Synopsis

After a violent crime spree, the Gecko brothers kidnap a former minister and his two children to help them cross the Mexican border. They take refuge in a remote bar, expecting a quiet night before meeting their contact. Instead, the establishment becomes a killing ground when its patrons reveal themselves as vampires, forcing criminals, hostages, and strangers to fight together for survival.

Factoids & Trivia

• The story originated with special-effects artist Robert Kurtzman, who wrote an early treatment in 1988 as a way to create work for his effects company, KNB EFX Group.

• In 1990, Kurtzman paid Quentin Tarantino $1,500 to write the screenplay. The arrangement also helped secure KNB's involvement with Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.

• Robert Rodriguez became attached after Pulp Fiction brought renewed attention to Tarantino. Shooting took place in California between June 13 and August 20, 1995.

• The production used a nonunion crew despite its budget being above $15 million. The making of the film was documented in the feature-length production documentary Full Tilt Boogie.

• The film's abrupt transition from crime thriller to vampire horror was central to its identity. Its cult reputation grew from that deliberately extreme change in genre, along with Rodriguez's comic-book visual style and Tarantino's pulpy dialogue.

• The Titty Twister's house band, Tito & Tarantula, also appears on the soundtrack. The music combines Texas blues and rock recordings with an original score by Graeme Revell.

• Several details connect the film to other Rodriguez and Tarantino works, including Big Kahuna Burger, Chango Beer, and the recurring lawman character Earl McGraw.

• The movie expanded into a franchise that includes two direct-to-video films, a video game, a comic book, and a television series.