How the hell did they do that?

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2000)

"From Dusk Till Dawn" brings a new meaning to the phrase "twists and turns in a film. It still amazes and bewilders me to this day how instantaniously a film could change. The film begins with an over the top shootout in a party store, and comes off as, well, an over the top comedy. Much like "Pulp Fiction", it follows the lives of two vicious, violent criminals, yet the experience is fun because of the witty dialogue. This film has what you could expect from a Quentin Tarantino film: violence, wicked hilarity, and a B-movie feel. The two criminals, Seth and Richard Gecko(played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) take a preacher(Harvey Keitel) and his two children(Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) hostage so they can get across the border and into Mexico. There, they will rendezvous with their boss and get their money at a bar called "Titty Twister". All the way through that, the movie is a comedy, constantly making fun of the situations with the dialogue and the ridiculous violence(Quentin Tarantino's hand has a hole shot in it you can see through). There, they enter the titty bar, where chicks and strippers...well, you get the idea. "This is my kinda place!" says Seth, and I doubt the audience can't agree more. After we see enough strippers, the "most evil" stripper comes out to do her dance for the audience. Pretty cool, huh. What follows is the most shockingly instantanious, 180 degree turn I have ever seen in a film in my life. The stripper leans her head back, and morphs into a vampire. At that instant, the film has changed from a hilariously over-the-top comedy to a full blooded horror film. Now we are into over-the-top gore and violence, and although the film still maintains some sort of humor, it's clear to the viewer that we are not watching the same movie anymore. That instant change left me dumbfounded and truly scared, because I was not expecting it and I no longer knew where this film was going. It is probably one of the most brilliant moves in film history! Tom Savini has a role as one of the vampire killers, and eventually, a vampire. His presence here is perfect because of his background in doing the effects and gore for horror films(he also played a similar role in George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead"). I liked "From Dusk Till Dawn" because of it's wit and it's truly original move, yet I am still shaken by it and can't believe that a film could change from one film to the next so instantaniously. Not for the squeamish, I'll tell you that. It's been a while since I've seen a movie this gross and gory. However, if you like Quentin Taratino movies, or just like horror movies, then you'll love it.