DRACULA V.S FRANKENSTEIN (1971) Reviewed by Jerry Saravia August 15th, 2001
I have seen my share of absolute garbage at the cinema and on video but never have I been privy to such an absolute waste of celluloid as Al Adamson's "Dracula v.s. Frankenstein." It is the kind of film that makes Ed Wood look like Orson Welles.
And now that we are on to the subject of Welles, how would he have felt if he had seen this? Well, consider that one of the directors of photography of this tripe is none other than Gary Graver, who had worked closely with Welles from 1970 till the late master's death. The other cinematographer is Paul Glickman who later lensed films such as "God Told Me To" and "The Stuff." I am not sure whose fault it is but almost all of the photography is rendered so darkly that it is hard to make out what is happening (especially the climactic fight between the two horror titans). Some other scenes are so haphazardly composed that you sense a group of film school students shot it. I suppose it is more proof that Welles was behind the compositions and photography of his later work such as "F For Fake" as much as Graver was.
The story behind this time waster is more entertaining than the movie itself. The late director Adamson had no clue what footage he shot, and spent two years trying to assemble it and make some sense out of it. Originally titled "Blood Seekers" or "Blood Freaks," it did not even have the two titled monsters at all until the last minute. They probably thought, hey, let's title it "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" and we are guaranteed box-office revenues at the local drive-in.
There is J. Carroll Naish as a wheelchaired Dr. Durea, also known as the last of the Frankensteins. Poor Lon Chaney Jr., in his last film appearance, is bloated and obviously drunk (or seriously ill) as Groton, Durea's punch-drunk, idiotic assistant who goes around decapitating young women at Venice Beach (under Durea's control of course). Zandor Vorkov is the bearded Count Dracula who looks likes a frequent guest at Chiller Theatre - he is seeking a blood serum that Durea has. Oh, how can we forget Frankenstein's Monster (John Bloom) who is brought back to life for no discernible reason or purpose within the sloppily patched together story. There is also the late Regina Carrol (Al Adamson's wife) as a Vegas showgirl searching for her sister who was last seen at the beach! Oh, and there is a love interest known as Mike (Anthony Eisley) who has the hots for Carrol and appears to be an aging hippie! And how about Russ Tamblyn as a rough biker (you must be joking!). Another biker! with a swastika patch! Angelo R ossitto (memorable in Tod Browning's "Freaks") as a ticket-taker who charges one dollar for admission at a creature emporium and then eats the bill! And, last but not least, Forrest J. Ackerman as a Dr. Beaumont who appears in a cameo and is then killed by the Monster, again for no discernible reason.
"Dracula vs. Frankenstein" might have seemed like good fun at the drive-ins in the early 70's for the teenage couples. I am sure it was more fun for them while making out than watching such garbage transpire before their very eyes.
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