Planet Terror

Way back in early 2005, movie geeks collectively soiled themselves at the announcement of a collaboration between cult directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The two were set to pair up in a way that Hollywood hadn’t seen before. Their intention was to revive and pay homage to the forgotten ‘Grindhouse’ genre of the ‘70s. Each director would make a film in this style (‘Death Proof’ from Tarantino, ‘Planet Terror’ from Rodriguez’) and the two would be paired with a number of fake trailers by leading modern horror directors (such as Eli Roth and Rob Zombie). The package was simply named ‘Grindhouse’ and was eventually released earlier this year, with the expectation of huge box office success.

Against all expectations, ‘Grindhouse’ bombed. Within weeks, the decision had been made to split the package into individual movies and release them separately outside of the USA. Following on from last months ‘Death Proof’ release, ‘Planet Terror’ is now heading to your local cinema. Style, sleaze, gore, wit and zombies; ‘Planet Terror’ is a veritable buffet for horror fans. With sinister synths overlaying most scenes, wear and tear on the print and even a missing reel, Rodriguez has made an authentic homage to Grindhouse culture and injected it with a thrilling dose of pitch black humour. Surely the most enjoyable film of the autumn and definitely the best horror movie of the year, ‘Planet Terror’ is a genuine masterpiece.

Released 9th November 2007 by Momentum Pictures.

Written by Molly Stewart.