Lynnaire MacDonald
Strap yourself in, grab yourself a tasty beverage and a Big Kahuna burger because it’s time to revisit 2007’s Grindhouse, courtesy of the brand-new special edition Bluray.
Directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino bring the Grindhouse genre back to life with their groovy double feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof, complete with faux trailers created by directors like Eli Roth and Rob Zombie. While each respective film may not be considered the best Rodriguez and Tarantino have made, together the double feature is a grimy, delicious thrill-ride with references and easter eggs that the most discerning cinephile will appreciate.
First up in this double feature is Rodgriguez’s Planet Terror, a gooey zombie flick that sees go-go dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) and her assorted posse taking on a town deliberately infected by a bio-weapon discovered during the capture of Osama Bin Laden.
The ragtag group of survivors who join her include Dr Dakota Block (Marley Shelton), who was recently assaulted by her husband (Josh Brolin) using her own anaesthetic needles, Cherry’s mysterious glowering ex-boyfriend Wray (Freddie Rodriguez), and Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn). The manufacture of the bio-weapon is thanks to Abby (Naveen Andrews), a biochemical engineer who has a penchant for acquiring the testicles of people who have wronged him. And did we mention that Cherry happens to have had her leg ripped off by zombies and replaced with a firearm? Yeah, there’s that too.
But that’s the beauty of Planet Terror and the grindhouse genre itself: it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s there to thrill, titillate and take audiences on a wild ride. When it comes to capturing the essence of grindhouse Rodriguez gets the assignment; right down to fake scratches on the print and missing reels.
That’s another genius move by Rodriguez: the ‘missing reel’ provides the middle act, so when we transition from the first act to the third our protagonists have assembled together and are ready to fight. There’s no need to explain how they got there, and it makes for a shorter runtime as well.
Heightening the Grindhouse experience in Planet Terror are the zombies. Completely sentient, once infected these zombies will morph into gooey, pulsating monsters with infectious pustules. There’s not a single dry husk of a corpse between them. It’s also wonderful to see SFX genius and actor Tom Savini on screen, especially given his own contributions to makeup/SFX in zombie classics Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
While Planet Terror and Death Proof are miles away from one another in terms of storylines, there are elements which unite them as a cohesive whole, predominantly through the use of recurring characters. Dr Dakota Block, Earl McGraw and the Babysitter Twins all appear in both films; while Rose McGowan appears as Pam in Death Proof after appearing as Cherry Darling in Planet Terror. Quentin Tarantino is also in front of the camera for both films in separate roles.
To usher the audience into Death Proof we are then treated to fake advertisements and trailers for Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women of the SS, Edgar Wright’s Don’t and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, (along with Machete which appeared as a fake trailer before Planet Terror) would go on to become a recent feature film.
But the thrills don’t let up when Planet Terror finishes, as Quentin Tarantino ramps up the adrenaline with his vehicular slasher, Death Proof. A homage to films like Vanishing Point and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the audience meets the seemingly charming Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a teetotaller whose stunt car is ‘death proof’, fitted with roll cages and other accoutrements standard for withstanding tumbles and crashes. The caveat? It’s only death proof on the driver’s side, and Stuntman Mike is using his car to kill women.
When local radio DJ Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and her friends Butterfly (Vanessa Ferlito) and Shanna (Jordan Ladd) are enjoying a night out, they are targeted by Stuntman Mike. After giving Pam (Rose McGowan) a lift and subsequently using his car to kill her, he successfully obliterates the remaining women. Ending up in hospital after the murders, he cannot be charged as he was found to be sober, whereas the women had been drinking and smoking marijuana. And when he finally recovers, he’s got his sights set on a new group of women. The caveat? He didn’t count on them fighting back.
Death Proof sees stuntwoman / actress Zoe Bell front and centre as herself, not only charming the audience with her very Kiwi manner, but also thrilling viewers with some magnificently heart-stopping vehicular stunts. Zoe Bell was a frequent stuntwoman in Tarantino films including The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained, and would be reunited with Kurt Russell in front of the camera for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (listen closely during that scene and you can hear Russell accidentally picking up Zoe’s Kiwi accent).
There are also some usual Tarantino trademarks thrown into the mix, like lingering foot shots; and Inglourious Basterds cast members Eli Roth, Omar Doom and Michael Bacall appear briefly in the film. Cinephiles will appreciate a generous sprinkling of easter eggs throughout the film; including Shanna’s t-shirt which features the image of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! star Tura Satana.
There’s also a killer (no pun intended) soundtrack. In fact, it’s a particularly good soundtrack, with songs that team up beautifully with certain scenes (for instance, the song Hold Tight! which makes for one of the most thrilling and gruesome parts of the film), rounded out by April March’s infectious Chick Habit to close the film. The extended version of the film also unites the Coaster’s Down in Mexico with Butterfly’s lap dance for Stuntman Mike.
Comparing the two films is like comparing apples to oranges. Some may prefer the gory stylings of Planet Terror to the revenge vibe of Death Proof, but together they are a satisfying duo.
The special edition Bluray is an absolute treat for fans. The first disc features the theatrical version of Grindhouse in 1080p high definition, with additional extras like audio commentary by Robert Rodriguez. The second disc contains the extended version of Planet Terror, also containing a scratch-free version of the film. Disc three contains the extended version of Death Proof, and disc four is the motherlode: a gargantuan amount of bonus features, including the making of the fake trailers. Throw in photo cards and a lenticular slipcase, and it’s a sweet little package.
Grindhouse is a whole lot of ridiculous fun, and the special edition Bluray definitely celebrates that.
