Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn is arguably one of the greatest vampire movies of this generation. Rodriguez was working hard in the 1990s, churning out classic hits like The Faculty and movie-within-a-movie Stab. Written by newly minted Oscar winner Quentin Tarantino, From Dusk Till Dawn was a breakout success. With its bevy of recognizable faces, including George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Keitel, and Salma Hayek, and buckets of gore and viscera, From Dusk Till Dawn snagged an estimated $60 million at the worldwide box office. As a result, the cult classic spawned a series of follow-ups, culminating in a kind of From Dusk Till Dawn extended universe. If you’re curious, the two film sequels are currently streaming free on Paramount+.
Per Paramount+: When a gang of bank robbers makes a run for the border, they wander into the wrong bar and mess with the wrong vampires. It’s kill-or-be-killed in the ultimate battle to stop these evil creatures and save their own lives!
Now, neither From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money nor From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter are anywhere as good as the original, but there’s still a lot about them worth recommending. The 1990s were a kind of testing ground for direct-to-video releases (remember all those forgotten Disney sequels). The idea, broadly, was to capitalize on a known property with smaller, straight-to-video sequels. Quentin Tarantino returned to produce From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, and both it and the third film were curiously filmed concurrently with one another. If you were around in 1999, you could double-dip in the From Dusk till Dawn pool.
Beyond the two sequels, From Dusk Till Dawn would even get a show on the El Rey network developed by original director Robert Rodriguez, though Quentin Tarantino wasn’t involved. In our review of the series’ first season, we wrote, “Yes, all told I’d rather watch the original movie again over this new interpretation, but it does bring enough of worth to the table to justify its existence.” And our own Tyler Doupé remains a huge fan of the original, writing in 2023 “From Dusk Till Dawn exists as both a great action-heist picture and an enjoyable horror movie.”
The two sequels are currently streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV. The series, unfortunately, is only available to rent. Do you have any interest in checking them out? Even without Quentin Tarantino scripting the sequels, do you still feel his influence? Sound off on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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