The new season of El Rey Network’s flagship series From Dusk Till Dawn – written, produced, and directed by none other than Hollywood rebel and El Rey CEO Robert Rodriguez – is finally upon us, which means the Internet is flush with all sorts of short-form goodies to give us a privileged peek behind the scenes of the recently launched 10-episode second season. So for disciples of Rodriguez’s twisted, pulp universe of snake-vampires, Aztec mythology, and Danny Trejo, we decided to put them all in one place for your viewing pleasure.
Oh and if you happened to miss the broadcast of the season premiere on August 25, the folks at El Rey have been kind enough to make it available in its entirety on YouTube. Yes, on YouTube. If you can deal with the low quality compression and a pretty in-your-face banner stretched across the top portion of the screen, you can keep up on the mayhem without so much as owning a television. Send your thank you letters directly to Mr. Rodriguez.
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on El Rey.
Watch Robert Rodriguez Direct the First Episode
First thing’s first: turn your speakers down. The sound editors may have gone a step too far with the gratuitous crash sounds on this one. But eardrums aside, this little one-minute gem takes a look at the man, the myth, the legend: Mr. Robert Rodriguez himself.
Following a bleary-eyed and likely sleep-deprived introduction by Rodriguez, this featurette gives us a glimpse at the man in action on the set of From Dusk Till Dawn, while his principal collaborators regale him with compliments and speak to the joy of working on one of his projects. Plus, there are a lot of explosions.
Culebras 101: Learn the Mythology Behind 'From Dusk Till Dawn’s Snake-Vampire Hybrids
https://youtu.be/FTeusy7kisU
But Rodriguez isn’t the only brain behind this serial spinoff of his legendary film franchise. Veteran Cuban-American television writer Carlos Coto also shares executive producer and writer duties, bringing over 15 years of experience from shows like NCIS, 24, and Nikita to From Dusk Till Dawn’s brain trust.
In this video – ostensibly sponsored by Dos Equis judging from the heavy-handed branding – Mr. Coto explains the mythology behind From Dusk Till Dawn’s original monstrous creation: the snake-vampire hybrids known as culebras. The whole idea of it is pretty badass, but we’re going to go ahead and give a special prize to anyone who can make sense of the following: “When they consume blood they carry those souls inside that blood and when their own souls die, their blood boils and that soul eats them up and boils them from inside, so it’s very much a soul being released.” I guess you just have to watch it.
Meet Season Two's Star-Studded Cast
But what featurette would be complete without introducing the pretty faces doing the dirty work in front of the camera? This two-minute clip introduces some of the actors from last season – including Wilmer Valderrama and Jesse García – and lays out the cast of characters who populate From Dusk Till Dawn’s bizarre alternate reality.
Then there are heavy-hitting Season Two newcomers Esai Morales and Danny Trejo, who give us a brief rundown of their characters and what exactly makes them tick. Morales takes on the demonic ancient bad guy, Lord Malvado, giving him a touch of Al Capone and Pablo Escobár, while Danny Trejo’s new character, “The Regulator” simply…well, regulates.
Watch the Complete First Episode
https://youtu.be/ru51h_Pd3rg
Now that you’ve had your fill of promotional teasers, get a full dose of From Dusk Till Dawn’s second season with episode 1, “Pandemonium.”