From Dusk till Dawn

Fugitive bank robber brothers Seth and Richie Gecko hold up a liquor store, killing clerk Pete Bottoms and Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in a shootout. They inadvertently destroy the building as they leave. At an inn room where they are hiding out, Seth returns from getting food to find Richie has raped and murdered a bank clerk they had taken hostage, much to his anger.

Jacob Fuller, a pastor experiencing a crisis of faith brought on by the death of his wife, is on vacation with his teenaged children Scott and Kate in their recreational vehicle (RV). They stop at the inn and are kidnapped by the Gecko brothers, who force the Fuller family to smuggle them over the Mexican border. In Mexico, they arrive at the Titty Twister, a strip club in the desert (with a small sign over the door that reads "Open from dusk 'til dawn"), where the Gecko brothers will be met by their contact, Carlos, at dawn. Carlos will escort them to the sanctuary at "El Rey", a place of safety for fugitives from justice whose admission fee is 30% of their money. When Richie complains to Seth that this is too high, Seth tells him it is not negotiable.

When they come into the bar, the bartender refuses to serve them and orders them to leave, telling them that only bikers and truckers are welcome, and they do not like or welcome outsiders in their bar. Jacob, however, convinces the bartender that due to the special license he is required by law to have to drive his RV, he is technically a truck driver, convincing him to let them stay. Richie, resentful that he was not considered good enough to enter at first, takes a violent dislike to the bikers and truckers. During a bar fight, the bar employees reveal themselves as vampires, and kill most of the patrons. Richie is bitten by a stripper, Santanico Pandemonium, and dies, but Seth manages to kill her by shooting at a chandelier above her that impales her. Only Seth, Jacob, Kate, Scott, a biker named Sex Machine, and Frost—a Vietnam War veteran—survive. The others are reborn as vampires, including Richie, forcing the survivors to kill them all. When an army of vampires, in bat form, assembles outside, the survivors lock themselves inside, but Sex Machine is bitten, becomes a vampire, and bites Frost and Jacob. Frost throws Sex Machine through the door, allowing the vampires to enter, while Frost turns into a vampire.

Seth, Kate, and Scott escape to a storeroom, followed shortly by an injured but still alive Jacob, brandishing a shotgun. In the storeroom, they fashion weapons from truck cargo the vampires have looted from past victims, including a stake mounted on a pneumatic drill, a crossbow, and holy water, which requires Jacob to recover his faith to bless. Jacob, knowing he will soon become a vampire, makes Scott and Kate promise to kill him when he changes.

The group makes their final assault on the undead. Sex Machine mutates into a large, rat-like creature and attacks Seth, but is killed by Kate. Jacob becomes a vampire after killing Frost, but Scott hesitates to kill him, allowing Jacob to bite him. Scott kills him, but then is overwhelmed by vampires, who begin to devour him; he begs for death, and Kate kills him. As vampires surround Kate and Seth, streams of morning light enter through bullet holes in the building, making the vampires back away. Carlos arrives and his bodyguards blast open the door, letting in the sunlight, which kills the vampires.

Seth chastises Carlos for his poor choice of a meeting place, and negotiates a smaller tribute for his admission to El Rey. Kate asks Seth if he wants her to go with him to El Rey, but he refuses, apparently concerned for her safety, leaving her with some cash. Kate drives away in the RV, leaving the Titty Twister behind, which is revealed to be the top of an eight-level, partially buried, Aztec temple surrounded by abandoned trucks from various decades.

{{See also|List of From Dusk till Dawn characters}}

• Harvey Keitel as Jacob Fuller
• George Clooney as Seth Gecko
• Quentin Tarantino as Richard "Richie" Gecko
• Juliette Lewis as Katherine "Kate" Fuller
• Ernest Liu as Scott Fuller
• Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium
• Brenda Hillhouse as Hostage Gloria Hill
• Marc Lawrence as Old Timer Motel Owner
• Cheech Marin as Border Guard / Chet Pussy / Carlos
• Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw
• Kelly Preston as Newscaster Kelly Houge
• Tom Savini as Sex Machine
• John Saxon as FBI Agent Stanley Chase
• Danny Trejo as Razor Charlie
• Fred Williamson as Frost
• John Hawkes as Pete Bottoms
• Tito & Tarantula as The Titty Twister House Band

