Vultures
Genre: Horror
Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Clive Steinbeck
Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bella Thorne, Richard Brake, Chloe Cherry, Naturi Naughton, Scout Taylor-Compton, Danny Trejo, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Fairuza Balk, Daeg Faerch, Lew Temple, Bill Moseley
Plot: 1974. In a dusty field in the foothills outside Sacramento, the sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps" blacks through the crowd of a music festival. The band is midway through the song, playing before a sea of half-drunk, half-baked concertgoers. Women in cut-off shorts and fringe dance in front, men in denim vests and greasy hair drink from bottles wrapped in paper bags. From the far edge of the crowd, the deep rumble of Harley engines cuts through the music. Five bikes crawl into view as the Vultures MC roll to a stop and kill their engines. Their leader, Cutter (Richard Brake), is up front with his righthand man Tombstone (Danny Trejo) behind him. Lynch (Jeff Daniel Phillips) climbs off his hog with his old lady Daisy's (Fairuza Balk) arms wrapped around his waist. Wheels (Daeg Faerch) quietly brings up the rear of the group. They push into the crowd without slowing, Cutter clearing a path with a flat stare. A wiry young man turns into him, beer sloshing across Cutter’s vest. The grin that spreads across Cutter’s face isn’t friendly — he smashes the bottle into the kid’s face, the glass exploding into shards. Before the boy can react, Cutter drags the jagged neck of the bottle down his cheek, skin peeling open. The man’s friends rush forward. Tombstone meets one with a headbutt so hard blood sprays from the man’s nose. Lynch swings his tire iron into another’s ribs, the dull crack cutting through the music. Cutter shoves the beer-spiller to the ground, straddles him, and draws a hunting knife from his belt. The crowd recoils as he presses it to the boy’s belly and drives it in slow, twisting until the front of his shirt blooms red. Two off-duty CHP officers push through the chaos, one with his badge clipped to his jeans. They bark for Cutter to drop the knife. Tombstone's revolver comes up fast, and two deafening shots drop both men in place, one clutching a ruined chest, the other’s throat exploding in a spray of blood. The band falters at the sounds of the shots, but keeps playing when they are unable to see any violence from the stage. Cutter wipes his blade on the dying man’s shirt, glances to Tombstone, and mutters about needing to ride.
The Vultures ride hard all night, headlights carving thin tunnels through the darkness. Cutter leads with hunched shoulders, Tombstone behind him nursing a bleeding side, Lynch scanning the shadows, Daisy leaning back on her seat with arms spread, Wheels bringing up the rear like a ghost. They pull into a flickering gas station around midnight. Tombstone ducks into the grimy bathroom, lifts his shirt, and presses a rag against the wound at his ribs after pulling out a shard of glass that was stuck in his side. Cutter spreads a road map out on the dusty ground, tracing south with a dirty fingertip. Daisy fishes cigarettes from a breast pocket and lights two, passing one to Lynch. No one speaks much - only the occasional growl about staying off the main highways. After riding all night and through the morning, Cutter motions for the group to take a turnoff near the Salton Sea.
A strip club called The Velvet Chains sits off a dusty road just south of the Salton Sea. It's neon sign buzzes faintly in the midday glare. Inside, the curtains are drawn to keep out the brutal California sunlight. The club's owner, Ruby Vex (Sheri Moon Zombie) leans over the bar, dragging deep on a cigarette while counting a fistful of wrinkled bills. Lola Belle (Bella Thorne) works a corner table, leaning in close to a trio of traveling salesmen. She rests one hand on a thigh, giving a fake laugh at something one of them says. The music shifts and Candy (Chloe Cherry) struts onto the stage in glittery go-go boots and a hot pink halter, chewing gum and tossing her hair to “Strutter” by KISS. Her routine is all quick snaps and sharp hip pops, more bratty than sultry. A pair of salesmen lean forward, bills in hand, while Candy smirks and snaps her gum loud enough for them to flinch. The side door creaks open. Stormy (Naturi Naughton) walks in wearing oversized sunglasses and a leather jacket. She peels the shades off and heads toward the dressing area. Ruby mentions the time, indicating Stormy is late again for her shift. Near the back wall, Honey Ryder moves slowly on the small secondary stage, barefoot, hair hanging loose over her shoulders. She sways sensually to the music. At the bar, Red leans in, beer in one hand, running his mouth loud enough for half the room to hear. He throws crude compliments toward Lola and slaps the bar when she ignores him. Cal sits alone at a corner table, motionless except for the slow tilt of his glass to his lips, his eyes locked on the stage.
