From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. It stars George Clooney, Tarantino, Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis. After enjoying modest success at the box office, it has since become a cult film. The film was conceived by Robert Kurtzman who hired Tarantino to write the script as his first paid writing assignment.

Santanico Pandemonium, formerly Esmeralda or Kisa, is a fictional character from the From Dusk till Dawn film series. She is the primary Queen Vampire of the “Titty Twister”, a strip club in the middle of a desolate part of Mexico. In the film series, she is portrayed by Salma Hayek and Ara Celi. The name of Santanico is based on the Mexican Nunsploitation film Satánico pandemonium. Although the original film was not very successful at the box office, the film has achieved a cult status because Hayek’s role as Santanico was generally well received by viewers.