From Dusk till Dawn was conceived by Robert Kurtzman, who wrote the film's initial treatment in 1988{{Cite web |last=adminHQ |date=2015-07-24 |title=Robert Kurtzman Talks Horror! |url=https://www.screamhorrormag.com/robert-kurtzman-talks-horror/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=THE HORROR ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE |language=en-US}} to create work for his co-founded special effects and prosthetic makeup studio, KNB EFX Group. In 1990, KNB hired Quentin Tarantino to write the script as his first paid writing assignment, who agreed to write the screenplay for $1,500 and an agreement to have KNB provide the makeup for Reservoir Dogs.{{Cite web|url=http://backwoodshorror.com/robert-kurtzman-interview/|title=ROBERT KURTZMAN INTERVIEW|publisher=backwoodshorror.com|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-date=August 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820110935/http://backwoodshorror.com/robert-kurtzman-interview/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.scaretissue.com/from-dusk-till-dawn-the-oft-forgotten-90s-classic/|title=From Dusk Till Dawn – The Oft Forgotten 90s Classic|date=January 7, 2014|language=en-US|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-date=August 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819073437/http://www.scaretissue.com/from-dusk-till-dawn-the-oft-forgotten-90s-classic/|url-status=live}} Kurtzman originally wanted to direct From Dusk till Dawn, but as he had never directed a feature before on top of the film's violence and unusual narrative, he could not secure the interest of a studio despite their initial proposed budget of $1–2 million.{{Cite web |last=Walkuski |first=Eric |date=2023-07-14 |title=From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) – WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? |url=https://www.joblo.com/from-dusk-till-dawn-wtf/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=JoBlo |language=en-US}} Sometime after the release of Pulp Fiction, Tarantino approached Miramax and stated that his next project would be From Dusk till Dawn, albeit with Robert Rodriguez (whom he had met earlier and thought his style was perfect for the project) directing. Miramax agreed, and shooting began in the summer of 1995.

The "El Rey" hideout in Mexico was taken from The Getaway, a 1958 crime novel by Jim Thompson.

Earl McGraw became a recurring character in Rodriguez and Tarantino's works, later appearing in Kill Bill, Planet Terror, and Death Proof as an Easter egg. Chango Beer and Sex Machine's codpiece gun are references to Rodriguez's 1995 film Desperado. Seth also returns to the hotel with Big Kahuna Burgers, which were used in Pulp Fiction and mentioned in Death Proof. Seth Gecko also says the line: "All right, Ramblers. Let's get ramblin'!", a quote from Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Scott's T-shirt decoration reads "Precinct 13", a reference to John Carpenter's 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13.{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/from-dusk-till-dawn-3-1200444747/ | title=Review: 'From Dusk Till Dawn' | date=January 1996 | access-date=November 12, 2014 | archive-date=December 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223927/https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/from-dusk-till-dawn-3-1200444747/ | url-status=live}} Salma Hayek's character, Satanico Pandemonium, is a reference to the 1975 nunsploitation film Satánico pandemonium.

As with many of Rodriguez's films, From Dusk till Dawn employed a nonunion production crew, which is unusual for a production with a budget above $15 million.{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1995/scene/markets-festivals/strike-may-dawn-on-dusk-shoot-99129290/ | title=STRIKE MAY DAWN ON 'DUSK' SHOOT | date=June 19, 1995 | access-date=November 14, 2014 | archive-date=December 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223940/https://variety.com/1995/scene/markets-festivals/strike-may-dawn-on-dusk-shoot-99129290/ | url-status=live}} The making of the film, including the crew's nonunion status, was documented in Full Tilt Boogie, released two years later.

From Dusk till Dawn was released on January 19, 1996.{{cite news |title=PROFILE: The Actor Is In: Doors are flying open now for George Clooney, but the carefree star of 'ER' and 'From Dusk Till Dawn' remembers not so long ago when his career needed CPR. |first=David |last=Kronke|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-14-ca-24348-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 14, 1996}} On its first week, the film grossed $10,240,805 in the United States, making it the highest-grossing film of the week.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=fromdusktilldawn.htm|work=Box Office Mojo|title=From Dusk Till Dawn|access-date=August 7, 2013|publisher=Internet Movie Database|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223912/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3712910849/weekend/|url-status=live}} The next week, the film fell to third-highest in the box office, where it grossed $4,851,921, being beaten by Mr. Holland's Opus and Bed of Roses.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1996&wknd=04&p=.htm|work=Box Office Mojo|title=January 26-28, 1996|access-date=August 7, 2013|publisher=Internet Movie Database|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223911/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1996W04/|url-status=live}} From Dusk till Dawn grossed $25,836,616 in the United States and $33,500,000 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $59,336,616.

