"Sparrows" director William 'One-Shot' Beaudine's final feature film "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula" pits the notorious outlaw against the infamous fangster in a life and death struggle over a young bodacious babe in the old Southwest. Actually, little about this incarnation of William Bonney qualifies as notorious. Beaudine and "36 Hours" scenarist Carl K. Hittleman present Billy as a clean-shaven, law-abiding cowpoke who is greased lightning on the draw when he whips out his six-gun. Billy has fallen in love with the heroine, Elizabeth (Melinda Plowman of "Carrie"), and they are planning to marry. Elizabeth already knows about Billy's past but has no qualms about tying the knot with him. Conversely, Dracula is as villainous as always, with seasoned horror thespian John Carradine playing the immortal bloodsucker. Actually, Carradine appeared as Dracula earlier in the last two Universal Studios epics about Bram Stoker's vampire during the 1940s: "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula." The lean, bearded Carradine looks sinister enough dressed as he is from head to toe in black with scarlet-red lining peeking out from his cape and tie. When Beaudine wants Dracula to look menacing, he lights his face so that it turns a shade of red. Of course, like Billy the Kid, Dracula is just a name in the title that has little direct bearing to the Carradine vampire. For the record, you never see Carradine deploy his fangs. He also inflicts four puncture wounds in the neck when he feasts humans. Furthermore, he can shape-shift into a bat and cast a hypnotic spell over his victims. Sometimes, it seems like he travels across time and appears suddenly on the spot. Basically, nothing has changed where Dracula is concerned, except for the lack of special effects to distinguish his transitions.
Dracula has been following the Osters, a German immigrant family, as they travel across the west. He bites their lovely daughter Lisa (Hannie Landman) one evening after the wagon train has established camp. Later that evening, a stagecoach picks Dracula up not far from the wagon train, and the well-dressed bloodsucker shares the coach with three other passengers. Dracula meets Mary Ann Bentley (Marjorie Bennett of "Charlie Varrick") and wealthy Boston banker James Underhill (William Forest of "The Horse Soldiers") and a proud Mary Ann shows Dracula a picture of her drop-dead gorgeous daughter. Dracula is immediately interested in meeting Elizabeth Bentley. Mary Ann explains that they are going back to their ranch where their beautiful, blond 18-year old daughter lives. Dracula decides at that point that neither Mary Ann nor Underhill will reach the ranch. Dracula's impersonation of Underhill succeeds because Elizabeth has never laid eyes on Underhill. Later, after the stagecoach pulls into the way station, Dracula dines on an Indian princess. When the redskins discover the dead girl, they angrily attack the stagecoach in retaliation. As it turns out, the Indians kill everybody on the stagecoach, including Mary Ann and Elizabeth's uncle James Underhill. Dracula then masquerades as Underhill so he can ride our to ranch and get Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the superstitious Osters wander back into the story, and Mrs. Oster (Virginia Christine of the Folger TV commercials) tries to run interference to protect Elizabeth from Dracula. Elizabeth doesn't believe in vampires and Dracula fires Billy as foreman and replaces Billy with our hero's long time rival Dan 'Red' Thorpe (Bing Russell of "The Magnificent Seven") and has Red try to run Billy out of town. Billy and Red shoot it out in the saloon, and Billy guns down Red in self-defense. Meantime, Dracula makes his move on Elizabeth. Simultaneously, Sheriff Griffin (veteran western B-movie player Roy Barcroft) arrests Billy to hold him for trial, but the wife of the local doctor, Dr. Henrietta Hull (Olive Carey of "The Alamo"), snatches Griffin's revolver while he is pouring himself a cup of coffee. She lobs it to Billy in a nearby jail cell. Billy breaks out of jail, takes Griffin's horse, and hightails it out to the ranch. An indignant Griffin and Henrietta grab a buggy and follow in hot pursuit.
