When the car crashes through the sign for a drive inn, the movies playing are Scary Movie 4 (2006) and Wolf Creek (2005).
Quentin Tarantino named the character "Jungle Julia Lucai" after his personal assistant, Victoria Lucai.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [bare feet] opening credits, Jungle Julia is constantly wearing no shoes and Abernathy has her bare feet hanging out of the car when she is asleep.
The cheerleader costume worn by Mary Elizabeth Winstead says 'Vipers' in homage to the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) in the "Kill Bill" movies. It is also the same colors as Uma Thurman's jump suit; yellow with black stripes.
The original name for "Death Proof" that pops up for about a frame is "Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt".
The complete list of songs contained in the jukebox is as follows: 01. Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft / Ellie's Love Theme (From Shaft (1971)) 02. Barry White - You're the First, the Last, My Everything / Can't Get Enough 03. Bob Dylan - George Jackson (Acoustic) / George Jackson (Big Band) 04. Stevie Wonder - Lately / If It's Magic 05. The Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her / Oh Girl 06. The THP Orchestra - Theme from S.W.A.T., Pt. 1 / Oh Girl 07. Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand for It / Knocks Me off My Feet 08. Bloodstone - Natural High / This Thing is Heavy ("Natural High" is heard in Jackie Brown (1997)) 09. Don McLean - American Pie, Pt. 1 / American Pie, Pt. 2 10. Sweet - Little Willy / Man from Mecca 11. The Isley Brothers - Take Me to the Next Phase, Pt. 1 / Take Me to the Next Phase, Pt. 2 12. The Miracles - Love Machine, Pt. 1 / Love Machine, Pt. 2 13. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues / She Belongs to Me 14. Honey Cone - Stick Up / V.I.P. 15. Earth Wind & Fire - Shining Star / Yearning, Learning 16. Amii Stewart - Knock on Wood / When You Are Beautiful 17. Honey Cone - Want Ads / We Belong Together 18. Kool & The Gang - Hollywood Swinging / Jungle Boogie ("Jungle Boogie" is heard in Pulp Fiction (1994)) 19. Bob Dylan - Band of the Hand / Theme from Joe's Death (From Band of the Hand (1986)) 20. The Sweet - Wig-Wam-Bam / New York Connection 21. Friends of Distinction - Grazing in the Grass / I Really Hope You Do 22. 'Marvin Gaye (I)' - Trouble Man / Don't Mess With Mr. T (From Trouble Man (1972)) 23. Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again / Rita May 24. Pacific Gas & Electric - Are You Ready? / Staggolee 25. Donna Summer - Love to Love you Baby / Need-A-Man Blues 26. Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant / Love Express 27. Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / You're My Everything ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is heard in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)) 28. Jigsaw - Sky High / Brand New Love Affair 29. George Baker Selection - Little Green Bag / Pretty Little Dreamer ("Little Green Bag" is heard in Reservoir Dogs (1992)) 30. The Sweet - Blockbuster / Need a Lot of Lovin' 31. Eddie Floyd - Good Love, Bad Love / Things Get Better 32. Joe Tex - The Love You Save / If Sugar Was as Sweet as You 33. Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody (Long Version) / Gotta Serve Somebody (Short Version) 34. Dick Dale - Misirlou / Eight Till Midnight ("Miserlou" is heard in Pulp Fiction (1994)) 35. Lee Williams - They Told a Lie / I'm Tore Up 36. William Bell - Formula of Love / You Don't Miss Your Water 37. Dinah Washington - Mad About the Boy / Stormy Weather 38. The Box Tops - Cry Like a Baby / The Door You Closed to Me 39. The Checkmates Ltd. - Black Pearl / Lazy Susan 40. The Sweet - Fox on the Run / Miss Demeanor 41. The Delfonics - Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) / La-La Means I Love You ("Didn't I" is heard in Jackie Brown (1997)) 42. Brothers Johnson - Get the Funk Outta Ma Face / Tomorrow 43. Bob Dylan - Hurricane, Pt. 1 / Hurricane, Pt. 2 44. Abba - Waterloo / Watch Out 45. 'T. Rex (I)' - Jeepster / Life's a Gas 46. Melanie - What Have They Done to My Song Ma? / Ruby Tuesday 47. Commander Cody - Hot Rod Lincoln / Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar 48. Robert Mitchum - The Ballad of Thunder Road / The Tip of My Fingers ("Ballad" is the theme from Thunder Road (1958)) 49. Dean Martin - Rio Bravo / My Rifle My Pony and Me (From Rio Bravo (1959)) 50. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Hold Tight! / You Know What I Want.
