Grindhouse
A double feature that'll tear you in two!
Grindhouse (2007)
Production
Budget
$60 000 000
Revenue
$25 422 088
Director
Scenario
Composer
Carl Thiel
Producer
Actors
Kurt Russell
Stuntman Mike (segment "Death Proof")
Rose McGowan
Pam (segment "Death Proof") / Cherry (segment "Planet Terror")
Zoë Bell
Herself (segment "Death Proof")
Freddy Rodríguez
Wray (segment "Planet Terror")
Rosario Dawson
Abernathy (segment "Death Proof")
Marley Shelton
Dr. Dakota Block (McGraw) (segment "Death Proof") / Dakota (segment "Planet Terror")
Vanessa Ferlito
Butterfly (segment "Death Proof")
Josh Brolin
Block (segment "Planet Terror")
Short description
Grindhouse is a double feature that combines two separate films and fictional trailers. The first part, Planet Terror, is a horror comedy about survivors fighting off creatures created by a plague. The second part, Death Proof, is an action thriller centered on a stuntman who uses his modified car to kill women. Both segments are presented as low-budget exploitation cinema.
The project was co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, who also served as writers and producers. This was the 14th film directed by Rodriguez and the 10th by Tarantino. Additional contributions were made by directors Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, and Rob Zombie, and Jason Eisener. The cast features Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton in roles across both segments, alongside Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Freddy Rodríguez, and Rosario Dawson.
With a budget of 67 million USD, the film earned 25 million USD at the worldwide box office. It is well-regarded by audiences, holding a 7.5/10 rating on IMDb from 197,000 votes and a 7/10 rating on TMDB from 1,937 votes. These scores align with the film critics' rating of 7.5/10 from 194 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- The two cars in the final chase of "Death Proof" are a 1969 Dodge Charger and a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
- Trickster Mike has a scar near his left eye. Snake Plissken, also played by Kurt Russell, wore an eye patch over his left eye.
- The scene where the girls are having breakfast in a diner is very similar to the opening scene of 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992).
- In the second half of 'Dead Proof', the scene where four girls are talking in a diner was shot in one take. It lasts approximately 10 minutes.
- A poster reading 'Support Our Troops' can be seen in the hospital.
- In "Warren's Bar" in "Proof of Death", you can notice a "CASH ONLY" sign featuring a famous photograph of Johnny Cash giving the middle finger.
- In the "Machete" trailer, Danny Trejo throws knives at people in a limousine through the car roof. He does the same in "Desperado" (1995).
- Edgar Wright's trailer for "Don't" is a tribute to the trailer for the film "Torso" (1973). Towards the end of that film's trailer, the word 'torso' appeared more and more frequently on the screen, just as the word 'Don't' appears in Wright's video.
- Rebel Rodriguez, son of Robert Rodriguez, played Tony Block.
- According to Quentin Tarantino, he played one of the zombies attacking Stacy Ferguson's character.
- Significant scratches and bubbles only appeared in the 1970s at the end of the reel, but not during the course of the entire film.
- The idea for 'Death Proof' came to Quentin Tarantino when he was talking to a friend about buying a new car. Tarantino was considering a Volvo because he “didn't want to die in a car accident, like in ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994).” Regarding car safety, Tarantino’s friend said: “You can buy any car and give it to stuntmen who, for $10,000-$15,000, will make it absolutely safe for the driver in any accident.”
- In 'Death Proof,' Rosario Dawson's character drinks soda from a cup with the logo of the Mexican restaurant Acuna Boys. An advertisement for this restaurant appears during the break between 'Planet Terror' and 'Death Proof.' Acuna is the name of the town where 'The Musician' (1993) and 'Desperado' (1995) were filmed. In 'Kill Bill: Volume 2' (2004), The Bride drives through Acuna to find out where Bill is hiding.
- The instrumental version of Jack Nietzsche's 'The Last Race' plays during the opening credits of 'Death Proof.' This composition also plays during the opening credits of 'Village of the Giants' (1965).
- Robert Rodriguez’s working title for the film was Project Terror.
- The working title of Quentin Tarantino's film is Thunder Bolt.
- The license plate number of Mike the Stuntman's car is JJZ-109. The same number was on Steve McQueen's character's car in the film 'Bullitt' (1968).
- In the trailer for 'Machete,' one of Machete's victims is the lead singer of Tito and Tarantula. He also played minor roles in 'Desperado' (1995), 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996), and 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' (2003). All of these films were directed by Robert Rodriguez.
- Mike the Stuntman’s cars are a 1971/72 Chevy Nova SS and a 1969 Dodge Charger.
- John Carpenter was originally supposed to compose the music for 'Planet Terror'.
- Both directors deliberately "aged" the films to simulate movies that were shown in grindhouses.
