''Billy the Kid Versus Dracula'' is a 1966 American horror

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

. The film is about

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...

( Chuck Courtney) trying to save his fiancée from Dracula (

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

). The film was originally released as part of a double feature along with '' Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter'' in 1966. Both films were shot in eight days at

Corriganville Movie Ranch __NOTOC__ Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor and stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothills ...

and at Paramount Studios in mid-1965; both were the final

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s of director Beaudine.Marshall, Wendy L. (2005). ''William Beaudine: From Silents to Television'', Scarecrow Press. pp. 280–281. The films were produced by television producer Carroll Case for

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

Plot

The film centers on Dracula's plot to convert

's fiancé, Betty Bentley, into his vampire bride. Dracula impersonates Bentley's deceased uncle, calling himself "Mr. Underhill", and schemes to make her his vampire bride. A German immigrant couple come to work for her and warn Bentley that her "uncle" is a vampire. While Bentley does not believe them, their concerns confirm Billy's suspicions that something is not quite right with Betty's uncle. Eventually, the Count kidnaps Betty and takes her to an abandoned silver mine. Billy confronts the Count, but soon finds that bullets are no match for a vampire. The Count subdues the notorious outlaw and sets out to transform Betty into his vampire bride. Just then, the town sheriff and a country doctor arrive. The doctor hands Billy a silver scalpel, telling him he must drive it through the vampire's heart. Billy throws his gun at the vampire and knocks him senseless, making him easy pickings for a staking. With the Count destroyed, Betty is saved and Billy takes her away, presumably to live happily ever after.

Cast

* Chuck Courtney as William "Billy the Kid" Bonney *

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...

/ James Underhill *

Melinda Plowman Melinda Ann Plowman (born May 13, 1941), also known as Melinda Ann Casey and Melinda Casey, is an American actress and associate director. She began her acting career at age 6 and appeared in feature films and television episodes through the 1960 ...

as Elizabeth (Betty) Bentley *

Virginia Christine Virginia Christine (born Virginia Christine Ricketts; March 5, 1920 – July 24, 1996) was an American stage, radio, film, television, and voice actress. Though Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television, she i ...

as Eva Oster * Walter Janovitz as Franz Oster * Bing Russell as Dan "Red" Thorpe *

Olive Carey Olive Carey (born Olive Fuller Golden; January 31, 1896 – March 13, 1988) was an American film and television actress, and the mother of actor Harry Carey Jr. Life and career Carey was born Olive Fuller Golden in New York City, the daughter o ...

as Dr. Henrietta Hull *

Roy Barcroft Roy Barcroft (born Howard Harold Ravenscroft; September 7, 1902 – November 28, 1969) was an American character actor famous for playing villains in B-Westerns and other genres. From 1937 to 1957, he appeared in more than 300 films for Re ...

as Sheriff Griffin * Hannie Landman as Lisa Oster * Richard Reeves as Pete (saloon keeper) *

Marjorie Bennett Marjorie Bennett (15 January 1896 – 14 June 1982) was an Australian actress who worked mainly in the United Kingdom and the United States. She began her acting career during the silent film era. Career Bennett was born in York in Western ...

as Mary Ann Bentley * William Forrest as James Underhill * George Cisar as Joe Flake * Harry Carey, Jr. as Ben Dooley (wagon master) * Leonard P. Geer as Yancy (as Lennie Geer) *

William Challee William John Challee (April 6, 1904 – March 11, 1989) was an American actor. Biography Challee was born in Chicago and was a student at Lake View High School. Challee appeared on Broadway by 1926 and by 1931 in early Group Theatre produc ...

as Tim (station agent)

Production

The film was announced for production as early as June 22, 1965, in '' Daily Variety'' announcing both ''Billy the Kid Versus Dracula'' and '' Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter''. Principal photography began on June 22, 1965. Both films were the last features directed by William Beaudine, Sr. Beaudine spent the rest of his career following these films filming television. The film was completed on July 9, 1965, and was completed with a budget surplus of $25,000. Each of the two features were shot in eight days in California's Red Rock Canyon, Corrigan Ranch and Paramount Studios. According to the assistant to the producer Howard W. Koch, Jr., they "were made as cheap as movies can be made."

Release

According to the American Film Institute, an official release date of the film is not confirmed. The film was shown as early as March 30, 1966, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. Box office reports in the September 28, 1966, issue of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' stated that it was featured on a double bill that month as a reissue in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Home media

''Billy the Kid Versus Dracula'' was released on DVD by the label Cheezy Flicks on October 25, 2005 and again on DVD by Cheezy Flicks in a compilation titled ''Shockorama: The William Beaudine Collection''. The film is set for release on blu-ray and DVD by KINO Lorber Studio Classics on August 20, 2019.

Reception

John Carradine later spoke on the film, "I have worked in a dozen of the greatest, and I have worked in a dozen of the worst. I only regret ''Billy the Kid Versus Dracula''. Otherwise, I regret nothing." and again "My worst film? That's easy, a thing called ''Billy the Kid Versus Dracula''...It was a bad film. I don't even remember it. I was absolutely numb!" Critic and historian Tom Weaver stated that the film could have earned "the semi-respectability" of '' Curse of the Undead'', another vampire-themed Western "if it was truer to vampire lore, if it didn't feature a 'name' outlaw like Billy the Kid, if the vampire in it weren't Dracula, and if Carradine's performance was much better. (That's a lot of ifs.)"

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Billy The Kid Versus Dracula 1966 films 1966 horror films 1960s supernatural horror films 1960s Western (genre) horror films American Western (genre) horror films American supernatural horror films American vampire films Films about Billy the Kid Dracula films Embassy Pictures films 1960s English-language films Films directed by William Beaudine Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar Films shot in California Western (genre) crossover films 1960s American films Horror crossover films