Quentin Tarantino: How two watch the filmmaker's two cinematic universes in release and chronological order

Want to get started on Quentin Tarantino's movies? Here’s how to do it!

Image credit: Miramax Films

How to by Joshua Lapin-Bertone Contributing writer

Published on Jan. 8, 2024

From the battlefields of World War 2 Europe to streets of middle America, nobody makes films quite like Quentin Tarantino. The legendary director has become one of the most iconic names in filmmaking, thanks to his unique style, creative cinematography, shocking violence, and irreverent stories. Who else can make a movie about a killer car and a 19th century bounty hunter? If you have ever wanted to watch Tarantino’s filmography, but haven’t been sure where to start, Popverse has you covered! Follow this guide, as we tell you everything you need to know to watch Quentin Tarantino’s movies.

How to watch Quentin Tarantino’s movies in release order

Kill Bill: Volume 1 still — Image credit: Miramax Films

If you want to watch Tarantino’s films in release order, here is how you would do it. This list contains all the films that Tarantino directed or had a heavy role in shaping. This list doesn’t cover films where Tarantino did script touch-ups or projects where he was given executive producer credit. For those films, please see the ‘other films’ section of our guide.

How to watch Quentin Tarantino’s movies in chronological order

Inglorious Bastards still — Image credit: Universal Pictures

One of the cool things about Tarantino’s films is the way they jump around the timeline. You have movies like Inglorious Bastards which is set during World War II, then you have films like The Hateful Eight, which is set in 1877. If you want to watch Tarantino’s films in chronological order, here is how to do it.

1858: Django Unchained
1877: The Hateful Eight
1941 - 1944: Inglourious Basterds
1950s: Sin City
1960s: Pulp Fiction's gold watch flashback
1969: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
1987: My Best Friend's Birthday
1992: Reservoir Dogs
1993: True Romance
1992 - 1993: Pulp Fiction
1994: Natural Born Killers
1995: Jackie Brown and The Man From Hollywood (from Four Rooms)
1996: From Dsk Till Dawn
1999: Kill Bill: Volume 1
2003: Kill Bill: Volume 2
2007: Grindhouse: Deathproof and Grindhouse: Planet Terror

Do Quentin Tarantino’s movies all take place in the same continuity?

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood still — Image credit: Sony Pictures

Some filmmakers get one cinematic universe, while Quentin Tarantino has two! Tarantino broke it down in a 2016 interview. “There's the Realer Than Rreal universe, alright, and all the characters inhabit that one. But then there's this movie universe. And so, From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill, they all take place in this special movie universe. So basically, when the characters of Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, when they go to the movies, Kill Bill is what they go to see. From Dusk Till Dawn is what they see.”

Which films take place in which universe? We have the movies Tarantino listed, but the rest are widely debated amongst film buffs. It also assumed that some projects, such as Jackie Brown and Tarantino's television work, aren't connected to either universe. To the best of our knowledge, and with a little help from the Tarantino Universe Wiki, here is a breakdown of which films take place in which universe…

The Realer Than Real Universe

My Best Friend’s Birthday
Reservoir Dogs
True Romance
Natural Born Killers
Pulp Fiction
Inglorious Bastards
Django Unchained
The Hateful Eight
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

The Movie Universe

From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Kill Bill: Volume 2
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Grindhouse: Planet Terror

What about Tarantino’s other films?

It's Pat movie still — Image credit: Touchstone Pictures

Quentin Tarantino has also lent his hand to other director’s films. These movies aren’t necessarily considered Tarantino projects, since he didn’t direct them, and they aren’t based on his story treatments. In some cases, he isn’t even credited. It’s worth noting that many Hollywood films have multiple writers take passes at the script. As such, when we list Tarantino as an uncredited writer, it doesn’t mean he was the only writer on the project.

It would be weird to put films like the SNL spin-off It’s Pat alongside classics like Kill Bill. However, a guide to Tarantino’s films wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t list all his projects.

Has Quentin Tarantino ever directed any television projects?

Yes, Quentin Tarantino has done television work. Tarantino directed a 1995 episode of the medical drama ER titled ‘Motherhood.’ He also directed ‘Grave Digger,’ a 2005 episode of the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Tarantino was also involved in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, a television spin-off of the 1996 film. Although he never directed any episodes, he was involved in the story treatment for the series.

When is Quentin Tarantino’s next film?

For years Quentin Tarantino has said that he only plans on directing ten films before retiring. Tarantino has said that he considers Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2 to be one giant film. This means that if we discount guest directorial segments and short films like My Best Friend’s Birthday, Tarantino is currently up to 9 films. That means that his next film, The Movie Critic, is likely to be his last. The film will be about a movie critic who writes for a pornography magazine. It will be a period piece set in the '70s. The film was slated to be released in 2024, but the various Hollywood strikes of 2023 delayed production.

Where can I watch Quentin Tarantino’s films?

Death Proof still — Image credit: Dimension Films

Quentin Tarantino’s films have been produced for a few different film studios, which means that some of them have different licensing deals. As a result, not all of them can be found on the same streaming services. In addition, due to licensing deals, some films will go from service-to-service depending on what month it is.

As of this writing, here is a breakdown of where you can find the main 10 films in Tarantino’s canon.