"The West's deadliest Gunslinger against the World's most diabolical Killer!"--Ad Line.
This is one TERRIBLE feature!
I first learned about this dud (movie?) in a Winter 1966 issue of Monster World magazine (a lesser companion magazine to the more popular Famous Monsters of Filmland) which gave both Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula and its co-feature the lamentable Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter considerable coverage (Ouch!). I believe Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula was theatrically released in March or April 1966 in the Toronto (Canada) area. When I discovered that John Carradine was cast as Dracula being a naive kid at the time I foolishly thought that it might be a pretty exciting film (after all John Carradine DID make a very good Count Dracula in the Universal Pictures classics House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula both of which I had seen on television).
It's not the idea of a legendary monster coming to America which is the problem here (it had been capably done before in The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Curse, Son of Dracula, Revenge of the Creature, The Return of Dracula, etc.) but this Kiddies' Matinee Frightfest is SO inept and amateurish completely lacking any sense of the appropriately spooky atmosphere, mood or directorial verve and cinematic mastery on the part of William "One Shot" Beaudine.
John Carradine's sickly, frail looking and dentured Count Dracula is just TOO old (despite the slick brilliantine hair dye job) and his intended "bride" the bland, wide-eyed teen Betty Bentley (lamely portrayed by the untalented Melinda Plowman) is just TOO young for the aged, supernatural Grandpappy (a true odd couple!). Further making an already abysmal situation even worse is the film's screenwriter who shockingly displays virtually NO understanding or knowledge about the Vampire King at all! This Dracula is able to freely go about during the daylight hours, he drinks whiskey (Olde Red Eye?), his deportment and delivery of dialogue completely lacks any genuine continental bearing or aristocratic flair and Carradine's campy, creaky performance of the Count is much more akin to a cheating, unscrupulous gambler from Baltimore circa the mid-1800s rather than a dignified nobleman from Transylvania.
It is a sad commentary that Mr. Carradine (a truly fine character actor) was humiliatingly relegated to this kind of unworthy trash in his later film career particularly when one recalls some of his great work in films like Stagecoach (1939), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and The Return of Frank James (1940) to name but a few. Interestingly Mr. Carradine would have a good supporting role as Cruikshank the shady English butler in Munster, Go Home! released later the same year as Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula.
Bullets don't affect the Vampire yet when Billy the Kid hurls his empty six-shooter at old Drac's noggin he actually knocks him out and how about that absurdly dumb visibly string-operated rubber bat poorly utilized in those scenes where this hilariously bobbing and wobbly contraption flutters out-of-sight behind a conveniently stationed bush followed by an obvious "break" in the filming after which Dracula immediately pops out from the same obstruction thereby attempting to imply that the bat has somewhat discreetly transformed itself into Dracula .
Lastly dig those numerous, unsubtle red lighting effects projected onto Count Dracula's leering (and bleary-eyed) visage. Just awful!
Pertaining to Carl K. Hittleman's uninvolving and soporific script who can possibly forget such priceless tidbits of dialogue as when Dracula contemptuously refers to Billy the Kid's friend and ally the stalwart, pistol-packing Dr. Henrietta Hull (Olive Carey) as a "backwoods female pill slinger?" The Bounder! The Cad! The Chauvinist!
As a historical footnote this outrageous, Poverty Row travesty came out at the height of the Batman (ABC 1966-68) craze on television!
A couple of things that I will say about Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula to its credit (and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter) is that it was actually photographed in COLOUR (next to John Carradine's salary the colour film and lab processing was most probably the film's second highest or perhaps single highest cost expenditure) and reliable Republic Pictures serial villain Roy Barcroft is cast in an atypically sympathetic role of Sheriff Griffin (maybe HE should have played Dracula instead?).
Actually if you are really interested in a GOOD Horror Western film than check out Curse of the Undead (1959) starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley which is a much better effort. Michael Pate portrays a mysterious, gunslinging Owlhoot with vampiric tendencies named Drake Roby who stalks the Old West and sets his sights (and fangs) on an attractive lady rancher. It's available through MCA-Universal Home Video.
Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula was commercially issued on home video (along with its co-feature Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter) in the mid-1980s through Embassy Home Video (Embassy Pictures theatrically released both films) but has long since been discontinued (I happen to have both which I bought on sale--REAL CHEAP!).
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter has been recently released again on home video through the MGM-United Artists "Midnight Movies" series so I think it's a reasonable assumption that Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula will also be made available once more (just what the World really needs).
Thankfully there were no similar follow ups like The Daltons Against the Wolf Man, Cole Younger Meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Johnny Ringo Vs. the Invisible Man......Hmmmm!