On May 1, 1996, the film was banned in Ireland; Irish Film Censor Board head Sheamus Smith cited its "irresponsible and totally gratuitous" violence, which he felt was particularly untimely in the wake of the then-recent Dunblane and Port Arthur massacres.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/gratuitously-violent-film-banned-1.45461?mode=amp|title='Gratuitously violent' film banned|website=www.irishtimes.com|language=en|access-date=4 March 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223908/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/gratuitously-violent-film-banned-1.45461?mode=amp|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Films banned in Ireland|url=https://www.boards.ie/b/thread/113288|website=boards.ie|access-date=4 March 2018|archive-date=March 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305063023/https://www.boards.ie/b/thread/113288|url-status=live}} In January 2004, the video release was passed with an 18 certificate.{{cite web|title=No. 017 – 239 -251 – 27022004|url=http://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2004/february/2004%2002%2027%20IO%20Issue.pdf|website=Iris Oifigiúil|access-date=5 March 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223908/http://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2004/february/2004%2002%2027%20IO%20Issue.pdf|url-status=live}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|65|6.2|54|A pulpy crime drama/vampire film hybrid, From Dusk till Dawn is an uneven but often deliriously enjoyable B-movie.|ref=yes|access-date=April 22, 2025}} {{MC film|48|15}}{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/from-dusk-till-dawn|title=From Dusk Till Dawn|work=Metacritic|access-date=May 5, 2020|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223911/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/from-dusk-till-dawn|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210223808/https://m.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live}}

Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and described it as "a skillful meat-and-potatoes action extravaganza with some added neat touches".{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger | title = From Dusk Till Dawn | work = Chicago Sun-Times | date = January 19, 1996 | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960119/REVIEWS/809249998 | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = June 6, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606141609/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19960119%2FREVIEWS%2F809249998 | url-status = live}} In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote: "The latter part of From Dusk till Dawn is so relentless that it's as if a spigot has been turned on and then broken. Though some of the tricks are entertainingly staged, the film loses its clever edge when its action heats up so gruesomely and exploitatively that there's no time for talk".{{cite news | last = Maslin | first = Janet | title = Enough Blood to Feed The Thirstiest Vampires | work = The New York Times | date = January 19, 1996 | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9C01E1DF1E39F93AA25752C0A960958260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = December 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223946/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/19/movies/film-review-enough-blood-to-feed-the-thirstiest-vampires.html | url-status = live}}

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote: "Rodriguez and Tarantino have taken the let-'em-eat-trash cynicism of modern corporate moviemaking and repackaged it as junk-conscious 'attitude'. In From Dusk till Dawn, they put on such a show of cooking up popcorn that they make pandering to the audience seem hip".{{cite magazine | last = Gleiberman | first = Owen | title = Monster Mishmash | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | date = February 2, 1996 | url = https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291175,00.html | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = December 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223954/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291175,00.html | url-status = dead}} In his review for The Washington Post, Desson Howe wrote: "The movie, which treats you with contempt for even watching it, is a monument to its own lack of imagination. It's a triumph of vile over content; mindless nihilism posing as hipness".{{cite news | last = Howe | first = Desson | title = Quentin's Dusk: Hurry Up Dawn | newspaper = Washington Post | date = January 19, 1996 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/fromdusktilldawn.htm#howe | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = September 29, 2019 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20190929024644/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/fromdusktilldawn.htm#howe | url-status = live}}

Cinefantastique magazine's Steve Biodrowski wrote: "Whereas one might reasonably have expected that the combo of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez would yield a critical mass of nuclear proportions, instead of an atomic fireball's worth of entertainment, we get a long fuse, quite a bit of fizzle, and a rather minor blast".{{cite news | last = Biodrowski | first = Steve | title = From Dusk Till Dawn | work = Cinefantastique | date = June 1996 | url = http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/04/17/from-dusk-till-dawn-1996-retrospective-horror-movie-review/ | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = September 8, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090908131448/http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/04/17/from-dusk-till-dawn-1996-retrospective-horror-movie-review/ | url-status = live}} In his review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle called the film "an ugly, unpleasant criminals-on-the-lam film that midway turns into a boring and completely repellent vampire 'comedy'. If it's not one of the worst films of 1996 it will have been one miserable year".{{cite news | last = LaSalle | first = Mick | title = Tarantino Continues to Stumble in 'Dusk' | work = San Francisco Chronicle | date = January 19, 1996 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1996/01/19/DD13044.DTL | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = December 24, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081224065239/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1996%2F01%2F19%2FDD13044.DTL | url-status = live}}

