Cinema Shock

KILL BILL: Uma Thurman, Tarantino & The Whole Bloody Affair

This week, we arrive at the blood-soaked finale of our Six Degrees of Kill Bill series.
For the last six episodes, we’ve traced the cinematic lineage behind Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL—from spaghetti westerns and samurai classics to manga adaptations and grindhouse revenge tales. Now it’s time to take on the main event.
In this episode, we dive deep into the creation of KILL BILL itself—from its inception on the set of PULP FICTION, to the years-long development of the screenplay, to the ambitious and tumultuous shoot that took Tarantino around the world. We also explore the reasoning behind the decision to split the film into two volumes, the legacy of its bold stylistic choices, and how it became one of the most iconic cult films of the 21st century.
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Coming Up:
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
EATEN ALIVE (1976)
SALEM'S LOT (1979)
THE FUNHOUSE (1981)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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SHOGUN ASSASSIN: Lone Wolf & Cub & The Grindhouse Remix

This week on The Six Degrees of Kill Bill, we return to Japan to explore a film with deep roots in manga, samurai cinema, and grindhouse remix culture: SHOGUN ASSASSIN.
The film traces its origins back to Kazuo Koike—writer of LADY SNOWBLOOD and creator of his true magnum opus, Lone Wolf & Cub, a sprawling, violent manga epic that ran for six years and nearly 9,000 pages. That manga inspired a series of six Japanese films in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1980 that American audiences truly caught on.
That year, a pair of producers took footage from the first two LONE WOLF & CUB films, dubbed it into English, added a moody synth soundtrack, and released it to U.S. grindhouses as SHOGUN ASSASSIN. The result was a cult hit—and a direct influence on Quentin Tarantino, who featured the film prominently in KILL BILL VOL. 2.
In this episode, we trace the full story: from Koike’s manga, to the original Japanese productions, to the recut cult phenomenon that became SHOGUN ASSASSIN.
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Coming Up:
KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 (2003/4)
Up Next: The Tragedy of Tobe Hooper
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN: Gordon Liu, Shaw Bros & Wu-Tang

When KILL BILL begins, the first image we see—after the Miramax logo, of course—is the iconic Shaw Brothers shield. It’s more than just a stylish nod; it’s a direct homage to the Kung Fu cinema that helped shape Quentin Tarantino’s sensibilities as a filmmaker.
In this episode, we dive into the history of the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, whose influence on martial arts cinema can’t be overstated. Their golden age in the 1960s and ’70s introduced global audiences to the Kung Fu genre and left an indelible mark on KILL BILL, particularly during the House of Blue Leaves sequence in VOL. 1 and the Pei Mei chapter in VOL. 2.
Our film of focus is THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978), directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Gordon Liu—who, fittingly, plays two different roles in Tarantino’s revenge saga. We also can’t talk about this movie without talking about Wu-Tang, so yeah… we go there.
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Coming Up:
SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980)
KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 (2003/4)
Up Next: The Tragedy of Tobe Hooper
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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GAME OF DEATH: Bruce Lee’s Unfinished Epic

That iconic yellow jumpsuit The Bride wears in KILL BILL VOL. 1? Bruce Lee wore it first.
Originally intended as Lee’s fifth film, GAME OF DEATH was meant to be his magnum opus—a culmination of his martial arts philosophy, Jeet Kune Do, and a bold new vision for what martial arts cinema could be. But after Lee’s untimely death in 1973, the project was left incomplete, with only a fraction of the original footage shot.
That didn’t stop the producers. In 1978, they cobbled together a finished film using doubles, trick photography, and just 11 minutes of Lee’s original footage—all in an effort to cash in on his global fame.
In this episode, we explore Bruce Lee’s life and career leading up to GAME OF DEATH, the bizarre rise of the Brucesploitation genre in the years after his death, and how the mishandling of his unfinished masterpiece ironically led to one of his most enduring visual legacies.
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Coming Up:
36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978)
SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980)
KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 (2004/5)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE: Christina Lindberg & The Origin of Elle Driver

