The Big Picture

  • The fake trailers in Grindhouse are the highlight of the film, capturing the essence of low-budget, fast-paced exploitation cinema.
  • The fake trailers were made by renowned genre filmmakers such as Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth, each tackling their own avenue of exploitation cinema.
  • The underdog of the bunch, Hobo with a Shotgun, stands out as the best Grindhouse trailer, capturing the spirit of independent filmmaking and delivering a thrilling and entertaining experience.

Grindhouse fans are rejoicing all over the world because one of our own is growing up. The feature-length adaptation of Eli Roth's Thanksgiving is gearing up to hit theaters, and looks like the most vile holiday film to ever play the game! With that, there has never been a better time to look back on the cavalcade of fake trailers that accompanied the 2007 cult classic double feature. Ever since people started making movies, there were those who made an attempt to cash in on the controversial. Filmmakers knew from the get-go that people would pay to go see movies that they felt like they shouldn't be seeing. These trashy, low-budget films would go on to be coined "exploitation movies." Usually, these films fall into the action or horror genres and are not defined by their plot, but by the amount of violence, nudity, and just about any other reactionary visual or topic that you might be able to throw on screen. Because of their inaccessible nature, these movies were hardly shown in mainstream theaters, instead, they were shown in "grindhouse" theaters, scuzzy little cinemas with no amenities that only showed exploitation movies, often in double, sometimes triple features, with trailers rolling between screenings. They aren't around anymore, as you can see just about anything in your standard multiplex, but they used to be a huge deal. Several of today's biggest filmmakers were brought up during the biggest boom of grindhouse theaters — namely Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

Grindhouse 2007 Poster
Grindhouse
R
Action
Horror
Thriller

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's homage to exploitation double features in the '60s and '70s with two back-to-back cult films that include previews of coming attractions between them.

Release Date
April 6, 2007
Director
Robert Rodriguez , Eli Roth , Quentin Tarantino , Edgar Wright , Rob Zombie
Tagline
Welcome to the grind house - it'll tear you in two.

The Trailers in 'Grindhouse' Are Better Than the Feature Films

These two were so inspired by and fond of exploitation movies that they came together and made their own double feature, aptly titled Grindhouse. The experience opened with Rodriguez's zombie action ride, Planet Terror, followed by Tarantino's slow-burn auto-centric slasher, Death Proof. The pair knew that if they were going to release a mega ode to grindhouse cinema, then in order to do things right, they would need trailers for fake exploitation movies sandwiched between their showcase event. These little trailers were made by different directors within Rodriguez and Tarantino's circle, covering a wide range of the genres that you might stumble across in these sleazy theaters. Both Planet Terror and Death Proof are a lot of fun... but that's only when they're truly going for it. They're two movies that tend to overstay their welcome and cut to the bombastic more than they should. That's where these fake trailers have the upper hand. In only having a couple of minutes at their disposal, they act as little exploitation-filled shots that deliver on the idea of the Grindhouse package better than either of the two feature films.

When recruiting filmmakers for these fake trailers, the directing duo would run straight to some of the time's biggest genre filmmakers - Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth. These three were given the room to think up whatever they wanted, ending up with each artist tackling their own avenue of exploitation cinema. Zombie ran for monster movie Naziploitation with Werewolf Women of the S.S. (an ode to the infamous, real-life film Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS). Wright paid homage to gruesome British haunted house films in Don't, and Roth chased his own holiday slasher with Thanksgiving. Even Robert Rodriguez himself would hop on the fake trailer train and go down the route of mexploitation films in his entry Machete. On top of all this, there was a competition held for indie filmmakers to go out and make their own fake grindhouse trailer. The winner would go on to have their trailer shown in select theaters alongside Grindhouse, that winner being Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun. These five shorts are the perfect bite-sized pieces of grindhouse cinema to round out this double-feature package.

Rob Zombie's 'Werewolf Women of the S.S.' Brings Werewolves and Nazis Together

The first of the three featured trailers is Rob Zombie's mad scientist-nazi-werewolf showcase - Werewolf Women of the S.S. In just over two minutes, Zombie's trailer manages to cram in all the previously mentioned mad scientists, nazis, and werewolves, as well as genre movie legend Bill Moseley, Zombie's wife and regular collaborator, Sheri Moon Zombie, German acting legend Udo Kier as a grave Nazi officer, and Nicolas Cage as Fu Manchu. It's as bonkers as it sounds, but that's the beauty of these types of movies. Anything goes. In this trailer, everyone is yelling and jumping around in a gluttonous display of monsters and gunfire, all while being surrounded by miscellaneous mad scientist laboratory equipment. It goes by in the blink of an eye and is an insanely overwhelming piece of gonzo grindhouse filmmaking — but in the best way!

Edgar Wright's 'Don't' Is a Hilarious Spoof of British Horror Movies

Next up is Edgar Wright's Don't, a trailer made to resemble British chillers and the violent, slow-burn supernatural films of the 70s. It's absolutely hilarious and led mostly by people new to Wright's rotating cast of actors, namely Matthew Macfadyen and Lucy Punch, but of course, it's hardly an Edgar Wright project without appearances from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg is made unrecognizable, covered in monster makeup and only appearing for a jump scare, but his look is a lot of fun. Frost's role is a clapping, nearly-naked man-baby, chained to a bed in the basement of the mansion that this trailer takes place in. His appearance is brief, but totally random, shocking, and unbelievably funny. It's the standout comedic moment out of the five trailers. This trailer capitalizes on a self-aware sense of humor that is lacking in both Death Proof and Planet Terror. Sure, those movies have over-the-top comedic elements to them, especially Rodriguez's contribution, but they never quite reach the heights that Don't does. It's a perfect trailer that reeks of atmosphere and a million possible plotlines, with possessed kids, killers, a haunted house, and monsters all appearing, but never a clear idea as to what is really going on. This muddy sense of a plot is an intentional move by Wright, one that works in spades towards the project's disorienting but effective sense of humor.