In Marc Savlov's review for the Austin Chronicle, he wrote: "Fans of Merchant Ivory will do well to steer clear of Rodriguez's newest opus, but both action and horror film fans have cause for celebration after what seems like a particularly long splatter-drought. This is horror with a wink and a nod to drive-in theatres and sweaty back seats. This is how it's done".{{cite news | last = Savlov | first = Marc | title = From Dusk Till Dawn | work = Austin Chronicle | date = January 19, 1996 | url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3A138296 | access-date = September 30, 2009 | archive-date = June 6, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100606222838/http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3A138296 | url-status = live}}

{{Main|From Dusk Till Dawn (soundtrack)}}

The soundtrack features mainly Texas blues by such artists as ZZ Top and brothers Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan on separate tracks. The Chicano rock band Tito & Tarantula, who portrayed the band in the Titty Twister, appears on the soundtrack, as well. The film's score is by Graeme Revell. "Dark Night" by The Blasters plays over the film's opening and closing credits.

{{Main|From Dusk Till Dawn (video game)}}

A video game of the same name was released for Windows in 2001. It is based on events that transpire directly after the end of the film.

{{main|From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money|From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter}}

From Dusk till Dawn was followed by two direct-to-video{{cite web|title=Miramax From Dusk Till Dawn Series DVD Review|url=http://kinkycyborg.com/wordpress/miramax-from-dusk-till-dawn-series-dvd-review/dvd-reviews|publisher=Video Vault|access-date=March 3, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714022223/http://kinkycyborg.com/wordpress/miramax-from-dusk-till-dawn-series-dvd-review/dvd-reviews|archive-date=July 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}} installments, a sequel From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) and prequel From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000). They were both received poorly by critics.{{cite web|title=Audience & Critic Reviews - From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/from_dusk_till_dawn_2_texas_blood_money/|access-date=October 21, 2008|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223915/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/from_dusk_till_dawn_2_texas_blood_money|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Audience & Critic Reviews - From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/from_dusk_till_dawn_3_the_hangmans_daughter/|access-date=March 3, 2012|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223914/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/from_dusk_till_dawn_3_the_hangmans_daughter|url-status=live}} Danny Trejo is the only actor to appear in all three, although Michael Parks appears in both From Dusk till Dawn and The Hangman's Daughter. Rodriguez, Tarantino and Lawrence Bender served as producers on all three films.

{{main|From Dusk till Dawn: The Series}}

A television series inspired by the films premiered on the El Rey network in March 2014, produced and directed by Rodriguez. The show was intended to explore and expand on the characters and story from the film, providing a wider scope and richer Aztec mythology.[https://deadline.com/2013/11/el-reys-from-dusk-till-dawn-rounds-out-cast-636143/ "El Rey's 'From Dusk Till Dawn' Rounds Out Cast"], by The Deadline Team[http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2013/11/17/t2s-robert-patrick-join-dusk-till-dawn-series/ "T2's Robert Patrick & More Join 'From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117144045/https://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2013/11/17/t2s-robert-patrick-join-dusk-till-dawn-series/|date=November 17, 2020}}, by Craig Hunter

The series ended production in 2016, with Deadline Hollywood reporting that the actors have been released from their contracts as of October 31.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/from-dusk-till-dawn-the-series-cast-released-end-3-seasons-el-rey-1201845306/|date=October 31, 2016|access-date=February 14, 2017|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title='From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series' Releases Cast As El Rey Ponders Future|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-date=December 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225223934/https://deadline.com/2016/10/from-dusk-till-dawn-the-series-cast-released-end-3-seasons-el-rey-1201845306/|url-status=live}}

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Category:1996 action comedy films

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Category:A Band Apart films

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Category:Censored films

Category:Dimension Films films

Category:Films adapted into comics

Category:Films about brothers

Category:Films about dysfunctional families

Category:Films about kidnapping in the United States

Category:Films about murderers

Category:Films about rape

Category:Films about the Texas Ranger Division

Category:Films about widowhood

Category:Films directed by Robert Rodriguez

Category:Films produced by Elizabeth Avellán

Category:Films scored by Graeme Revell

Category:Films set in deserts

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Category:Films with screenplays by Quentin Tarantino

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Category:Miramax films

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Category:English-language action comedy films