From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter

In 1913, the American author Ambrose Bierce experiences a nightmare in which Pancho Villa kills him. The dream unsettles him and foreshadows the danger he will face in Mexico. He wakes with a sense that fate will pull him into the revolutionary conflict.

Bierce wakes and discusses his desire to join Villa's revolutionary army with a local bartender. The conversation sows the seed for his dangerous journey into the Mexican conflict. It establishes the romantic notion of epic purpose that drives him forward.

Bierce joins a stagecoach carrying newlywed John and Mary Newlie, who travel to Mexico to preach Christianity. The eclectic mix of travelers foreshadows collisions with outlaws and the supernatural. The stage becomes a moving entry point into the film's perilous events.

Outlaw Johnny Madrid escapes the gallows and kidnaps Mauricio's nineteen-year-old daughter, Esmeralda. Madrid's bold kidnapping triggers pursuit by his gang and Mauricio's posse. Catherine Reece appears, hoping to become Madrid's apprentice as an outlaw.

Madrid meets with his gang along with Mauricio and a posse on their trail. The pursuit tightens as they draw closer to the fugitives. Reece's ambition to join Madrid's causes raises the stakes.

Madrid's gang ambushes Bierce's stagecoach because Reece believes Bierce possesses an invaluable object. The ambush yields nothing of value, but Bierce proclaims that he himself is the object and declares his wish to join Villa. The encounter intensifies the chase toward Mexico.

An annoyed Madrid leaves Reece hanging in the desert to stop her interference. The desert becomes a brutal proving ground as the groups push toward their next encounter. The posse eventually finds Reece and uses her to track the fugitives.

Night falls as all parties seek shelter in La Tetilla Del Diablo, an isolated inn that doubles as a brothel. The establishment is secretly run by vampires led by high priestess Quixtla, who is drawn to Esmeralda. The night marks the moment when supernatural danger eclipses ordinary threats.

John fights one of Madrid's men, drawing blood, and the vampires reveal themselves, sealing exits and attacking the patrons. Mauricio's men and most of Madrid's gang are slain; only Madrid and Joaquin manage to escape into the inn's dungeon.

Ezra Traylor is fed upon by the vampire women and becomes a vampire. He hypnotizes and bites Mary, turning her to the undead. Bierce, Reece, John, Esmeralda, Mauricio, and Joaquin retreat deeper into the dungeon to survive.

Mary rises as a vampire and is exposed as John's fraud who married her for money. John kills Mary to end the threat. In the catacombs, Joaquin, who had been bitten earlier, turns and bites John, who then kills Joaquin.

Doomed, John persuades Madrid to stake him to prevent turning. Bierce reads old papers proving Reece is an outlaw who killed her own family. The group returns to the bar entrance where Quixtla and the vampires await.

Santánico Pandemonium is proclaimed as Esmeralda is transformed into a vampire princess. Santánico kills her grandmother Quixtla and Mauricio becomes a vampire; Mauricio uses sunlight to kill Quixtla, allowing Madrid and Bierce to escape while Santánico hides. She begs Madrid not to leave her as the entrance closes.

Madrid looks away sadly and joins Ambrose's quest to reach Villa's army. They depart the inn's vicinity, unaware of the Mayan temple behind the vampires' building.

Bierce survives into present times and recounts his tale to a patron. He claims to have proof and reveals that Quixtla bit him, making him a vampire. In a final shocking moment, he rips the patron's heart out and bites it.