From Dusk 'Til Dawn (1996)
Although not done in the 'drive-in' Grindhouse style, it IS a Robert Rodriguez film and many of the people in this appear in his other films as well. There are tons of players, and as he used in future films also, this is actually three stories in one. It is definitely NOT just a 'vampire' movie - it's pretty complex, and yet he manages it quite well, culminating in the final story which, yes, has a ton of vampires. He uses Quentin Tarantino for the screenplay as well as one of the characters, this is George Clooney's first big film, and many of the people in it make repeat appearances in Rodriguez's movies in the future. Here are the 'stories':
1. Two brothers Seth (George Clooney) and Richard Gecko (Quentin Tarantino) are wanted by the FBI and Texas police for a bank robbery that has left several people dead. They also waste several people and blow up a liquor store after Richard (crazy psycho as opposed to Seth's cold psycho) thinks the cashier was signalling a cop. While the place is blowing up they calmly walk to their car, discussing why the whole incident was unnecessary. In fact, Seth is beginning to worry - after Richard breaks him out of prison they were supposed to rob a bank and hotfoot it to Mexico, that's it. But Richard, being crazy psycho, couldn't resist the opportunity for murder and mayhem. Seth tells him that was not the plan and he'd better straighten up, which irks Richard. Also Richard has managed to get shot in the hand and duct tapes it - practical. In Mexico, Seth has arranged for contact with a guy named Carlos, who for a fee can set them up in El Ray - they just have to get there without the whole state of Texas and the FBI catching them. He leaves Richard in charge of the hostage they took but when he comes back, Richard has raped and slaughtered her. Seth is shaken, this is not the kind of psycho he is, and he wonders out loud if somehow this is all his fault. And we come to:
2. Jacob (Harvey Keitel), a pastor who after the gruesome death of his wife has lost his faith, is taking a vacation in a motor home with daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and his adopted son Scott (Ernest Liu). Unfortunately and unknowingly, as Jacob is dead tired and wanting a 'real' bed and not just the RV, he stops at the same ratty motel as the Gecko brothers. Seth, realizing that the family's RV can be used to get them across the border, kidnaps them. He makes the solemn promise (being the cold psycho) that if they get across the border safely and make their connection, the family will not be harmed and in fact will be let go. Jacob has no choice but to agree, although he hates the way Richard is staring at his daughter. She, according to Richard's mind anyway, is his next 'playdate'. Seth promises Jacob not to let that happen - if they cooperate. So Seth attempts to make small talk and we get Jacob's backstory that way. They then arrive at the border and the brothers take his daughter and hide in the bathroom.
The border patrol officer (Cheech Marin, in one of three roles he plays in this movie - it's like 'we need a Mexican, get Cheech in here!) at first is satisfied that Jacob and his son are alone - until he hears a thump in the bathroom (Seth and Richard are arguing about whether they're going to make it and fed up and frustrated, Seth has knocked Richard out) and tells Jacob he's coming in. With quick thinking, Seth closes the shower curtain as Kate sits on the toilet. When the officer sees her there (looking a little too long), he's satisfied and they are across the border. Now they have to make their destination - the connection location is at a bar called the Titty Twister - where all the bikers and truck drivers go. And we get the final and faster story:
3. The Titty Twister is a strip club bar (duh) with a barker out front named, uh, Chet (Cheech's second role) and they decide to hole up there until dawn, when their connection is due. It's open from dusk 'til dawn. Chet pisses Seth off a bit and he loses his temper, bashing him in the head and knocking him down. Richard, being the crazy psycho of course isn't satisfied with that and continues to kick him while he's down until pulled into the bar. This is where the rest of Rodriguez' regulars can be found. While the group sits at a table to drink Tequila (having to prove to the bartender Razor Charlie, played by Danny Trejo that Jacob is indeed a truck driver, sort of) we see our variety of characters. My personal favorite besides Danny? Tom Savini of course, who in this movie is only known as 'Sex Machine'. He has what is called a 'codpiece revolver' which my hubby being all technical said couldn't fire but it was still pretty damn cool. Others such as Fred Williamson are also there (look him up, he's been in a ton of stuff) and the place is full. And women are plentiful.
