10 Horror Movie Twists That Rewrote The Rules
9. Switching Genres Halfway Into the Film - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
There are many horror movies that switch genres during their second or third acts, including Ryan Cooglar's Sinners, Takashi Miike’s Audition, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, and Mimi Cave’s Fresh. All of them do a fantastic job of it, but none pull it off as impactfully or legendarily as Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn.
Released several years – or decades – before those other titles, From Dusk Till Dawn is the textbook case of a film completely changing its tone mid-movie.
Initially, it’s an action/crime thriller about two deranged criminal brothers who kidnap a family and force them to drive to an all-night Mexican strip club so that they can escape the authorities. It’s an extremely intense ride whose premise could’ve lasted until the credits rolled.
However, Rodriguez and co-writers Robert Kurtzman and Quentin Tarantino (who also plays one of the brothers) had something else up their sleeve, as it turns out that the strip club is really a vampire coven built atop an ancient Aztec temple.
From there, From Dusk Till Dawn sees the brothers and the family teaming up with other patrons to battle the bloodsucking horde. Consequently, what was once a gritty and uncomfortable glimpse into unlawful escapades becomes a deliciously stylized and bonkers B-movie horror romp.
Without a doubt, its midway rug-pull caught just about everyone off guard.