Useless Movie Trivia
Death Proof
Grindhouse -Death Proof
Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
Memorable Quotes
Stuntman Mike: Ladies, we're gonna have some fun.
Stuntman Mike: Well, Pam... Which way you going, left or right?
Pam: Right!
Stuntman Mike: Oh, that's too bad...
Pam: Why?
Stuntman Mike: Because it was a fifty fifty shot on wheter you'd be going left or right. You see we're both going left. You could have just as easily been going left, too. And if that was the case... It would have been a while before you started getting scared. But since you're going the other way, I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately!
Pam: Is that cowboy wisdom?
Stuntman Mike: I'm not a cowboy, Pam... I'm a stuntman.
Stuntman Mike: [as he drives] Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat.
Jungle Julia: [to Arlene] What about "kinda cute, kinda hot, kinda sexy, hysterically funny, but not funny-looking guy who you could fuck" did you not understand?
Stuntman Mike: The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. Did you hear me butterfly? Miles to go before you sleep.
Stuntman Mike: There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
Trivia
When the car crashes through the sign for a drive inn, the movies playing are Scary Movie 4 (2006) and Wolf Creek (2005).
Quentin Tarantino named the character "Jungle Julia Lucai" after his personal assistant, Victoria Lucai.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [bare feet] opening credits, Jungle Julia is constantly wearing no shoes and Abernathy has her bare feet hanging out of the car when she is asleep.
"The poem that Jungle Julia has her listeners recite to Butterfly is an excerpt of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost." It is also a reference to the 70's thriller Telefon (1977) where the poem was used as a posthypnotic signal to activate Russian sleeper agents.
The cheerleader costume worn by Mary Elizabeth Winstead says 'Vipers' in homage to the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) in the "Kill Bill" movies. It is also the same colors as Uma Thurman's jump suit; yellow with black stripes.
A conversation takes place between Abby, Zoe, Kim and Lee in which it is revealed that Abby's last boyfriend, a film director, cheated with on her with a stunt double for Daryl Hannah. Monica Staggs, who plays Lanna Frank in the first half of Death Proof (2007), was the stunt double for Daryl Hannah in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004).
The jukebox (named AMi, pronounced "Amy"), is Quentin Tarantino's own. It was trucked to Austin to be used in the film in its very own rig. The list of songs on it was also hand-written by Tarantino.
When Kim, Zoe and Abby are in the Challenger, ready to go on their "test drive", they pull up by Mary and Abby says, "Hey good looking, we'll be back later for YOU!" This was a line in a commercial for a cheesy Ronco product, Mr. Microphone, in the '70s.
One of the television shows Stuntman Mike mentions as working on was "The Virginian" (1962). Kurt Russell appeared twice on the show.
James Parks, playing Dept. Edgar McGraw in both Planet Terror (2007) and Death Proof (2007) has also played the exact same character in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999).
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [[Long Take] During the second half of Death Proof (2007), when the four women are talking in the cafeteria, it is all done in a single take that is approximately seven minutes long.]
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [[trunk shot]: Tarantino's traditional shot looking up at the actors from the trunk of a car is replaced by one looking up from under the hood.]
At Warren's bar, there is a sign that says "CASH ONLY" with the famous photo of Johnny Cash giving the finger.
At the beginning, Vanessa Ferlito's character is drinking from a soda cup. The restaurant on the cup is the same Mexican restaurant (Acuna Boys') that is advertised during the transition between "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" in the original Grindhouse.
In the Uncut European Version of Death Proof, Kim says she has to pee while at a liquor store. Lee and Abernathy respond "That?s a little more information then we needed to know." This is a reference back to Pulp Fiction (1994) where Uma Thurman says this to John Travolta.
All of the posters for Death Proof are inaccurate. The car is depicted without its rubber duck hood ornament.
The cops in the hospital after Stuntman Mike crashes his car for the first time are the cops in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), who report to the scene of the wedding day massacre. They are played by real-life father-son team Michael Parks and James Parks.
Michael Parks character refers to his son as "Son number 1", just like in Kill Bill: Vol. 1.
Stuntman Mike mentions a billboard "near Big Kahuna Burger", another brand used by Tarantino in his movies.
The Acuna Boys seen in the movie is a reference to The Acuna Boys mentioned in Kill Bill: Vol. 2.
The scene where the girls are having breakfast is a virtual recreation of the breakfast scene from Reservoir Dogs.
The hood ornament on Stuntman Mike's car is an homage to the chrome duck ornament used in the 1978 movie Convoy.
The original name for "Death Proof" that pops up for about a second is "Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt".
The license plate on Stuntman Mike's Chevy Nova is JJZ-109. This is the same license plate number that was on the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback that Steve McQueen's character drove in the movie Bullitt (1968).
Stuntman Mike's two "death proof" cars are a 1970 Chevy Nova and a 1969 Dodge Charger.
Tarantino's character mentions a "tasty beverage". A reference to Pulp Fiction.
In an interview with Newsweek, Quentin Tarantino stated he came up with the idea of Death Proof when he was talking to a friend about buying a car. Tarantino wanted to buy a Volvo because he "didn't want to die in some auto accident like the one in Pulp Fiction (1994)". In regards to the safety of the car, his friend had said, "Well, you could take any car and give it to a stunt team, and for $10,000 or $15,000, they can death-proof it for you." The "death proof" phrase had stuck to Tarantino after that.
In the hospital scene, Texas Ranger McGraw refers to Stuntman Mike as Frankenstein. This is a reference to Death Race 2000 (1975), where David Carradine plays a character called Frankenstein.
In the bar, there is a tank-top nailed to the wall with a samurai-character. This is the tank-top Kurt Russell wears when playing Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China.
The song "Misirlou" by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones can be seen on the jukebox close-up. This was the main theme song in Pulp Fiction.
There was originally going to be a scene near the beginning, where Julia and her friends hang out in her apartment. In the scene, which ended up being drastically cut from the film, Julia dances on her coffee table while holding the jacket for The Cars' album Candy-O.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] One of the characters asks for 'Red Apple' cigarettes, a trademark brand of Tarantino.
When Stuntman Mike realizes that Jungle Julia is the same girl that's on multiple billboards around town, Julia calls him "Zatoichi". Zatoichi is a samurai swordsman of legend that is blind.
Goofs
When the car smashes through the drive-in sign, the marquee lists Scary Movie 4 as being rated R, when that movie is actually rated PG-13.
The sign on the Circle A store in Lebanon, TN advertises liquor along with other items such as bread and milk. Convenience stores in Tennessee do not sell liquor and liquor stores can not sell anything that does not contain alcohol.
Filming Locations
Austin, Texas, USA
Buellton, California, USA