This is one TERRIBLE feature!
I first learned about this dud (movie?) in a Winter 1966 issue of Monster World magazine (a lesser companion magazine to the more popular Famous Monsters of Filmland) which gave both Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula and its co-feature the lamentable Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter considerable coverage (Ouch!). I believe Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula was theatrically released in March or April 1966 in the Toronto (Canada) area. When I discovered that John Carradine was cast as Dracula being a naive kid at the time I foolishly thought that it might be a pretty exciting film (after all John Carradine DID make a very good Count Dracula in the Universal Pictures classics House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula both of which I had seen on television).
It's not the idea of a legendary monster coming to America which is the problem here (it had been capably done before in The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Curse, Son of Dracula, Revenge of the Creature, The Return of Dracula, etc.) but this Kiddies' Matinee Frightfest is SO inept and amateurish completely lacking any sense of the appropriately spooky atmosphere, mood or directorial verve and cinematic mastery on the part of William "One Shot" Beaudine.
John Carradine's sickly, frail looking and dentured Count Dracula is just TOO old (despite the slick brilliantine hair dye job) and his intended "bride" the bland, wide-eyed teen Betty Bentley (lamely portrayed by the untalented Melinda Plowman) is just TOO young for the aged, supernatural Grandpappy (a true odd couple!). Further making an already abysmal situation even worse is the film's screenwriter who shockingly displays virtually NO understanding or knowledge about the Vampire King at all! This Dracula is able to freely go about during the daylight hours, he drinks whiskey (Olde Red Eye?), his deportment and delivery of dialogue completely lacks any genuine continental bearing or aristocratic flair and Carradine's campy, creaky performance of the Count is much more akin to a cheating, unscrupulous gambler from Baltimore circa the mid-1800s rather than a dignified nobleman from Transylvania.
It is a sad commentary that Mr. Carradine (a truly fine character actor) was humiliatingly relegated to this kind of unworthy trash in his later film career particularly when one recalls some of his great work in films like Stagecoach (1939), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and The Return of Frank James (1940) to name but a few. Interestingly Mr. Carradine would have a good supporting role as Cruikshank the shady English butler in Munster, Go Home! released later the same year as Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula.
Bullets don't affect the Vampire yet when Billy the Kid hurls his empty six-shooter at old Drac's noggin he actually knocks him out and how about that absurdly dumb visibly string-operated rubber bat poorly utilized in those scenes where this hilariously bobbing and wobbly contraption flutters out-of-sight behind a conveniently stationed bush followed by an obvious "break" in the filming after which Dracula immediately pops out from the same obstruction thereby attempting to imply that the bat has somewhat discreetly transformed itself into Dracula .
Lastly dig those numerous, unsubtle red lighting effects projected onto Count Dracula's leering (and bleary-eyed) visage. Just awful!
Pertaining to Carl K. Hittleman's uninvolving and soporific script who can possibly forget such priceless tidbits of dialogue as when Dracula contemptuously refers to Billy the Kid's friend and ally the stalwart, pistol-packing Dr. Henrietta Hull (Olive Carey) as a "backwoods female pill slinger?" The Bounder! The Cad! The Chauvinist!
As a historical footnote this outrageous, Poverty Row travesty came out at the height of the Batman (ABC 1966-68) craze on television!
A couple of things that I will say about Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula to its credit (and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter) is that it was actually photographed in COLOUR (next to John Carradine's salary the colour film and lab processing was most probably the film's second highest or perhaps single highest cost expenditure) and reliable Republic Pictures serial villain Roy Barcroft is cast in an atypically sympathetic role of Sheriff Griffin (maybe HE should have played Dracula instead?).
Actually if you are really interested in a GOOD Horror Western film than check out Curse of the Undead (1959) starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley which is a much better effort. Michael Pate portrays a mysterious, gunslinging Owlhoot with vampiric tendencies named Drake Roby who stalks the Old West and sets his sights (and fangs) on an attractive lady rancher. It's available through MCA-Universal Home Video.
Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula was commercially issued on home video (along with its co-feature Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter) in the mid-1980s through Embassy Home Video (Embassy Pictures theatrically released both films) but has long since been discontinued (I happen to have both which I bought on sale--REAL CHEAP!).
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter has been recently released again on home video through the MGM-United Artists "Midnight Movies" series so I think it's a reasonable assumption that Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula will also be made available once more (just what the World really needs).
Thankfully there were no similar follow ups like The Daltons Against the Wolf Man, Cole Younger Meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Johnny Ringo Vs. the Invisible Man......Hmmmm!