Tarantino's character mentions a "tasty beverage". A reference to Pulp Fiction (1994) and Tarantino's room in Four Rooms (1995).
In the uncut European version, Kim says she has to pee while at a liquor store. Lee and Abernathy respond, "That's a little more information then we needed to know." This is a reference to Pulp Fiction (1994) in which Uma Thurman says this to John Travolta.
Zoe Bell does all her own stunts (she was the stunt double for Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series, which was also directed by Quentin Tarantino).
The jukebox (named AMi, pronounced "Amy"), is Quentin Tarantino's own. It was trucked to Austin to be used in the film in its very own rig. The list of songs on it was also hand-written by Tarantino.
When Kim, Zoe and Abby are in the Challenger, ready to go on their "test drive", they pull up by Mary and Abby says, "Hey good looking, we'll be back to pick YOU up later!" This was a line in a commercial for a cheesy Ronco product, Mr. Microphone, in the '70s. It was used again in a 1990's episode of "The Simpsons" (1989).
One of the television shows Stuntman Mike mentions as working on was "The Virginian" (1962). Kurt Russell appeared twice on the show.
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [[trunk shot]: Tarantino's traditional shot looking up at the actors from the trunk of a car is replaced by one looking up from under the hood.]
At Warren's bar, there is a sign that says "CASH ONLY" with the famous photo of Johnny Cash giving the finger.
The two waitresses that do shots with the group in The Texas Chili Parlor are Lonestar Roller Derby girls "Venis Envy" from the "Putas del Fuego", and "Punky Bruiser" from the "Holy Rollers".
At the beginning, Vanessa Ferlito's character is drinking from a soda cup. The restaurant on the cup is the same Mexican restaurant (Acuna Boys') that is advertised during the transition between "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" in the original Grindhouse (2007).
In the uncut European version of Death Proof, there is a scene where Stuntman Mike feels Abernathy's feet while she is asleep in the car and Lee isn't paying attention. When she wakes up from it, he pretends he just touched them by accident as he was walking by going to his car. Later when he attacks the girls driving the challenger, this explains how Abernathy is the only person who recognizes him from earlier.
All of the posters for Death Proof are inaccurate. The car is depicted without its rubber duck hood ornament.
Michael Parks character refers to his son as "Son number 1", just like in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).
Stuntman Mike asks Jungle Julia about having a billboard "near Big Kahuna Burger", another brand used by Quentin Tarantino in his movies. She then replies 'I got one there too Zatoichi'. This is a reference to the famous Japanese blind samurai character who has appeared in several films and TV series - Tarantino is a big fan of the franchise.
The Acuna Boys restaurant cup that Arlene drinks from in one of the opening scenes is a references to Jackie Brown (1997). Jackie drinks from the same exact cup during one of the food court scenes.
The scene where the girls are having breakfast is a virtual recreation of the breakfast scene from Reservoir Dogs (1992).
The hood ornament on Stuntman Mike's car is an homage to the chrome duck ornament used in the 1978 movie Convoy (1978).
The license plate on Stuntman Mike's Chevy Nova is JJZ-109. This is the same license plate number that was on the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback that Steve McQueen's character drove in the movie Bullitt (1968).
Stuntman Mike's two "death proof" cars are a 1970 Chevy Nova and a 1969 Dodge Charger.
Kurt Russell can be seen in the background, eating through the diner scene.
In an interview with Newsweek, Quentin Tarantino stated he came up with the idea of Death Proof when he was talking to a friend about buying a car. Tarantino wanted to buy a Volvo because he "didn't want to die in some auto accident like the one in Pulp Fiction (1994)". In regards to the safety of the car, his friend had said, "Well, you could take any car and give it to a stunt team, and for $10,000 or $15,000, they can death-proof it for you." The "death proof" phrase had stuck to Tarantino after that.
In the hospital scene, Texas Ranger McGraw refers to Stuntman Mike as Frankenstein. This is a reference to Death Race 2000 (1975), where David Carradine plays a character called Frankenstein.