Eli Roth's 'Thanksgiving' Turns the Holiday Into a Bloodbath

After Don't comes Roth's Thanksgiving, a parody of the slashers of the grimy 70s and 80s. Roth's trailer, more than any of the others, plays out like a mini-movie in and of itself, so it makes sense that this one is actually being adapted into a feature film. Seeing as slasher movies are typically hangout movies with a body count, this trailer doesn't hold a plot as much as it strings together several gruesome kills. The score that opens the trailer is also a major highlight, even if it very closely resembles John Carpenter's Halloween piece, "The Shape Stalks" — it's a fun and very welcome homage. There are some really great and trashy moments here that'll stick with you more than you expect, namely a certain reveal at the very end. Thanksgiving has the sense of humor that Planet Terror aims for, while also being a better representation of the slasher genre than Death Proof. Here's hoping that Roth's 2023 feature lives up to its source material and is the best Grindhouse film yet!

Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete' Fails to Impress Despite Becoming a Franchise

After having three guest directors pop in to bring their own fake trailers, Robert Rodriguez himself stepped into the game to bring audiences the fake trailer for Machete. Like Thanksgiving, it basically plays out all the beats of the movie being advertised, but this time around shows the plot of a revenge film. Here, we follow Danny Trejo's titular character as he is hired to assassinate a senator, double-crossed by those who hired him and sent out with a bloodlust for revenge. It's a pretty wild ride in just around two minutes long but somehow ends up being the weakest trailer of the bunch. Yeah, it's fun watching Trejo go after those who set him up and tried to kill him, but the pace of the project is unusually slow. Not only that, the action tends to be pretty underwhelming. Oftentimes, the kills take place from a distance or off-screen. There's one shot in which Machete opens his trench coat and it's revealed to be packed to the brim with machetes, one of which he throws past the camera. This should be a cause for celebration but instead is done at such a sluggish rate that it's hard to do more than offer a courtesy laugh. Not only that, it's hard to buy into the "low-budget exploitation" of it all when Rodriguez throws in CG explosions and effects anywhere he can. Machete would go on to be one of the few Grindhouse trailers adapted to a feature film, and even spin off into its own franchise.

'Hobo With a Shotgun' Is the Best 'Grindhouse' Trailer

Capping out the string of Grindhouse fake trailers is the underdog of the bunch. Originating as a project made to win Rodriguez and Tarantino's trailer competition, Jason Eisner's Hobo with a Shotgun was shot by a small bunch of indie filmmakers on consumer-grade cameras, made in the same spirit as those making exploitation films in the genre's heyday. Like the majority of underground exploitation filmmakers, Eisner's direction and spirit behind the project is so desperate to entertain that not a single moment is wasted. For one, the trailer has an incredible pace. The camera is constantly whipping around and quick-zooming into all the action, with rapid-fire editing taking us from one set piece to the next. David Brunt is Oscar-worthy (yup) as the titular Hobo, a man who has had enough. He stalks the streets of a violent and depraved city, ready to take anyone and everyone out with his trusty shotgun. Don't forget the funked-out soundtrack backing the whole thing. It's glorious.

Being that the project was spearheaded by indie filmmakers, there's little money behind this project, but that gives it charm. Exploitation and grindhouse movies weren't backed by big studios or the biggest names in Hollywood. Oftentimes, they were made by regional filmmakers outside the studio circuit. If we just looked at the genius idea at the core of this project, as well as its own entertainment factor, it would still be the best of the bunch. Its charming, independent spirit is totally undeniable. The eventual film adaptation that would come in 2011 is fun, it's just missing the serious, angry, grainy nature of the fake trailer. The feature is a bit too glossy and seems to be laughing at itself more than it should. These movies are about getting in the dirt and feeling the grit of the film, something that Eisner's fake trailer does masterfully. So far, it's the best thing to come out of the entire Grindhouse project.

Let the record show that this has not been a write-up on Planet Terror and Death Proof being bad movies or anything. The entire Grindhouse package is a debaucherous double-feature feast in exploitation from two of the best filmmakers currently playing the game. It's not that the project as a whole overstays its welcome by the end — it is a double feature after all — it's just that the individual parts are too long. Both films should be the leanest and meanest films in their respective director's filmographies, so it's a shame that they suffer from being bloated. It can't be repeated enough that the fake trailers sandwiched between both features are the unsung highlight of the entire experience. If you haven't seen it yet and can stomach it all, get some friends together and give Grindhouse a shot. More than anything, look forward to the project's shorter entries. They deliver the best representation of the low-budget, fast-paced filmmaking nature that the features set out to capture, and are a wonderful celebration of all that this grimy, roach-infested corner of film has to offer. Let's hope that Thanksgiving is enough of a hit that we get feature versions of Werewolf Women of the S.S. and Don't!

Grindhouse is available to rent in the U.S. on Vudu

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