There is a Reason John Carradine Called This His Worst Film
What's that smell, you ask? It very easily could be this piece of cheese. John Carradine frequently referred to this as his worst movie, and although it is very poor in all ways, it is at least watchable unlike many of his other films such as 'The Astro-Zombies', or his very worst, the appalling 'Frankenstein Island' (in which he only plays a shrieking apparition.) Therefore, on balance, I have to respectfully disagree with John.
In this film, such as it is, John plays Count Dracula who makes an appearance in the old west at a ranch supervised by Billy the Kid. Dracula spends a good part of the film as a bat flying around on a string wearing a top hat. When he is in his vampire form as John Carradine, he goes by the name 'Mr. Underhill' and also wears a top hat and a very creepy beard similar to the one sported by 'Him' on 'The Powerpuff Girls.' John, never a handsome man, has on this ridiculous red makeup and fake mustache and beard set which reminds me more of a wacky European dictator from the 1920's than Count Dracula. There is also a German couple who advance the plot by first spotting the vampire for who he really is. They then take to hanging wolfsbane everywhere (I'm no expert, but I thought that protected against werewolves, but I digress.) The old woman "doctor" finally performs the mirror test on John; when he can't see his reflection he growls like a wounded badger, as he knows that the game is up. Shatner has nothing on Carradine in this movie. At any rate, John poses as the uncle of Betty, Billy's love interest, and bites a couple of women and kills some sheep (offscreen) in his bat form. All this leads up to Dracula trying to make Betty his vampire bride, which Billy with the help of the Sheriff and a local doctor try to prevent. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that Billy needs to be briefed on how to use a gun, as his technique proves a bit novel in the fateful encounter.
Some reviewers evidently had difficulties with their DVDs. Mine worked fine, played the movie from start to finish without difficulty, and even showed a couple of shorts at the beginning, including one of Julie Andrews explaining the then new MPAA symbol that predated the rating system.
This movie is not as wholly wretched as you might think from the title, and so for that I deducted two stars. I expect anything with John Carradine to stink, and given John's own repulsion with this film, I thought it would be the true bottom of the barrel. It isn't; there are many, many worse John Carradine vehicles to explore. This one is pretty tame and inoffensive, but mostly just plodding and boring.
This is a poor bootleg DVD-R, avoid it.
The film is horrible but fun, and I recommend MGM's VHS version but the DVD pictured here is an unlicensed, bootleg DVD-R of poor quality. The tape is MUCH better. I'd like to see a legitmate release from MGMs Midnight Movie series!
From Transylvania To The Wild West!
John Carradine reprises the role of Dracula, and Chuck Courtney plays Billy the Kid, in this classic horror-Western movie. Describing John Carradine's performance as over the top would be an understatement. When he looks at a picture of the woman he wants to be his mate, his eyes practically pop out of his head. When he finally meets her, pretending to be her uncle, he puts his arm around her and leers at her lasciviously. I almost expected him to attack her in front of company. Don't you just hate it when a relative tries to put the bite on you? Billy the Kid is very subdued by comparison. He has given up his outlaw ways, is working as a foreman at a ranch, and is planning to marry the woman that Dracula wants for his mate. At one point in the film, Billy gets in a fight with another ranch hand and gets his butt kicked. Later, he shoots the guy in self defense and is jailed for it. Billy is broken out of jail by an elderly woman doctor who snatches the gun away from the Sheriff! In the final showdown between Billy and Dracula, Billy empties his six-shooter into the vampire. Dracula can't be hurt by mere bullets, and Billy gets beat up again for his actions. The Sheriff arrives and also shoots the vampire, with no harmful effects. Billy wakes up, grabs the gun from the Sheriff and throws it at Dracula. That never works in the movies, but then again, there's a first time for everything! This bargain basement, no special effects film would have been perfect for Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Maria Frankenstein and her brother Rudolph have fled from Vienna, and have relocated to an abandoned mission in Arizona. Not only did they move there for privacy, the desert offers lots of electrical storms necessary for her experiments. Maria is trying to create the perfect zombie slave by replacing a man's brain with an artificial brain, but her experiments have all been failures. Maybe that's because her brother is opposed to the idea, and keeps injecting her patients with poison. I guess it's poison, since the beaker has a skull and crossbones on it, and underneath that it says POISON.
Jesse James and his partner Hank Tracy join another outlaw gang to rob a stagecoach. Hank, a dimwitted, muscular giant, gets shot in the process. Jesse and Hank manage to escape and, along their... More Info about this DVD Director(s): William Beaudine DVD Release Date: Released the 01 July 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is the third Christopher Lee Dracula film from Hammer Studios. While trying to rid the former Dracula's Castle of evil after the mysterious death of a local girl, the Monsignor inadvertently raises the dark prince from his deathly slumber. Once awaken from the grave, the parched prince only has one thing on his mind, the yummy taste of blood which he fiendishly extracts from the local maidens. Though a little weak in plot, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave still comes off as a strong vampire film, delivering the goods on the gothic visuals, eerie sets, and Lee's performance. --Rob BraccoMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Freddie Francis DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"Drac" is back once again in this fourth installment of Hammer's Dracula films starring Christopher Lee. Under the guidance of Satanic Priest Lord Courtley, three middle-aged professionals seek to add more spice to their love lives by dabbling in rituals to the Dark Prince. After drinking the blood of the Count, the pleasure seekers kill Lord Courtley, inadvertently awakening Dracula who is dead set on avenging his Priest's murder. Though not on par with Hammer's original "Horror of Dracula", Taste the Blood of Dracula does take all the key elements from the original (beautiful heroines, picturesque settings, gothic ambiance, and Lee as the "Count") and somewhat successfully "cheeses" it up for audiences of the '70s. Those wishing to expand their cheesy '70s Dracula experience... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Christopher Lee Director(s): Peter Sasdy DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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I think it is safe to say that more people have heard about "Billy the Kid versus Dracula," the 1966 drive-in flick that had John Carradine hamming it up as the vampire count who is involved in a love triangle with the infamous American outlaw suddenly turned good guy, than have actually seen the film. But somehow I managed to remain ignorant of "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter," made by the same writer (Carl K. Hittleman) and same director (William Beaudine) that same year (1966). Part of the reason that this film has seeped through the cracks of pop culture history is that it lacks the redeeming campy nature of the other film, which was at least laughably bad. This one will just make you wince.
"Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter" flips the situation of "Billy the Kid... More Info about this DVD Director(s): William Beaudine DVD Release Date: Released the 29 July 2003 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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In this 1972 film from Spanish director Javier Aguirre, four women and a man wreck their stagecoach and must take refuge in a nearby castle. Unfortunately for the travelers, the castle's owner, Dr. Wendell Marlow (Paul Naschy), turns out to be none other than Count Dracula. After Dracula falls in love with one of the women, she must decide whether to live eternally as Dracula's bride or reject him and continue to live as a mortal. Her not-so-surprising choice leads to a strange and surprising ending. Like a lot of '70s European horror movies, the film suffers from slow pacing and a somewhat muddled plot. But there's lots of gothic atmosphere and a few creepy moments here and there to keep things interesting.
If there's anything to complain about, it's Sinema Diable's cheapo packaging.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Paul Naschy DVD Release Date: Released the 11 November 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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