From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (1999)

Desperado Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) escapes the hangman and kidnaps his daughter. They hideout in a saloon, which turns out to be inundated with vampires.

This straight-to-video production is a prequel to From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), which was written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino pitched the story that would become From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. At the same time, Rodriguez pitched the idea for From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter, selecting P.J. Pesce as its director. Both the second and third instalments were filmed in South Africa. As one would expect, From Dusk Till Dawn 3 is gory, visually-rich, over-the-top fun, entertainingly combining vampire lore with old west cowboys.

It depicts real-life historical figures, including Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and author Ambrose Bierce. Danny Trejo appears in every entry of the franchise as the immortal barman. Concurrently, as in Kill Bill Vol. 2, Michael Parks further proves himself to be one of Hollywood’s most unrecognised, yet dexterous talents. Correspondingly, Rebecca Gayheart excels here, enough to catch Tarantino’s attention, casting her in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). The character Johnny Madrid is referenced in that film. B-movie fans are advised to ignore From Dusk Till Dawn 3’s savage critical reaction, to revel in its fantastical, silly, genre-delivering chaos.