“Fuck that shit! Let’s kill this bastard.”
Slashers are a staple of the horror genre. When we think about this lovably formulaic narrative trope we imagine masked killers, sharp knives, and final girls who find empowerment by picking up the killer’s weapon and refuse to play a part in someone else’s story. What we don’t often think about is cars. Typical slasher villains are more likely to be seen hiding in bushes or lurking on the edges of a placid lake than behind the wheel of a tricked out stunt car. But not in Quentin Tarantino’s world. The unique director takes his own crack at the slasher with Death Proof, a thrilling action/horror blend with intoxicating hangout vibes and a group of ferocious female friends.
Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) is excited for a night out on the town in sweaty Austin, Texas when a stranger in an Icy Hot jacket approaches her group at the local dive bar. Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is a smooth-talking nacho-eater who selflessly offers to drive another patron home after receiving a lap dance from the semi-reluctant Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito). No sooner have they hit the road than Mike’s car appears out of nowhere and smashes them to gory pieces. It turns out he is a devious serial killer who uses his “death proof” car to run victims down. Fourteen months later, Mike is back on the road and hunting for another group of “girlfriends” to kill. But the women he targets are full of surprises. Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), Zoë (Zoë Bell), and Kim (Tracie Thoms) fight for their lives in a harrowing car chase through the back roads of Lebanon, TN. But who will come out on top of the dashboard and has Stuntman Mike finally met his match?
The Lady Killers continue Hot Girl Summer with Tarantino’s vibe-heavy twist on the slasher sub-genre. Co-hosts Jenn Adams, Sammie Kuykendall, Rocco Thompson, and Mae Shults will chat about southern locales, insufferable poetry, cheerleader collateral, and the ethics of lap dancing. Which group of ladies would they choose to join? Is Ship’s Mast too dangerous to actually play? Is it ever ok to give yourself a nickname and is there anything Kurt Russell could do to turn us off? Hop onto the hood and cruise through the country for a high-octane episode on this unexpected gem.
Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.
The post Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Death Proof’ Is a High-Octane Slasher Fueled By Fiery Females [The Lady Killers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.