Clearly an exploitation oater, "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula" is a low-budget generic western that violates some of the oldest vampire rules. Indeed, the producers could have called it "The Vampire and the Gunslinger." Nobody ever directly addresses Carradine as 'Dracula.' No attribution to Bram Stoker's novel ever occurs in the opening credits. Dracula goes for a buggy ride with Elizabeth in one scene when it is clearly daylight. Nevertheless, the production values are solid, and there is an adequate amount of drama. Chuck Courtney makes a very stalwart Billy. He knows how to wield a gun, while Carradine infuses great dignity and cunning in his spin on the Stoker character. Carradine sports a Van Dyke beard along with his characteristic mustache. The special effects consist of a bat flapping around until it plunges from the skies behind something and the slender Carradine neatly emerges. Dracula here doesn't have to drag along his coffin littered with soil. Mind you, we never see this Dracula either climbing into a casket or sizing it up to accommodate himself. "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula" is no great shakes with its shallow, exposition-laden storyline and modified vampire lore. This qualifies as one of the worse and weakest entry in the Dracula franchise.
Dracula has been following the Osters, a German immigrant family, as they travel across the west. He bites their lovely daughter Lisa (Hannie Landman) one evening after the wagon train has established camp. Later that evening, a stagecoach picks Dracula up not far from the wagon train, and the well-dressed bloodsucker shares the coach with three other passengers. Dracula meets Mary Ann Bentley (Marjorie Bennett of "Charlie Varrick") and wealthy Boston banker James Underhill (William Forest of "The Horse Soldiers") and a proud Mary Ann shows Dracula a picture of her drop-dead gorgeous daughter. Dracula is immediately interested in meeting Elizabeth Bentley. Mary Ann explains that they are going back to their ranch where their beautiful, blond 18-year old daughter lives. Dracula decides at that point that neither Mary Ann nor Underhill will reach the ranch. Dracula's impersonation of Underhill succeeds because Elizabeth has never laid eyes on Underhill. Later, after the stagecoach pulls into the way station, Dracula dines on an Indian princess. When the redskins discover the dead girl, they angrily attack the stagecoach in retaliation. As it turns out, the Indians kill everybody on the stagecoach, including Mary Ann and Elizabeth's uncle James Underhill. Dracula then masquerades as Underhill so he can ride our to ranch and get Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the superstitious Osters wander back into the story, and Mrs. Oster (Virginia Christine of the Folger TV commercials) tries to run interference to protect Elizabeth from Dracula. Elizabeth doesn't believe in vampires and Dracula fires Billy as foreman and replaces Billy with our hero's long time rival Dan 'Red' Thorpe (Bing Russell of "The Magnificent Seven") and has Red try to run Billy out of town. Billy and Red shoot it out in the saloon, and Billy guns down Red in self-defense. Meantime, Dracula makes his move on Elizabeth. Simultaneously, Sheriff Griffin (veteran western B-movie player Roy Barcroft) arrests Billy to hold him for trial, but the wife of the local doctor, Dr. Henrietta Hull (Olive Carey of "The Alamo"), snatches Griffin's revolver while he is pouring himself a cup of coffee. She lobs it to Billy in a nearby jail cell. Billy breaks out of jail, takes Griffin's horse, and hightails it out to the ranch. An indignant Griffin and Henrietta grab a buggy and follow in hot pursuit.
Clearly an exploitation oater, "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula" is a low-budget generic western that violates some of the oldest vampire rules. Indeed, the producers could have called it "The Vampire and the Gunslinger." Nobody ever directly addresses Carradine as 'Dracula.' No attribution to Bram Stoker's novel ever occurs in the opening credits. Dracula goes for a buggy ride with Elizabeth in one scene when it is clearly daylight. Nevertheless, the production values are solid, and there is an adequate amount of drama. Chuck Courtney makes a very stalwart Billy. He knows how to wield a gun, while Carradine infuses great dignity and cunning in his spin on the Stoker character. Carradine sports a Van Dyke beard along with his characteristic mustache. The special effects consist of a bat flapping around until it plunges from the skies behind something and the slender Carradine neatly emerges. Dracula here doesn't have to drag along his coffin littered with soil. Mind you, we never see this Dracula either climbing into a casket or sizing it up to accommodate himself. "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula" is no great shakes with its shallow, exposition-laden storyline and modified vampire lore. This qualifies as one of the worse and weakest entry in the Dracula franchise.