As they drink the main attraction, Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek looking rather large in the hips but still sexy as hell) performs a special dance on their table, paying special attention to Richard, playing to his darkest desires. After the dance, Chet shows up and tells Charlie they had beat him up and an altercation starts, during which Richard is stabbed in the same hand. When Santanico sees the blood, she transforms into a vampire. Not your sexy fangs-and-big-boobs vampire, a true Nosferatu. She bites Richard and the place bursts into pandemonium as all the girls, workers and even the live band all transform into vampires. Which is why the place is only open from dusk 'til dawn but you already figured that out, didn't you?
Most everybody dies at once, except our main characters (and the popular supporting ones). Richard dies first, grieving Seth greatly, despite knowing his brother was totally off his nut. So all we have left is Seth, Jacob, Kate, Scott, Sex Machine and a Vietnam veteran trucker named Frost (Fred Williamson). As the door is now barricaded, they decide to all work together to wipe the place out and, as in some other movies, each vampire seems to die differently - some explode, some melt, some burst into flames, others simply burst. During the fighting Tom Savini is given some of the best lines. My favorite? Jacob asks, "Does anyone know the real story on vampires and not just the movies?" Sex Machine, "You mean like a Time-Life book?" 
The dead, including Richard, suddenly reawaken as vampires, forcing the group to kill them all. They continue the slaughter, not noticing that Sex Machine, during a protracted (and partly silent thank goodness) backstory given by Frost about his Vietnam experiences, has been bitten in the arm and is standing separate from the group, starting to hear voices. He makes a great comedic start at changing - he feels his teeth, finding a fang and slaps his hand over his face. Which then grows claws. He puts it behind his back. But the other hand begins to transform as well. Suddenly as Frost is winding down, he is attacked and bitten by a now fully transformed Sex Machine (almost a relief). He also manages to bite Jacob. Frost, not yet dead but pissed, throws Sex Machine through the wooden door and the horrid sound they'd been hearing becomes horribly apparent - hundreds of bats that transform into more vampires.
This includes Sex Machine, still on the loose. His head is cut off. But, being Sex Machine (read Tom Savini probably did a lot of work on this movie) instead of it killing him, he grows a new head (neat trick) and his four limbs become animal-like. He's now a demon dog. But he does get killed for good. Those still alive, Seth, Kate and Scott book it to a back room full of the goods they've been taking off the truckers they've killed. They desperately look for weapons. Meanwhile Jacob, not yet transformed, uses a rifle and pool cue as a 'cross' makes his way through the mass and gets to the back room. He is told by Seth that he'd better re-find his faith fast, because if hell-like creatures exist so does God and he may be pissed at him, but his faith is all they've got. So Jacob 'blesses' water and they fill super-soakers and condoms full of it. Seth makes himself a sort of mechanized stake, and Kate finds a crossbow. Before they go, Jacob makes his kids promise to kill him the instant he turns, putting a gun to his head and telling them if they don't promise, he'll just kill himself now. They do.
They burst through the door and more massive pandemonium begins. Vampires die right and left as the four use their new-found weapons to stake, burn and explode all they can reach. Jacob transforms, but Scott can't kill him and is bitten. He does then manage to kill Jacob but is set upon by a group of vampires. He asks Kate to kill him - she shoots the holy water he carries and he and the group explode. As the sun rises, only Seth and Kate remain alive, surrounded and low on ammunition. Just then, sunlight breaks through the bullet-holes in the bar walls and burns the vampires. Seth and Kate shoot out more holes, which allows them to survive until Carlos (Cheech in his third role) and his gang show up. They open the doors (don't ask me how they open from the outside or why this didn't happen with the big hole already in the door), and the sunlight reflects on the bar's disco ball, killing the rest of the vampires.
Safely outside, Seth decks Carlos who doesn't understand but keeps his men from killing Seth. Seth tells Carlos everybody except him and Kate are dead and why did he pick this spot to meet up. Carlos then sets up a good line, "What's with those guys, are they psychos?" Seth retorts, "Psychos don't explode in sunlight." Carlos merely shrugs about the location saying 'one place is as good as another'. For Seth's 'trouble' Carlos agrees to take 20% instead of his usual 30% and Seth hops in the provided car to take off, but not before giving Kate a handful of the stolen money (which she doesn't seem to mind taking - I guess all moral bets are off). She asks him if he'd like some company. He replies basically that he may be a psycho but he's not a bastard. Whatever that means. I'm guessing he'll kill people but not commit statutory rape. I guess.
The last scene is everyone driving away and the camera pans back to show the back end of the bar. Besides a ton of trucks and motorcycles, below the bar is a huge Aztec temple and we know that it is impossible that all the vampires were killed (as the sequels proved).
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