The faint roar of engines rolls in under the music, growing louder. Candy notices first, glancing toward the door. It swings open and in steps Cutter, followed by Daisy, Tombstone, Lynch, and Wheels. Cutter's eyes sweep the room. They spread out instinctively - Cutter and Daisy to the bar, Tombstone leaning heavy against a stool, Lynch pacing like a caged dog, Wheels drifting toward the stage. Candy hops off the stage and sidles up to Wheels, brushing his arm with her fingers, teasing him about looking too young for the patch on his vest. Stormy, passing by, catches the exchange and keeps walking. Ruby pours Cutter and Daisy drinks without asking what they want, setting them down hard enough to make the glasses clink. Cutter doesn’t take his eyes off Lola. From his barstool, Red lets out a drunken laugh, calling across the room about the festival mess up north, throwing in a jab about Altamont. The Vultures all freeze. Lynch sets his drink down slow, strolls to Red, and in one motion smashes a beer glass into his face. The edge rips a line across Red’s cheek, blood spraying onto the counter. Cutter turns toward Ruby, and tells her to lock the doors. The metallic click of the latch is louder than the music.
Cutter stays at the bar, leaning one elbow on the counter, the shotgun propped within reach. He tells the room, almost lazily, that no one leaves until morning. They’ve got business to handle south of the border. Daisy slides off her stool, claps her hands together, and saunters toward the dancers. She lines them up like she’s choosing meat, dragging her finger along Candy’s arm, tilting her head at Lola, appraising Honey like a horse at auction. She announces that the boys deserve a private show, and Cutter doesn’t argue. Cal shifts in his seat near the wall. He keeps his head low but his eyes flick toward the front door. When Daisy’s attention turns, he makes a slow move, edging toward the exit. Wheels notices, stalking across the floor without a word. He grabs Cal by the hair and slams him face-first into the wall hard enough to dent the plaster. Cal groans, tries to cover his head, but Wheels drives his skull into the wood paneling again and again until his body goes limp. Blood runs down the wall in thick streaks. Wheels lets him drop to the floor like garbage.
While Tombstone is using the phone to try to reach his brother in Mexico for a route through the border, Candy perches on Wheels' lap, giggling and tracing the outline of his patch with a fingertip. She playfully teases him about being so quiet but tough. Daisy sees it from across the room, her expression curdling. She yanks Candy off him by the hair, dragging her across the floor toward Cutter, tossing her forward like an offering. Daisy mocks her in front of everyone, saying if she thinks she’s so hot, she should give the boss a taste. Candy makes a remark about Cutter not being as cute as Wheels. Cutter studies Candy for a moment, then grabs the back of her head and drives her face into the edge of the bar. There's a loud crack as her nose shatters. Blood gushes down her mouth and chin. She staggers back. Before she can regain her footing, Wheels is up behind her, arm hooking around her torso. The flash of a switchblade catches the low light. He plunges it into her ribs three quick times. Wheels shoves her forward and she crumples, a pool of blood spreading around her.
Ruby orders Stormy to help her carry Candy's lifeless body away. They carry her into the dressing room, laying her on the couch. Ruby drapes a curtain over Candy's body. Stormy quietly tells the others that she thinks this is the gang that just killed a bunch of people at the concert in Sacramento. Lola paces, her eyes darting between the curtain and the door. Honey quietly tells the others that she noticed the Vultures stash a few weapons - a pistol at the bar, blades by the pool table. Ruby says that waiting isn't an option - these biker thugs clearly have no intention of letting them live when they move along.
