Guns of El Chupacabra

Guns of El Chupacabra is a 1997 martial arts based monster film that was directed by Donald G. Jackson and was produced by and stars Scott Shaw. The co-stars of this film include Julie Strain, Kevin Eastman, Conrad Brooks, Joe Estevez, and Robert Z'Dar.[1]

Guns of El Chupacabra
DVD box cover
Directed byDonald G. Jackson
Produced byScott Shaw
Donald G. Jackson
Written byScott Shaw
Donald G. Jackson
StarringScott Shaw
Julie Strain
Kevin Eastman
Robert Z'Dar
Joe Estevez
Conrad Brooks
CinematographyDonald G. Jackson
Edited byScott Shaw
Release date
  • April 20, 1997 (1997-04-20)
Running time
90 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3,200,000

Development and Plot

The films follows the lead character Jack B. Quick, Space Sheriff, who is sent to Earth by Queen B, and King Allmedia to battle El Chupacabra. He enters the earth driving a vintage Plymouth Belvedere. Once on Earth he acquires several fire arms and goes on a mission to rid the earth of El Chupacabra.

"This has B-grade pinup Julie Strain as priestess Queen B. Her the-real-life husband, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman plays King Allmedia. From their space boudoir, comprising as it does candelabras, a chaise longue, and some curtains, they summon Scott Shaw's Space Sheriff Jack B. Quick, and tell him they'll reward him with an action-hero franchise if he defeats Robert Z'Dar's Z-Man Lord Invader, who has unleashed the mythical monster the Chupacabra on earth. So far, so low-rent, but comprehensible, at least by the standards of Jackson and Shaw. Jack heads to earth and all sense goes out the window." [2]

The most interesting Shaw/Jackson collaboration is Guns of El Chupacabra (1997), a film that has been described as "Fellini meets the Coen Brothers." It's an acid-tinged spaghetti western about a space sheriff named James B. Quick who has come to earth to kill mythical creatures in the desert. The cast includes B-movie legends Joe Estevez (brother of Martin Sheen) and Robert Z'Dar (Samurai Cop), Penthouse Pet Julie Strain and her husband, Teenage Mutant Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, and Conrad Brooks, an actor who appeared in the films of legendary director Ed Wood (Plan 9 From Outer Space). All of these actors were quick to embrace the creativity that Zen filmmaking allows and have appeared in many Scott Shaw films over the years." [3]

"So why opt for El Chupacabra? It was pure serendipity according to Scott Shaw, the film's producer. 'Don and I were down in Mexico to do a movie called the Guns of Baha, and we were scouting locations.We kept hearing about these chupacabras. We got to this weird road and noticed strange dead animals along the roadside. So it was five in the evening and there was three cars down the road. Suddenly, something apparently ran across the road causing the first car to flip over. We stopped. Don had a bad hip, so I grabbed the camera and started helping people out while trying to shoot things. The people swore it was a chupacabra that made the car flip. Don and I looked at each other so then we just decided to change the film title from Baha to Guns of El Chupacabra." [4]

Media

The television series Strange Universe did an episode on this movie titled, The Chupacabra. [5]

References
  1. Zen Filmmaking, Chapter 13: The Saga of Guns of El Chupacabra and the Art of Zen Filmmaking, Scott Shaw, ISBN 1-877792-47-0
  2. Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made, Michael Adams ISBN 978-0061806292 Pages 301-302
  3. Scott Shaw and The Art of Zen Filmmaking, Matt Kaufman, Kansai Time Out, Number 371, January 2008 Page 21
  4. The Guns of El Chupacabra, Craig Reid, Femme Fatales, Volume 7, Number 2, July 1998. Pages 56-60
  5. "The Chupacabra". Strange Universe imdb.com. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
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