By Spencer Coile
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There was something electric in the air when I sat down at an opening night showing of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's collaborative work, Grindhouse ten years ago to this day. I was only 15 years-old at the time, crowded into a rowdy, sold-out theater. Dripping in nostalgia, the film heralded back to B-movies from the 60's and 70's that were pulpy, campy, and over-the-top in every way imaginable. This 3+ hour epic featured trailers, two films (Planet Terror from Rodriguez, Death Proof from Tarantino), and an "intermission" as a means to immerse its audience into a culture of filmmaking that had long been forgotten...
Unfortunately, not everyone was itching to climb aboard the nostalgia express and kill three hours with seemingly mindless entertainment. Grindhouse only made $25.4 million in the US (with a $53 million budget), and was later released on DVD with the two films separated-- not at all the way it was initially intended. Still, one decade later, and I still look back on that opening night with fond memories. Marley Shelton brandishing syringes, Rose McGowan donning her machine gun leg, a posse of women kicking the life out of Kurt Russell. Say what you will about the quality of the two films, but their parts make up a bloody and altogether enjoyable good time.
In very much the way Rodriguez and Tarantino did, let's hop back into our time machine and evaluate Grindhouse ten years later.
The inspiration for Grindhouse came from both Rodriguez and Tarantino's insane fascination with double-features, and everything that comes before, during, and after. This interest led to Tarantino hosting his own screenings at his house, leading the two to begin collaborating in 2003. And at long last, Grindhouse was released nationwide in 2007.
Planet Terror tells a simple enough story: a band of misfits attempt to fight off a swarm of zombies in rural Texas, led primarily by Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a former go-go dancer who loses her leg and has it replaced with a machine gun. Meanwhile, Death Proof finds Stuntman Mike McKay (Kurt Russell) driving around his "death proof" vehicle, praying on innocent girls, and killing them... as one does. That is, until a group of spunky women working below-the-line retaliate and chase down the man who wronged them. Interspersed are a collection of faux trailers from Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, and Rodriguez himself (his trailer, Machete, later becoming its own film). And good news for us is that each of these trailers are available on YouTube. Thankskilling is especially a treat, showing us the dangers of bouncing naked on a trampline.
Naturally, the art of creating a "grindhouse" flick is a feat unto itself. Steeped in a rich history that includes a niche audience and content not typically seen in mainstream theaters, grindhouse refers to theaters that played the odd and obscure genres, including: sci-fi, horror, and Westerns. In other words, they depicted gritter and more violent times-- making use of exploitation. And this is clearly represented in Grindhouse, where the film was literally damaged as a means to make it look like many of the exploitation films made in the 70's.
;)
Ten years later, and what makes the experience worthwhile is sitting back and soaking in all of the madness, and considering it was made from the fuels of nostalgia alone. The film works as a holistic and timeless dive into the deep end. Is there a complex message to be found underneath all of the layers to said madness? Certainly not, but there does not necessarily need to be. Instead, what we are left with is truly a spectacle; one that throws in everything but the kitchen sink to keep its audience entertained. I know that I was those ten years ago. For those willing to take the time, grab some friends, obtain both Planet Terror and Death Proof DVD's, and enjoy the sick ride that is Grindhouse.