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Happy 20th Anniversary ‘From Dusk Till Dawn!’

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From Dusk Till Dawn Anniversary

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Robert Rodriguez’s now-classic vampire B-movie From Dusk Till Dawn was unleashed upon the world. The fact that it was a moderately successful January release is quit astounding. To celebrate the occasion, we thought we would take a look back at this badass movie, which has now been adapted into its own TV show for Rodriguez’s new(ish) El Rey Network.

Released on January 19th, 1996, From Dusk Till Dawn was met with mostly positive critical acclaim. It currently sits at a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is no small feat for a horror film released in January (just look at this year’s The Forest for one of the many sub-par January-released horror films). Hell, even Roger Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars.

It opened at the #1 spot with $10.2 million ($15.4 million in 2016 dollars) and went on to gross a total of $25.8 million domestically ($39 million in 2016 dollars). That is a small profit for a film with a budget of $19 million, and while that is not a spectacular gross, it’s still solid for an R-rated horror film released in a month that typically sees slower box office returns.

From Dusk Till Dawn is notable for pulling a bait-and-switch with audiences. Anyone who didn’t see the trailer (embedded below) probably walked into the film expecting a heist movie, and for the first hour or so of From Dusk Till Dawn, they would have gotten what the expected. The exact opposite is true for anyone who did see the trailer for the film. They would have walked in expecting a 2-hour vampire brawl. Needless to say that is not the film they went to see.

From Dusk Till Dawn has been criticized for unsuccessfully merging two movies into one disparate whole, but looking back on the film it actually works miraculously. One thing Robert Rodriguez is an expert at is surprising his audience, and From Dusk Till Dawn is probably his greatest achievement of that. One cannot discuss the surprised of From Dusk Till Dawn without mentioning Quentin Tarantino and his incredibly witty script. This was peak Tarantino season, since the film was released just a year and a half after Pulp Fiction.

To this day, it is still surprising to see now-famous stars like George Clooney (back in his E.R. days) and Juliette Lewis in this film. Joining them were Tarantino and Rodriguez staples Harvey Keitel and Danny Trejo, along with a slew of other casting choices that would make you do a double-take today (Cheech Marin, anyone?).

Speaking of unique casting, the true surprise in From Dusk Till Dawn is Salma Hayek’s appearance as Santánico Pandemonium. Her snake dance before morphing into her true vampire form is so iconic that you would be forgiven for thinking that she was a lead character in the film if you had never seen it before.

Not only did From Dusk Till Dawn spawn two direct-to-video sequels and a video game, but it also gave birth to From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series on March 11, 2014. The first season of that show was essentially the original 108-minute film stretched out into 10 hour-long episodes, and was met with lukewarm critical reception. The second season benefited from being able to act as a true sequel to the film and delve into unexplored territory. A third season is set to premiere later this year so it is clear that the series has provided El Rey Network with a decent amount of success.

It is a testament to the original film that we are here talking about it today and that it is still seeing creative properties borne from it. I would even argue that Rodriguez hasn’t been able to match it in terms of fun. Actually, I’m wrong. The Faculty, Sin City and Planet Terror are all very fun films, but I digress. Just forget I even wrote that. We’re here to commemorate From Dusk Till Dawn for providing 20 years of entertainment to horror fans everywhere. When did you first see From Dusk Till Dawn? Do you still enjoy the film or do you think it’s starting to show its age? Share your memories in the comments below and give the film a re-watch this week to celebrate its 20th anniversary!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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