9. Kill Bill & From Dusk Till Dawn Are Movies Within Movies
From one Tarantino theory to another, this one actually comes from the man himself. While it’s not technically a “fan theory” – as it didn’t come from a fan and it’s more than just a theory – it is an incredibly interesting piece of information that enriches all of Tarantino’s films.
The recurrence of certain names and brands (such as the Vega brothers, Big Kahuna Burger, and Red Apple Cigarettes) confirms that Tarantino’s movies all exist within a shared universe, but a few of his films actually exist as films within that universe.
It’s as unnecessarily confusing as we’ve all come to expect from Tarantino, but he himself explained it best:
“There’s the realer than real universe, alright, and all the characters inhabit that one. But then there’s this movie universe. And so From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill, they all take place in this special movie universe. So basically when the characters of Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, when they go to the movies, Kill Bill is what they go to see. From Dusk Till Dawn is what they see.”
Quentin Tarantino, news.com.au
This is perhaps made most obvious in Pulp Fiction, when Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) talks about the plot of a TV pilot she once acted in. In the pilot for Fox Force 5, Wallace played Raven McCoy, described as the deadliest woman in the world with a knife. This is not only the same description given to Thurman’s later character of The Bride, but Wallace’s description of the show exactly fits with the plot of Kill Bill, hinting that the film serves as an in-universe sequel to Fox Force 5.
It may be a little convoluted, but it’s a genuinely fascinating touch from one of the most celebrated directors of all time.