The Legacy of Grindhouse Fake Trailers: From Fiction to Reality

The Immersive World of Grindhouse

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's double-feature Planet Terror and Death Proof contained several fake Grindhouse trailers, teasing several fictional exploitation movies — although some later got made. The trailers for Grindhouse movies in Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Tarantino's Death Proof were an incredibly creative directorial decision, as the world of fake movies they gave viewers a glimpse into increased the immersion of the double-feature. Grindhouse was a full experience with two feature-length segments, advertisements, in-theater announcements, and fake trailers for upcoming films, all in the style of B-movies with filters that make the images look deteriorated and effects to make them look jumpy and old.

Machete aiming a big gun

Planet Terror and Death Proof are the main attractions of Grindhouse, and they are very different from one another. Planet Terror is about zombies and Death Proof is about a serial killer stuntman. Very much like them, the fictional trailers are very different from each other, and some of them even went from fake trailers to full-length feature movies in the years after this movie came out. Grindhouse has a total of five fake trailers, all of them from different directors — Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, and the fifth by Jason Eisener, John Davies, and Rob Cotterill.

Women smoke cigars in Werewolf Women of the SS

From Fiction to Reality: The Journey of Fake Trailers

The legacy of Grindhouse fake trailers extends beyond the big screen, with some of them evolving into actual full-length feature films. Let's delve into the journey of these fictional trailers that became a reality, captivating audiences with their unique concepts and storytelling.

Hobo with a Shotgun fake Grindhouse trailer.

Robert Rodriguez, not only directed Planet Terror, but also a fake Grindhouse trailer for the double feature called Machete, starring Danny Trejo as the titular character. Machete is a former Mexican Federale whose weapon of choice is a machete, but is pretty skilled with firearms too. The trailer shows Machete leading a revolt against both anti-immigrant politicians and border vigilantes. Machete went on to become a full-length feature in 2010, using much of the trailer footage and expanding it into a full movie. It was a success and a sequel called Machete Kills dropped into theaters in 2013.

Padre Benicio Del Toro with a gun in Machete

Rob Zombie directed the fake trailer Werewolf Women of the SS for Grindhouse. The title is pretty self-explanatory. Adolf Hitler orders his Nazis to experiment on creating werewolf women at a fictitious Death Camp. The trailer stars Udo Kier, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sybil Danning, and even has Nicolas Cage hilariously appearing as Fu Manchu. Like most of Zombie’s work, this trailer is not for everyone, but it’s a good addition to the Grindhouse experience. Much of this was also re-imaged in Zombie's movie The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, but the Nazis created zombies there instead of werewolves.

Don’t was Edgar Wright’s contribution to Grindhouse, and it’s all about horror movie clichés. This Grindhouse trailer features a lot of well-known actors in very short appearances, such as Jason Isaacs, Matthew Macfadyen, Lucy Punch, Rafe Spall, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Mark Gatiss, Jason Issacs, MyAnna Buring, and many others. The title is a reference to all the common mistakes characters make in horror movies, lambasting the dozens of tropes present in the genre. Edgar Wright's fake Grindhouse trailer homaged The Legend of Hell House, The Baby, The Omen, Suspiria, Don't Hang Up, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, and more.

demon from edgar wright don't

The fake Grindhouse trailer for Thanksgiving was made by Eli Roth in the style of holiday-themed slasher films. It’s the most graphic trailer of the bunch, and starred Jeff Rendell as the killer pilgrim, with Jay Hernandez, Jordan Ladd, and Roth himself as some of his victims. What is most interesting about the Thanksgiving trailer is that it ended up becoming a real movie 16 years later. Thanksgiving came out in November 2023 with the killer pilgrim terrorizing a small town. Roth had previously said that he started working on this movie in 2010, making the third Grindhouse fake trailer to become a movie last over a decade in the works (via Cinema Blend).

Woman Screaming in Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Trailer

Hobo with a Shotgun is a trailer that was shown at selected theaters and earned its spot because it won Rodriguez’s SXSW Grindhouse trailers contest. It was created by Jason Eisener, John Davies, and Rob Cotterill, and follows a vagabond with a shotgun who becomes a vigilante. The trailer became a full-length feature in 2010 with Rutger Hauer as the Hobo. Grindhouse was not only a way to showcase the experience of watching exploitation films, but it was also an opportunity for other filmmakers to have as much fun and creative freedom as they wanted with fake trailers, and in the case of Hobo with a Shotgun, an opportunity for new talents to showcase their work.

The Impact of Grindhouse Trailers

The Grindhouse fake trailers have left a lasting impact on the film industry, showcasing the creative freedom and innovation of filmmakers. These trailers not only entertained audiences but also paved the way for new, original movies that were born from their concept. The evolution of these fictional trailers into actual feature films is a testament to the power of storytelling and the influence of the Grindhouse experience.