In the bar, there is a tank-top nailed to the wall with a samurai-character. This is the tank-top Kurt Russell wears when playing Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China (1986).
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] One of the characters asks for 'Red Apple' cigarettes, a trademark brand of Tarantino.
In an interview, Quentin Tarantino said that the version of "Down in Mexico" heard in 'Death Proof' was likely the rarest recording in his entire collection. When he was working at a stag theater in his teens, he showed the record to the projectionist, another record collector, who immediately pointed out the words "Newly Recorded" on the record's label. Tarantino said this version soon became one of his favorite tracks of all time.
The film was physically scratched to achieve its dirty look, rather than digitally scratch the film footage.
"The poem that Jungle Julia has her listeners recite to Butterfly is an excerpt of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. It's also a reference to the '70s thriller Telefon (1977), in which the poem was used as a posthypnotic signal to activate Russian sleeper agents.
The song "Misirlou" by Dick Dale and the Del Tones can be seen on the jukebox close-up. This was the main theme song in Pulp Fiction (1994).
There was originally going to be a scene near the beginning, where Julia and her friends hang out in her apartment. In the scene, which ended up being drastically cut from the film, Julia dances on her coffee table while holding the jacket for The Cars album "Candy-O".
In the uncut European version, Abernathy's cell phone ring is Bernard Herrmann's "Twisted Nerve." This is a reference to Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).
A conversation takes place among Abby, Zoe, Kim and Lee in which it's revealed that Abby's last boyfriend, a film director, cheated on her with a stunt double for Daryl Hannah. Monica Staggs, who plays Lanna Frank in the first half of Death Proof (2007), was the stunt double for Hannah in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004).
Director Trademark: [Quentin Tarantino] [[Long Take] During the second half of the film, when the four women are talking in the cafeteria, it's all done in a single take that is approximately seven minutes long.]
The posters and DVD cover feature a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, though this car never actually appears in the movie.
Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007 (#02, tied with "Inland Empire" and "Still life")
In the second segment of Death Proof, the yellow car with the black stripes the girls drive has a license plate that reads "Brand X", this is a reference to Brand X Action Specialists, the stunt company of Tarantino's stunt coordinator Jeffrey J. Dashnaw.
The jukebox (named AMi, pronounced "Amy"), is the same one as in the opening diner scene of Natural Born Killers (1994) (written by Quentin Tarantino).
In the beginning, Arlene is seen drinking from a soda cup that is from a Mexican restaurant called "Acuna Boys". In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), when the Bride visits Bill's "surrogate father" Esteban Vihaio, the voice-over she gives as she arrives tells us that Esteban is the leader of a Mexican gang called the Acuna boys, made up of the sons of his prostitutes.
Kim's Mustang is obviously referencing The Pussy Wagon from 'Kill Bill'. But if you look closely at the back of the car (When Lee is sitting on the trunk), on the left side it says "Lil' Pussy Wagon".
In the extended cut of the film, the word 'fuck' is used 144 times.
While the White Challenger is an obvious nod to Vanishing Point (1971), Kim's yellow mustang is a reference to the original H.B. Halicki film, Gone in 60 Seconds (1974). The yellow 1973 "Mach One" was the original "Elenor" in Halicki's film. In fact, it is mentioned as one of the greatest car movies in the diner scene, though Kim strongly adds that they are not referring to the remake Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000).
According to Zoe Bell, when her friend Quentin Tarantino told her she would be starring in the movie she thought she would be just a featured extra. She copped on when she saw her name on the poster.
The Crazy Babysitter Twins from Planet Terror (2007) can be seen in Warren's Bar during the lap dance sequence. They are standing by the door when Butterfly starts crawling on the floor.
Pam's hair, make up and clothing were designed to contrast heavily with Rose McGowan's appearance as Cherry Darling in Planet Terror (2007).
Eli Roth's character "Dov" hits on Jordan Ladd's character "Shanna". They both starred together in Cabin Fever (2002) (which Roth directed) where Roth's character "Justin" also hits on Ladd's character "Karen". Dov gets a lot further than Justin does.
The second film Kurt Russell and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have appeared in together. The first was Sky High (2005). But they don't share any scenes in this film.
Rosario Dawson convinced Quentin Tarantino to cut her hair like pin-up icon Bettie Page for her role.