- "Proof of Death" contains several references to "Pulp Fiction" (1994), including the "Kahuna" burger and a foot massage.
- In the scene where Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) feeds his wife, a photograph of Parks on a motorcycle from the television series "Then Came Bronson" (1969) can be seen.
- This project was conceived as a tribute to double features in grindhouses. However, in the early days of its release, many viewers left after the first film, forgetting about the second. Therefore, in many cinemas, after the first film ended, staff reminded viewers not to forget to return for the second feature.
- Rose McGowan's former fiancé, Robert Rodriguez, who directed her in "Grindhouse" in spite of Weinstein, believes that the actress's scandal with an abuser was the main reason for the failure of his project. He knew about McGowan's 1997 rape by Weinstein and understood that her path to mainstream cinema, to which Weinstein’s company was somehow connected, was closed off.
- A car with girls crashes into a movie poster for "Scary Movie 4" (2006) and "The Cave" (2004).
- In a conversation between Abby, Zoe, Kim, and Lee, we learn that Abby's boyfriend cheated on her with Daryl Hannah's stunt double. Monica Staggs, who played Lanna Frank in "Proof of Death," was Hannah's stunt double in "Kill Bill" (2003) and "Kill Bill Volume 2" (2004).
- In the uncut European version of "Proof of Death," in a wine store, Kim says she needs to go to the bathroom. Lee and Abernathy respond: "That's a little more information than we need to know." This is a reference to "Pulp Fiction" (1994), where Uma Thurman says the same thing to John Travolta.
- Michael Parks' character calls his son "Son Number One." He does the same in "Kill Bill" (2003).
- Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone, and Wing Rames were considered for the role of the Trickster Mike.
- Zoë Bell, who played Zoë in "Proof of Death", performed all the stunts in the film herself. She was also Uma Thurman's stunt double in "Kill Bill".
- The events of "Proof of Death" take place before "Planet Terror".
- Quentin Tarantino named the character “Jungle Julia Lucai” after his assistant, Vicky Lucai.
- “Vipers” is written on Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s costume. This is a reference to the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) in *Kill Bill*.
- To explain what grindhouse films were like, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez organized a screening of *Torso* (1973) and *Zombie 2* (1979) for the crew, with several old grindhouse trailers shown between the films.
- The idea to shoot grindhouse films belonged to Robert Rodriguez, and the idea for the fake trailers belonged to Quentin Tarantino.
- One of the television series mentioned by Stuntman Mike is *The Virginians* (1962), in which Kurt Russell played one of the roles.
- The missing reel in "Death Proof" most likely contains a lap dance performed by Vanessa Ferlito for Kurt Russell. Footage from this scene can be spotted in the trailer, but it is absent from the American version of the film.
- Canadian cinemas showed five fake trailers instead of four. The additional reel – Hobo With A Shotgun – was filmed by independent Canadian director Jason Eisener and won first place at the SXSW Grindhouse fake trailer competition.
- Michael Parks, who played Sheriff Earl McGraw in "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof", also appears in the same role in "Kill Bill" (2003) and "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1995).
- Robert Rodriguez wrote the first thirty pages of the script for "Planet Terror" in 1998.
- Freddy Rodriguez’s character’s name, El Rey, is a reference to the city the main characters of "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1995) were heading to.
- It took Eli Roth two days to shoot the trailer for "Thanksgiving".
- Eli Roth shot the "Thanksgiving" trailer while in the Czech Republic, where he was filming his new movie "Hostel: Part II" (2007). Jay Hernandez and Jordan Ladd, who starred in "Hostel: Part II", also appeared in "Thanksgiving".
- In "Planet Terror", soldiers are watching the trailer for the 1971 film "Women in Cages" starring Pam Grier.
- In one scene of Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror", Great White Bites cereal can be seen in the background. A box of cereal appears in every film by Quentin Tarantino.
- The "Thanksgiving" trailer is a parody of the trailer for "Halloween" (1978).
- The music playing in the trailer for "Thanksgiving" is part of the original soundtrack to "Creepshow" (1982).
- In "Proof of Death," one of the songs on the jukebox is Misirlou. This composition also appears in the opening credits of "Pulp Fiction" (1994).
- Some of the music for 'Planet Terror' was borrowed from the films 'Escape from New York' (1981) and 'Blow Out' (1981).
- Red Apple cigarettes and Chango beer are fictional brands from previous films by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
- In Dr. Dakota Block's office, a to-do list can be seen. The final entry on the list—kill Bill—is a reference to the Quentin Tarantino film of the same name.
- At the beginning of the film, numerous pairs of sunglasses can be seen on the car's dashboard. A similar shot appears in "Kill Bill" (2003) and "Gone in 60 Seconds" (1974).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
