I was all set for some more 80s vampire goodness with The Lost Boys, but my wife suggested a fantastic schlocky substitute. Quentin Tarantino’s foray into the horror genre, the unforgettable From Dusk Till Dawn.
For those who haven’t seen the film, it follows two bank robbers who have taken an ex-Pastor and his family hostage and are trying to flee to Mexico. Unfortunately for the group, the bar they hide out in turns out to be a vampire den. Now the group must fight together to survive the night.
The film starts as a Southern Noir crime drama, introducing out two anti-villains, the Gecko Brothers. Seth is the cool, capable planner while Ritchie is the crazy violent one. The tone is bloody and violent before the credits even roll, sketching out the stakes and urgency while depicting the growing tension between the brothers. A few minutes later the second group is introduced, ex-Pastor Jacob and his teenage children Kate and Scott. The family are trying to go on holiday but still mourn the death of the Pastor’s wife, only for their trip to be hijacked by the Gecko Brothers. There’re some great scenes as the two groups collide, the tension between the Seth and Jacob playing nicely off the growing tension between the Gecko Brothers, which ratchets up as they try and get over the border.
Yet once the combined group hit the infamous Titty Twister bar, first story is over. Some of the tension goes out of the room – only to start the setup of the next story. The Gecko Brothers think they are on top of the world. There’s a grudging respect between Jacob and Seth. As the film hits the halfway mark, it’s the perfect time to introduce the new conflict – vampires! The horror twist gives a completely different set of stakes and urgency, transforming the previously unresolved conflicts as the blood starts to flow.
To be honest at this point it’s a completely different film. Visuals are unrelentingly gory, with a different editing style and colour palette, going for an over-the-top, almost comical tip of the hat to the horror flicks of the 70s. Two new characters are introduced, Sex Machine and Frost, but only to set up the new chain of events that force a resolution to Jacob’s conflict, the grizzled old man returning to being a “mean, mother**king servant of God.” Seth, meanwhile, must resolve his relationship with his brother as their story spills out into a very bloody conflict. In the final Act, the survivors fight with everything they have, and to be honest the story is almost a 1980s action hero film by the end.
There are two writing techniques that make this film such a classic. The first is great dialogue, as almost every exchange between the core group reveals character. The second is connected to this – the dialogue and events only ever keeps the stakes and urgency going up. Even when one conflict resolves, into only ever resolves into a larger fight.
So underneath the gory exterior, From Dusk Till Dawn hides some solid, smart writing. Which is not a phrase I’d expect to give a film where teenagers fight vampires by throwing condoms full of holy water at them.
That’s it for this week, next time I might dive back into some Fantasy. If you have a recommendation, please let me know!
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