In 2007, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up in Grindhouse, a horror double feature consisting of Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Tarantino’s Death Proof. Although both followed the exploitation and B-movie styles, Planet Terror went above and beyond by using zombies and a biochemical disaster as the core of the story, with a very generous amount of gore and a visual style that stayed true to the grindhouse vibe.
Planet Terror follows a group of people trying to survive after a deadly biochemical agent, called DC2, is released, turning most of the town’s residents into gross, deformed zombies. Some people are somehow immune to it, and it’s up to them to find a safe place they can run away to – but not without a couple of obstacles in the way, which will also shed some light on the DC2 gas, what it is, and what could be the cure.
Planet Terror has some memorable characters and weapons (and some of these even go together), so here’s a guide on the main characters and the who actors played them.
Rose McGowan as Cherry Darling
The first character the audience meets is Cherry Darling, a go-go dancer who decides she needs a major change quits her job. Her real name is unknown, but it’s revealed that at some point she wanted to be a doctor, yet ended up as a go-go dancer somewhere in Texas. She was in a relationship with El Wray (who calls her “Palomita”), and came across with him on the night of the DC2 leak after years of not having any type of communication with him. After a car accident with El Wray, a group of sickos (aka zombies) tore off her right leg. Wray initially attached a wooden table leg to her stump, and later replaced it with a modified rifle.
Since Planet Terror, McGowan has mostly worked on independent films (with the exception of Conan the Barbarian), made her directorial debut with the short film Dawn, and released her debut single “RM486” in 2015. A four part-documentary titled Citizen Rose was released in 2018 following her and her role in the Me Too movement.
Freddy Rodriguez as El Wray
Just like with Cherry, El Wray’s true identity is a mystery. He was a military special agent and is very skilled with different weapons. He was in a relationship with Cherry, and is responsible for the adapted rifle that Cherry uses as leg. They get back together in the midst of the zombie apocalypse and lead the group to a safe escape.
Rodriguez’s last film appearance was in CBGB in 2013, but he has appeared in various TV series, including Ugly Betty and The Night Shift. He’s currently part of the main cast of CBS’ Bull, where he plays Benny Colón.
Marley Shelton as Dakota Block
Dr. Dakota Block is an anesthesiologist at the local hospital. At the beginning of the film, she’s planning on leaving her husband - Dr. Block - and taking her son with her and her lover, Tammy, but things take an unexpected (and tragic) turn. When her husband learns this, he stabs her hands with her anesthetic syringe, rendering them useless. She’s also the estranged daughter of sheriff Earl McGraw (it’s a small town), and had a brief appearance in Death Proof. She also has her own weapon in a custom gun to shoot her syringes.
Shelton has appeared in a number of movies since Planet Terror, most notably Scream 4. Her latest appearance was in Brad Peyton’s Rampage, where she played Dr. Kerry Atkins.
Josh Brolin as Dr. William Block
Dr. Block is Dakota’s husband and sheriff Earl McGraw’s son-in-law. He was controlling and aggressive, stabbing his wife’s hands with an anesthetic syringe and locking her in a closet. Although he was probably immune to the gas, he got infected when a patient literally smeared his face with his infected blood.
Brolin reunited with Robert Rodriguez in 2014's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, but is now best known for his role as Thanos in the MCU. He hasn’t really left villain roles behind, he just changed his methods a little bit. His next project is Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, scheduled for a December 18, 2020 release.