Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Micitype Pretty Good

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

morgie55 The immigration situation was really getting out of hand in the Old West -- they were taking in vampires and gypsies into the old towns! Dracula (never named that in the film actually) is flying around stalking a German couple with their blonde daughter attempting to bite the girl at every turn. Drac is thwarted and decides to take a stage coach into town when he discovers a babe at a ranch and wishes to mate with her.Biting an Indian maid and getting the whites blamed, Dracula uses this scenario to fake his identity as James Underhill, a never-seen-before uncle, to take care of poor Betty, whom he saw in a locket belonging to her now-dead mom. Oops! The best thing about "James" is that the very unbelief of his vampirism keeps him safe. As the German woman in the film says, no one believes it until they're dead! The Billy the Kid character is a bit rough around the edges and is quite corny in his naiveté and fighting skill. We only see one or two actual gun fights -- one gun fight won against a tin can and the other against a ranger who was gunning for Billy.This James Underhill character is a riot. He walks around in the day time that is supposed to be evening, and the "vampire bat" looks like a little cardboard toy! And the very dumb blonde who will be Drac's mate pooh-poohs everything and does not understand why the German couple freaks out whenever they are in the same room with Drac.Virginia Christine, a great character actress who has appeared in many Sixties TV shows including The Rifleman, etc. makes an appearance as the all-knowing gypsy woman who knows all about vampires -- though why Drac does not react to the cross around her neck I'll never know.The director William Beaudine is known for his cheap thrills films. I believe he made Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter, another gem that I must see! DVD: Except for a quick bio of the director and John Carradine (whose crazy stare and red face must be seen to be believed!) there are no extras. There is an interesting 50s ad for Orange Crush and an intro by Julie Andrews on the awesomeness of the MPAA Code.Bottom Line: John Carradine is pretty rough in this piece. He is suave in his acting but when he attacks he growls like a bear! And Chuck Courtney as Billy the Kid is such a pansy, getting his butt kicked more than once. Must see the cheese!

zardoz-13 "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.

Flak_Magnet In the great cinematic tradition of showdowns, "Billy the Kid versus Dracula" rests somewhere near the weirdest corners. This movie tells the tale of Billy the Kid, now a ranch hand, and his relationship with the beautiful Betty Bentley, whose ranch represents the movie's main set piece. When Betty's mysterious uncle (Carradine) comes to town, bad things start to happen, beginning with the murder of a young woman. When Billy the Kid discovers the uncle's nefarious plans to transform Betty into a vampire, he must stop him at all costs. This is a very hammy B-Western and although the story is ludicrous, the cast are taking their roles seriously. John Carradine hams it up, Lugosi style, while the rest of the cast struggle their way through the formulaic and predictable script. The print looks very fuzzy, but that goes with the territory. Aside from the shoddy print, this was actually a decently budgeted and produced movie, so don't expect a train wreck. We got a couple good laughs, but it wasn't hilarious. Overall, "Billy the Kid versus Dracula" is more of a weird B-Western than a unintentional comedy. Its hokey, cheesy fun, but almost entirely forgettable. ---|--- Reviews by Flak Magnet

azcowboysingr While the title is laughable, the production values were okay, as was the cinematography. The acting was...well...less than wonderful, but not bad enough to ruin the fun. Poor John Carradine..."Lo how the mighty have fallen" is about all one can say regarding his appearance in this film, but even old actors have to eat & pay bills, so we forgive him. There were quite a few old favorites working in this one. Roy Barcroft (everyone's favorite "bad guy" in almost all of the Rocky Lane movies), Bing Russell (yes, Kurt's daddy), Harry Carey Jr. with only a few lines early in the film, his mom, Olive Carey,(remember her from "The Searchers"?) as the town Dr., and a few others whose names won't ring any bells but whose faces are instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever seen a Western or a Cop movie/TV show. It was also fun to see the old Corriganville Movie Ranch sets again...a lot of fond memories for us old Western actors there! Chuck Courtney (the star),was quite a horseman. Watching him ride & handle his mounts was almost enough to make you forget that crummy rubber bat. He did a credible job of acting, & his fast draw skills were very good. I did some stunt work with him many years ago, & he was well respected in the industry as both a daring stuntman & a competent stunt coordinator. When you did a fight scene with him, it always looked real & no one got hurt. All in all, this movie is not a "great" horror classic, but it is fun to watch as light entertainment. A real "popcorn & beer" film for late night viewing.