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When directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez split their double feature, Grindhouse, in two for DVD release, it was actually a good thing for Tarantino’s Death Proof. But what about Rodriguez’s outrageous gore-fest, Planet Terror?
Planet Terror (the first film in the original double feature) tells the story of a biological experiment gone horribly wrong. It begins with Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a sad, sensitive go-go dancer who decides to pack in her pasties and go-go. After leaving her job, she finds her way to a 24-hour BBQ joint (this is, after all, Texas), where she crosses paths with Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), an old flame. Wray, a tow-truck driver who’s always in trouble with the law, offers to drive Cherry home—but on the way, they end up in a crash that brings them into contact with some strange blood-thirsty creatures that gnaw off a part of Cherry’s leg.
Once he gets Cherry to the hospital, Wray discovers that the whole town is in the middle of an epidemic. Everyone in the emergency room is suffering from all kinds of bites and other nasty things—and those infected eventually turn into zombies.
Cherry and Wray manage to escape—and once they do, they meet up with a random assortment of survivors, who band together to fight against…whatever those zombie things are.
This intentionally craptastic gore spectacular is almost as much fun the second time around. Granted, there were a lot of disgusting things in it that I didn’t need—or want—to see a second time, but at least I knew when to cover my eyes.
Planet Terror is a perfectly fitting grind house picture. It’s darkly comical, and the low-budget effects make it look perfectly, over-the-top cheesy. Rodriguez’s aging techniques—the discoloration, the scratches on the film, the missing reels—are both appropriate and consistent (something Tarantino’s half lacked). And the overall effect is both horrifying and hilarious.
Really, the only thing missing here is the theater. There’s just something about watching Planet Terror in the theater that doesn’t translate onto DVD. But it does come close—especially if you turn on the Audience Reaction Track, a special audio track that makes you feel like you’re watching the movie in the theater, surrounded by the laughter and screams of the people around you.
The extended DVD version of Planet Terror offers something else that Death Proof didn’t: one of the original fake trailers. It also has an entire second disc, filled with fascinating special features. While I’m not usually blown away by DVD special features, I loved the stuff on the Planet Terror DVD. I loved all the quirky stories about casting—especially when it came to Rodriguez’s friend, doctor, and real estate agent. And I loved watching Tarantino and Rodriguez together—because Rodriguez is just the perfect complement to Tarantino, who often acts like a hyperactive eight-year-old who’s just eaten all of his Halloween candy.
So the final verdict? Planet Terror is pretty good on its own. It misses some of the theater ambience, but it’s a ridiculously thrilling film nonetheless. Of course, if you can’t handle a little blood and puss, by all means, steer clear. But if you’re a fan of the old grind house movies, you won’t want to miss this one.
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