Planet Terror

10/15/2018

***Black comedy/thriller/horror about biochemically-birthed zombie outbreak in central Texas*** Created by writer/director Robert Rodriguez, “Planet Terror” was originally part of the double feature called “Grindhouse,” released in 2007. The other movie was “Death Proof” by Quentin Tarantino. Both were standalone stories, although vaguely connected. They were a deliberate attempt to recreate the experience of a double feature at a B movie house in the mid/late 60s-70s with the prints intentionally marred by scratches and blemishes or, in this flick, a whole reel supposedly missing. Trailers for fake movies, like “Machete,” were also part of the package. The plot of “Planet Terror” involves a biochemical outbreak in central Texas that (big surprise) turns people into zombies and the

1/16/2020

Planet Terror failed to terrorise with its blood-bubble bursting infestation. The first feature of Rodriguez/Tarantino’s homage to the “Grindhouse” exploitation genre, is one that exercises the practical magic of independently produced B-movies. No dramatic theatricality to be seen here, on the misty darkened roads of rural Texas where “Fergalicious” Fergie screams the countryside down whilst being devoured by infected military units. This is Planet Terror, baby. The only quality that matters is the amount of bloodshed that splatters onto the screen. Rodriguez may have directed, produced, written, scored, edited and shot the entire feature, he seemingly tried too hard in replicating the exploitation aesthetic that, if you strip away the grainy filter, comes across as a mildly engaging expe