Guns of El Chupacabra
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Guns of El Chupacabra
| image = Guns of El Chupacabra DVD cover.jpg
| caption = DVD box cover
| director = Donald G. Jackson
| writer = Scott Shaw
Donald G. Jackson
| producer = Scott Shaw
Donald G. Jackson
| starring = Scott Shaw
Julie Strain
Kevin Eastman
Robert Z'Dar
Joe Estevez
Conrad Brooks
| narrator =
| cinematography = Donald G. Jackson
| editing = Scott Shaw
| music =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1997|04|20}}
| runtime = 90 min.
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $3,200,000
| gross =
}}
Guns of El Chupacabra is a 1997 martial arts based monster film that was directed by Donald G. Jackson and was produced by and stars Scott Shaw. The co-stars of this film include Julie Strain, Kevin Eastman, Conrad Brooks, Joe Estevez and Robert Z'Dar.Zen Filmmaking, Chapter 13: The Saga of Guns of El Chupacabra and the Art of Zen Filmmaking, Scott Shaw, {{ISBN|1-877792-47-0}}
Cast
- Scott Shaw as Space Sheriff Jack B. Quick
- Julie Strain as Queen B
- Kevin Eastman as King Allmedia
- Robert Z'Dar as Z-Man Lord Invader
- Conrad Brooks as Deputy Reins
- Joe Estevez as Rocket Ranger Dan Danger
- David Heavener as Stranger X
- Julie Lunar Strom as Linda Marshall (credited as Julie Lunar-Strom)
- Jeff Hutchinson as Sherman
- Joe Haggerty as Agent Rinaldi
- Andy Hubbell as Agent Orange
- Stacey Nikolova as Maria-Maria
- Dee as The Captive
- Scott Jones as Mountain Man
- Herve Estrada as The Santiago Kid (credited as Hervi Estrada)
- Sabrina Rippey as Sister Mercy
- Andi Schuster as Melinda Jamison
Development and plot
The films follow the lead character Jack B. Quick, Space Sheriff, who is sent to Earth by Queen B, and King Allmedia to battle El Chupacabra. He enters the Earth driving a vintage Plymouth Belvedere. Once on Earth he acquires several fire arms and goes on a mission to rid the earth of El Chupacabra.
"This has B-grade pinup Julie Strain as priestess Queen B. Her then-real-life husband, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman plays King Allmedia. From their space boudoir, comprising as it does candelabras, a chaise longue, and some curtains, they summon Scott Shaw's Space Sheriff Jack B. Quick, and tell him they'll reward him with an action-hero franchise if he defeats Robert Z'Dar's Z-Man Lord Invader, who has unleashed the mythical monster the Chupacabra on earth. So far, so low-rent, but comprehensible, at least by the standards of Jackson and Shaw. Jack heads to earth and all sense goes out the window".Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made, Michael Adams {{ISBN|978-0061806292}}, pages 301-302
The most interesting Shaw/Jackson collaboration is Guns of El Chupacabra (1997), a film that has been described as "Fellini meets the Coen Brothers". It's an acid-tinged spaghetti western about a space sheriff named James B. Quick who has come to earth to kill mythical creatures in the desert. The cast includes B-movie legends Joe Estevez (brother of Martin Sheen) and Robert Z'Dar (Samurai Cop), Penthouse Pet Julie Strain and her husband, Teenage Mutant Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, and Conrad Brooks, an actor who appeared in the films of legendary director Ed Wood (Plan 9 From Outer Space). All of these actors were quick to embrace the creativity that Zen filmmaking allows and have appeared in many Scott Shaw films over the years".Scott Shaw and The Art of Zen Filmmaking, Matt Kaufman, Kansai Time Out, Number 371, January 2008, page 21
"So why opt for El Chupacabra? It was pure serendipity according to Scott Shaw, the film's producer. 'Don and I were down in Mexico to do a movie called the Guns of Baha, and we were scouting locations. We kept hearing about these chupacabras. We got to this weird road and noticed strange dead animals along the roadside. So it was five in the evening and there was three cars down the road. Suddenly, something apparently ran across the road causing the first car to flip over. We stopped. Don had a bad hip, so I grabbed the camera and started helping people out while trying to shoot things. The people swore it was a chupacabra that made the car flip. Don and I looked at each other so then we just decided to change the film title from Baha to Guns of El Chupacabra".The Guns of El Chupacabra, Craig Reid, Femme Fatales, Volume 7, Number 2, July 1998, pages 56-60
Media
The television series Strange Universe did an episode on this movie titled, "The Chupacabra".{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0711114/| title= The Chupacabra |website=Strange Universe imdb.com |accessdate=2019-08-29}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.scottshaw.com/gunsofelchupacabra.html Guns of El Chupacabra official website]
- {{IMDb title|0286668}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-BDHTpPWU] Guns of El Chupacabra on Strange Universe
Category:American action horror films
Category:American martial arts films
Category:American monster movies
Category:Martial arts horror films
Category:American natural horror films
Category:1997 martial arts films
Category:1990s English-language films
Category:Films directed by Donald G. Jackson