The room is quiet except for the low hum of the jukebox. Cutter leans back at the bar, cigarette burning down between his fingers, shotgun propped within reach. Lynch demands one of the girls get up and dance. From the dressing room, Honey steps back onto the stage. She’s barefoot, hair loose, wearing nothing but a thin silk wrap. “Use Me” by Bill Withers flows from the speakers. As she moves toward the pole, Honey drifts into the wings. Out of sight, she crouches by the cracked vanity mirror, yanks a jagged shard loose, and hides it in her palm. She comes back into view, circling the room as if picking her next audience. Lola is at the bar with Cutter now, leaning on her elbow. Honey glides up behind Lynch, who’s sitting with his back to her, gnawing on a toothpick. Her arm hooks around his neck and the mirror shard slashes across his throat in one clean motion. His eyes go wide as a red spray arcs across the table, the toothpick dropping from his lips. He claws at the wound, but she twists the glass, tearing it open until he collapses in a wet heap on the floor. Stormy grabs a mic stand and swings it into Daisy’s face. The first hit knocks her sideways, the second sends her sprawling. Stormy straddles her, slamming the stand down again and again until Daisy’s head makes a soft, sickening sound against the floor. Ruby moves on Tombstone, swinging a whiskey bottle into his jaw. The glass shatters, jagged pieces sticking out of his cheek. He roars and lunges, tackling Ruby to the floor. Lola grabs Tombstone’s dropped pistol from the floor, steps in close, and puts two rounds into his chest. He lets go of Ruby. Lola fires a third shot into his head. Wheels charges at Honey, knife in hand. She sidesteps, grabs the back of his head, and drives the mirror shard into his eye socket. He screams, flailing, but she twists until he goes limp and falls to the floor, the glass still buried in his skull. Cutter has the shotgun now, standing in the center of the room, breathing heavy. His face is calm, almost amused. The jukebox has switched to “Rock On” by David Essex. The women scatter, weaving between overturned tables and broken chairs. Cutter fires once, the blast tearing a hole in the wall. The girls make it out the front door of the club, stepping over corpses on the way, into the blinding afternoon sun.
Lola is the first to kneel beside a bike, slashing its tires. The others follow suit, stabbing deep. One by one, the tires collapse into shredded rubber, rendering the row of Harleys useless. They take off toward the open flats, sticking to the edges of the Salton Sea. Cutter staggers out of the club, stepping out into the blinding light. The sight of the bikes stops him cold. Every tire’s been gutted. He grabs his shotgun and starts walking toward the flats, salt and dirt crunching under his boots. The girls see Cutter slowly moving in their direction. They decide to split up to increase their chances of finding help. Honey circles toward a shallow stretch of the Sea, but Cutter spots her. The shotgun booms, tearing into her midsection. She stumbles backward into the brackish water, then collapses face-down. Stormy's farther out, weaving between dead palm trees. Cutter fires again, pellets raking her shoulder and spinning her to the ground. She pushes herself up, teeth gritted, and crawls toward the shade of a half-collapsed shack. Cutter ignores her for now - she's not going anywhere fast. Ruby and Lola regroup behind the rusting frame of an old fishing shack near the shoreline. They’re sweating, breathing hard. Lola finds a length of barbed wire, while Ruby picks up a rusted harpoon leaning against the shack wall. Cutter steps into the doorway, shotgun raised. The blast splinters the frame inches from Ruby’s head. She charges low, slamming into his legs and knocking him backward into the salt. The gun clatters away. He grabs Ruby by the hair, jerking her up, but Lola’s already behind him, looping the barbed wire around his throat and pulling tight. Cutter thrashes, the barbs biting deep, blood running down his chest. Ruby drives the harpoon into his ribs with every ounce of strength she has. Lola hauls back harder, the wire sawing through skin and muscle. Cutter's face goes purple, until his body finally goes slack. Ruby and Lola hold on until the last twitch fades. In the distance, Stormy leans against a dead palm, blood soaking her shoulder, staring out over the water. Overhead, vultures circle, their shadows drifting across the flats as “A Horse With No Name” plays.
