A Reel 25: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN

 “If you try to run, I’ve got six little friends and they can all run faster than you can.”

 

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN. 

 

Directed by stylish director Robert Rodriquez off a script by Quentin Tarantino, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN follows the path of carnage by the Gecko brothers (Tarantino and George Clooney), who after kidnapping a preacher and his family (Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis), find themselves in a strip club where the employees reveal themselves to be vampires.

 

The film was brought to life by first-time producer Robert Kurtzman, who in the 1990’s was a successful special effects supervisor with horror films such as WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (1994), and ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992) under his belt. The job of writing the script would go to Quentin Tarantino for his first paid writing assignment. Tarantino’s script was originally thought to be a sequel to the horror/comedy DEMON KNIGHT (1995) as part of the TALES FROM THE CRYPT film trilogy. That trilogy would go in another direction, and Robert Rodriguez would come on board to direct. It would be his third feature, having broken out in 1995 with DESPERADO. 

 

The film would be George Clooney’s feature film debut, having made a name for himself on the TV ratings monster ER. In addition to Clooney, Tarantino, Keitel, and Juliette Lewis…the rest of the impressive cast would include Salma Hayek, Cheech Martin, Danny Trejo, Fred “the hammer” Williamson, Michael Parks, John Saxon, John Hawkes, and the late Kelly Preston. 

 

Despite the heavy violence (and a ban in Ireland), FROM DUSK TILL DAWN opened at No. 1 at the U.S. box office, and was a modest hit thanks to its small budget. Despite mixed reviews, the film would become a cult favorite over the years, and would catapult the careers of Rodriguez, Tarantino, and Clooney. Clooney would win Best Actor at the Saturn Awards, Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and MTV Movie Awards. The Saturn Awards would also name it Best Horror Film of 1996. The film would inspire a television series and would be followed-up by two direct-to-video prequel films. 

 

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This Blogger had never been the biggest fan of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN; it’s a film that always felt vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. But there is no denying the film’s popularity over the years. It has become a constant entry in many people’s Halloween or horror-marathon watch-lists, and there is a fair amount of fun to be had in all the ridiculousness the film offers. There is a certain amount of curious joy found in seeing a young Tarantino and Clooney before they would become Hollywood royalty, and respect has to be given to the film for helping them, and Rodriguez along for what they were to do next. 

 

“…I just rammed wooden stake in my brother’s heart because he turned into a vampire, even though I don’t believe in vampires…”