For week three of our Six Degrees of Kill Bill series, we’re heading to Sweden to discuss what Quentin Tarantino once called “the roughest revenge film ever made!”
Released in the U.S. as THEY CALL HER ONE EYE, Bo Arne Vibenius’s 1973 exploitation classic THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE provided clear visual and character inspiration for Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver in KILL BILL—right down to the eyepatch.
In this episode, we’re joined by our good friend (and Christina Lindberg superfan) DJ Wilson to trace the evolution of Swedish exploitation cinema. From its roots in the earliest days of filmmaking to its collision with the arthouse stylings of Ingmar Bergman and into the grindhouse boom of the 1970s, we explore how Sweden became an unlikely hotspot for some of the most infamous films in genre history.
Special thanks to Daniel Ekeroth and his book Swedish Sensationsfilms, which helped guide this journey into the strange and sensational.
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Coming Up:
GAME OF DEATH (1978)
36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978)
SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980)
KILL BILL VOL. 1 (2003) & VOL. 2 (2004)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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LADY SNOWBLOOD: Meiji Revenge, Manga & The DNA of Kill Bill

In our Six Degrees of Kill Bill series, we’re exploring the films that Quentin Tarantino has cited—or outright lifted from—in crafting his 2004 revenge epic. And few films were more influential than Toshiya Fujita’s LADY SNOWBLOOD.
In this episode, we dig into the film’s origins as a cult manga, the surprising story behind its adaptation, and how Fujita and screenwriter Kazuo Koike brought it to the screen. We also take a brief (but fascinating!) detour into the Meiji era of Japanese history to understand how that context shapes the story, characters, and political undercurrent of the film.
From its operatic bloodshed to its chapter-based structure and visual homages, LADY SNOWBLOOD isn’t just an influence on KILL BILL—it’s practically its spiritual ancestor.
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Coming Up:
THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (1973)
GAME OF DEATH (1978)
36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978)
SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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DEATH RIDES A HORSE: The Spaghetti Western Origins of Kill Bill

We're big fans of Quentin Tarantino here at Cinema Shock, and it’s no secret that he wears his influences proudly. His films are filled with references to the genre movies he grew up on—and nowhere is that more evident than in his two-part martial arts western revenge epic, KILL BILL.
In this first episode of our Six Degrees of Kill Bill series, we're heading to Italy to explore one of the clearest influences on that film: Giulio Petroni’s 1967 spaghetti western, DEATH RIDES A HORSE.
With a story of long-delayed vengeance, stylish shootouts, and a haunting Ennio Morricone score, this Lee Van Cleef revenge tale laid the groundwork for much of what Tarantino would later channel into KILL BILL. Join us as we trace the connections, break down the film’s legacy, and dig into why this underrated gem still kicks hard.
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Coming Up:
THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (1973)
LADY SNOWBLOOD (1973)
GAME OF DEATH (1978)
36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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KISS KISS BANG BANG: Shane Black’s Return & The RDJ Comeback

After the crash-and-burn of THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, Shane Black disappeared from Hollywood for nearly a decade. When he returned, it was on his own terms—and with a directorial debut that would change everything.
In the final episode of our Black Christmas series, we’re joined by writer and friend of the show DJ Wilson to explore how KISS KISS BANG BANG brought Shane Black back into the spotlight. We discuss how Joel Silver helped get the film made, how Black’s script resurrected Robert Downey Jr.’s career, and how this offbeat noir comedy became a cult favorite—and a stepping stone to Iron Man.
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Coming Up:
DEATH RIDES A HORSE (1967)
THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (1973)
LADY SNOWBLOOD (1973)
GAME OF DEATH (1978)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
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THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT: Geena Davis & The $4 Million Script

By the mid-90s, Shane Black was still riding high—despite the underwhelming performance of THE LAST BOY SCOUT. When his next spec script hit the market, it sparked a bidding war that ended with a record-breaking $4 million sale to New Line Cinema.
In this episode, we’re joined by Zack Daigle, co-founder of the annual McArathon Christmas movie fest, to discuss THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT. We dive into the high-stakes script sale, Renny Harlin’s direction, Geena Davis’s role as a suburban mom/secret assassin, and how the film’s failure marked a turning point in Shane Black’s career.
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Coming Up:
KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
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THE LAST BOY SCOUT: Bruce Willis, Shane Black & Production Hell

After the success of LETHAL WEAPON, Shane Black became the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood. But with great hype comes even greater chaos.
In this episode, we’re joined by Myles Griffin of The More You Nerd podcast to unpack the wild story behind THE LAST BOY SCOUT. From a record-setting spec sale to a production hijacked by Bruce Willis and Joel Silver, to a post-production process that saw seven editors try to wrestle the film into shape—it’s a miracle this movie made it to theaters at all.
We trace the film’s troubled path from page to screen and explore how it became a cult classic in spite of itself.
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Coming Up:
THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT (1996)
KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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