elicited the biggest response from the audience, and for good reason: it's pretty shocking. All in all, the trailers were amazing and probably the most entertaining part of Grindhouse.
Death Proof
Finally, the movie ends with Death Proof, a Quentin Tarantino film. Something you should know is that the point of a double feature is not to give you the same film twice, but to give you two different experiences. As such, this film is a complete 180 from Planet Terror. This is a grindhouse film that isn't in on the joke, at least not much. There are some laughs to be had, but in the end this feels like a film that was actually made to be in a grindhouse, not a spoof.
The basic idea is that a guy named Stuntman Mike uses his death proof car to kill unsuspecting women. It's a great premise in theory, but it is such a slow burn to get to the action that many will be put off, especially after the fast paced first film we already watched. I can understand the need for the slow burn, as it helps you care about what happens to the victims, but I think Tarantino made a mistake in how he went about it. The women talk for long periods of time about things we couldn't care less about. It's almost tedious. Yet when the women do start to die, it is much more shocking because you feel like, for better or worse, you actually kind of knew these people, so seeing them violently dismembered is more shocking than amusing.
Kurt Russell is perfect in the film, balancing both creepiness and charm. Yet he is unlike your typical horror film villain in that, when the tables turn on him, he is no longer brave at all. The women in the film are largely annoying, although that has more to do with the dialogue than the acting. Zoe Bell, who is a stuntwoman, plays herself, and while her acting is nothing special, her stunt work is amazing. That's kind of the problem with Death Proof: it has some of the worst elements in Grindhouse (the dialogue), but also some of the best. The car chases and crashes are phenomenal, and ultimately make the whole thing worth it.
Overall
Overall, this was an amazing experience of a film. It's a shame that it has failed so miserably at the box office, as it is a true crowd pleaser. I'd almost say that you shouldn't see it unless you see it in theaters with an audience, as that's where a lot of the enjoyment comes from. Still, I suspect that this is the kind of film that will be showing at midnight movies for years to come every Halloween. That is ultimately what it was probably made for, just like the grindhouse pictures it is worshiping.
