Welcome to Grindhouse A to Z

By Tim Ryan, Alex Vo, & Jen Yamato

So you're a Tarantino freak with every line of "Pulp Fiction" committed to memory. Or perhaps you're particularly impressed with one man camera crew Robert Rodriguez and his burrito western "El Mariachi" saga. But with the two auteurs coming together in this month's "Grindhouse" double feature -- Tarantino with his killer car pic "Death Proof," Rodriguez with the zombie tale "Planet Terror" -- what exactly is a "grindhouse" movie?

The grindhouse theaters of yesteryear served up cheaply-produced action, sex and thrills to audiences thirsting for sleaze and schlock, so it's no surprise that cult cineastes Tarantino and Rodriguez hold a special place in their hearts for it (and really, don't we all?). From highly-stylized Italian pulp to the mondo documentary, to nudie cuties, biker sagas, girl gangs, and kung fu, exploitation cinema covered a lot of depraved, titillating ground.

But for the uninitiated, we've compiled a handy A to Z guide to grindhouse cinema -- in all of its B-movie, splatter, sci-fi, horror, and sexploitation glory -- to give you a taste of what to expect when the Tarantino/Rodriguez sleaze flick homage hits theaters April 6. Also in the mix are notable cult genres that influenced QT and RR in their careers -- a sort of homage to their collective cinematic homages, if you will -- so jump in for a survey of cult cinema, "Grindhouse" style!