I have an unabashed love for the Grindhouse movies that came out in 2007. They were a hell of a lot of fun, as movies should be. Between the fake trailers – really, if Thanksgiving happens, I am so there, front and center, popcorn in one hand and Nerds in the other – midnight movie plot lines and scratched film reels, they’re charming, campy, flashy, melodramatic and just plain fantastic. Tarantino and Rodriguez obviously have a deep love of the 1970s grindhouse, as do I, so I knew off the bat that I was going to love it. Of the two, Planet Terror is my favorite. For as much shit as this film takes for not performing the way that some wanted it to, it’s really a blast. Here are five reasons to watch it this weekend.

I will put this out there right now: I chose this film prior to watching Dawn, though it’s a nice segway. Rose McGowan is the goddamned bomb. She’s smart, she’s got heart, she’s honest, and she knows how to laugh at herself. It translates well into the role of Cherry. It takes a special actress to play something straight when it’s that ridiculous. A smart ass go-go dancer that loses a leg and gets it replaced by a machine gun? Doesn’t get any better than that. And there’s no one else that I could picture doing it than her.

There’s a missing film reel. It’s my favorite part of this movie because the gag is so well done. The first time I saw it, I yelled, “That is the most fucking awesome way to get around exposition!” Between the cut and the realization of what we missed out on… it’s genius. I still laugh at this part. You have to see this. I can’t spoil this because the initial shock is too good of a feeling to miss.

I adore campy films. So when I get a chance to watch something that combines cheesy dialogue, over-rought acting, obvious corn syrup blood, insane plot lines and psychotic M.O.s, I tend to scream, “Hells to the bells YES!” and go diving for the nearest available seat (regardless of who is already sitting there). Damn does this film have all of the above in spades. Everyone is so goddamned serious, too, which makes it even better. Even the soundtrack is perfect. It’s as though someone said, “Erin, you’ve been good lately. Here’s one for you.”

While this film is campy, it also does what horror does best: it gives deeper issues a chance to air themselves out. Abusive husbands, broken families, amputation, dead children, attempted rape, government experimentation – there’s some depth there, and you’ll miss it if you get too wrapped up in the camp (see above). Don’t get me wrong, the camp is glorious, but if you stop and think about it, it really does pack some punches.

This is just me being a dork. I love color play. I am a sucker for something shiny (true story: someone once deflected an argument by yelling, “Look! Something shiny!” and to this day, I can not remember what we were starting to argue about). You can easily miss some very rich reds, lovely blues and sepia-toned backgrounds if you take these observations for granted. Proving again that if you stop and look, you’ll find something beautiful in an unexpected spot.

Strange? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. Hell of a good time? Oh yes. Give this one a chance.