Planet Terror (2007)
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Survivors of a biochemical outbreak must battle zombie-like creatures and a rogue military unit in rural Texas.
The story
In rural Texas, go-go dancer Cherry Darling encounters her mysterious ex-boyfriend El Wray at a restaurant. Simultaneously, a demented Lieutenant Muldoon and his men attempt to seize a deadly biochemical agent from a chemical engineer. The situation escalates when Muldoon releases the gas into the air, mutating the town's residents into deformed, zombie-like creatures. As the infection spreads, Cherry and El Wray find themselves caught in the chaos, eventually seeking refuge at a local hospital and a nearby shack while trying to navigate the growing threat of the infected population.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In rural Texas, go-go dancer Cherry Darling meets her ex-boyfriend El Wray at the Bone Shack. Nearby, Lt. Muldoon steals a deadly biochemical agent (DC2) from engineer Abby, releasing it and mutating the townspeople into zombies. Cherry and El Wray crash on the highway after a zombie attack, and Cherry loses her leg. At a local hospital, Dr. Block abuses his wife Dakota before being infected. El Wray rescues Cherry from the hospital, and they take refuge at the Bone Shack. Dakota escapes with her son Tony, who accidentally shoots himself. A group including Dakota, Earl McGraw, and others arrive at the Bone Shack to flee toward the Mexican border but are intercepted by zombies and then arrested by Muldoon's men. They learn the soldiers are stealing the gas because they are infected and some people are immune. After a series of battles, the survivors defeat the guards. Cherry is forced to dance by a soldier but fights back, eventually getting a minigun leg. J.T. stays behind to detonate explosives. The survivors flee by helicopter, but Abby is killed by a missile. El Wray is fatally wounded saving Cherry. The survivors reach a beach in Tulum to start a new society, where it is revealed Cherry has given birth to a daughter. A post-credits scene shows Tony on the beach.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- Robert Rodriguez
- Writers
- Robert Rodriguez · writer
- Cast and characters
- Rose McGowan · Cherry Darling; Freddy Rodriguez · El Wray; Michael Biehn · Earl McGraw; Jeff Fahey · J.T. Hague; Josh Brolin · Muldoon; Marley Shelton · Dakota
- Genres
- action; zombie; comedy; thriller
- Themes
- survival; outbreak; exploitation
- Tone and mood
- grindhouse; unpredictable; thrilling
- Premise and plot tags
- zombie apocalypse; biochemical outbreak; action-comedy
- Franchise connections
- Grindhouse
- Content notes
- sexual assault
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with most critics considering it the superior of the two films in the Grindhouse double feature.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by a late-night horror show called 'Project Terror' in San Antonio.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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