''Guns of El Chupacabra'' is a 1997 martial arts based

monster film A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall und ...

that was directed by Donald G. Jackson and was produced by and stars

Scott Shaw Scott Shaw (born 23 September 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American author, martial artist, and filmmaker. Career Scott Shaw is an advanced martial artist. He has written a number of books on the martial arts. Shaw has written a numb ...

. The co-stars of this film include

Julie Strain Julie Ann Strain (February 18, 1962 – January 10, 2021) was an American actress and model. She was chosen by '' Penthouse'' as Pet of the Month in June 1991 and Pet of the Year in 1993. Her biggest mainstream acting role was Julie, the protagoni ...

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine '' Heavy Meta ...

Conrad Brooks Conrad Brooks (born Conrad Biedrzycki; January 3, 1931 – December 6, 2017) was an American actor. Career Brooks moved to Hollywood, California, in 1948 at age 17 to pursue a career in acting. He got his start in movies appearing in Ed Wood film ...

Joe Estevez Joseph Estévez (born February 13, 1946) is an American actor and director. He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez. Life and career Early life Estevez ...

, and

Robert Z'Dar Robert James Zdarsky (June 3, 1950 – March 30, 2015), better known by his stage name Robert Z'Dar, was an American character actor and film producer, best known for his role as officer Matt Cordell in the cult horror film ''Maniac Cop'' and it ...

Development and plot

The films follow the lead character Jack B. Quick, Space Sheriff, who is sent to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

by Queen B, and King Allmedia to battle El Chupacabra. He enters the Earth driving a vintage

Plymouth Belvedere Plymouth Belvedere is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954 the Belvedere re ...

. 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 A chaise longue (; , "long chair") is an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs of the sitter. In modern French the term ''chaise longue'' can refer to any long reclining chair such as a deckchair. ...

, 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". 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". "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".

Media

The television series ''

Strange Universe ''Strange Universe'' was a United States syndicated daily half-hour program about paranormal phenomena that aired from 1996 to 1998. Developed by Rysher Entertainment and Chris Craft Television, it debuted in 1996, hosted by Emmitt Miller and ...

'' did an episode on this movie titled, "The Chupacabra".

References

External links

''Guns of El Chupacabra'' official website
* * {{IMDb title, 0286668

''Guns of El Chupacabra'' on ''Strange Universe'' 1997 films 1990s action films 1997 horror films American action horror films American martial arts films American monster movies Films about cryptids Martial arts horror films American natural horror films 1997 martial arts films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Donald G. Jackson 1990s American films