Quentin Tarantino: Definitive Guide To Homages, Influences And References

Death Proof

24. The Title

Tarantino got the inspiration for the title of the movie from a friend who told him that you can give a stunt team any car and for $15,000 they can "make it death proof." Tarantino, who apparently "didn't want to die in a car crash like the one in Pulp Fiction," thought the phrase was so funny that he kept it stored in his head, and eventually found use for it as the title for his grindhouse flick. Death Proof is Tarantino's dual homage to car chase movies and slasher flicks.

23. Thunder Bolt

When the opening credits begin, the film's true title "Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt" flashes up for less than a second before being replaced with a black title card that displays the title Death Proof. This is a nod to the fact that many grindhouse theaters were given different titles depending on where they were released. Often projectionists would use a similar black title card like the one that appears in Death Proof, though the results would often allow for a glimpse of the other title. The "Thunder Bolt" typeface is based on that of 50s hot rod flick Thunder Alley.

22. The Car Chase Movie References

Stuntman Mike makes several verbal references to famous car chase movies: Vanishing Point (1971), Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974) and White Line Fever (1975).