Cineanalyst Despite the ludicrous premise laid out in its title, "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula," of a historical Western gunfighter battling a supernatural, bullet-proof vampire from a Victorian-age gothic horror novel, the film isn't so bad that it's good, and it's not good enough to be other than bad. The filmmakers seem to have taken it seriously, which is often a recipe for such silly screenplays to become unintentionally funny, but the problem is that the film is competently made, despite its silly story and low budget. Yet, preventing the film from being good is that there's nothing intelligent in it, and its relative competence is due largely to it imitating Universal's Dracula series--the wolf's bane, which Universal substituted for garlic from Bram Stoker's novel, gives it away.Director William Beaudine had directed films since 1915, including Mary Pickford vehicles in the mid-1920s, so the technical competence of this B-picture should be expected. The plotting is especially decent, creating most of the drama during the Discovery and Confirmation phases of the Complex Discovery Plot--the usual plot employed for horror films, as outlined by cinema scholar Noël Carroll. And, the runtime is thankfully short for a feature. John Carradine starred as Dracula in Universal's "The House of Frankenstein" (1944) and "The House of Dracula" (1945), so, of course, he's perfectly credible in the role once again this time, and he, at least, seems to have tried to camp it up some. Chuck Courtney also looks the part of Billy the Kid, and the rest of the cast is serviceable, as well. Even the vampire's mesmerizing stare, the fake bats and the stop-substitution appearances for Dracula have been done amusingly worse in films before and after this one. The stereotypical Native Americans, the scenes filmed during the day that are supposed to be set at night, and the bland dialogue are too routine.I did find the scene of Dracula hitching a ride in a horse carriage a bit amusing, as it reminded me of Jonathan Harker's ride to Castle Dracula in Stoker's novel, where fellow passengers warned Harker about the vampire. Instead, the passengers in this film are rightly a bit spooked that they're sharing a carriage with the undead. In addition to the wolf's bane, the film borrows some other parts from other movies. Dracula as an identity thief had been used in "Son of Dracula" (1943) and "The Return of Dracula" (1958). And Dracula being fascinated by an image of a woman is a common trope in Dracula movies which originates from the 1922 "Nosferatu."(Mirror Note: The doctor confirms Dracula's vampirism by revealing his lack of a reflection in a mirror. The through-the-mirror shot shows Betty, whom Dracula is carrying, to seemingly be floating in mid-air.)

bkoganbing John Carradine who played Count Dracula in two of Universal Pictures finest Gothic horror films, House Of Dracula and House Of Frankenstein gets a third go around as the vampire Count from Transylvania in Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula. As you gather Dracula has gone to the American west to seek a new bride. One sight of Melinda Plowman's picture and Carradine decides she's to be his. He snacks on an Indian maid while stopping at a stagecoach station rousing the Indians to attack and kill Plowman's mother and uncle on the way home.But Plowman is engaged to none other than Billy The Kid played here by Chuck Courtney who's given up his outlaw ways and is now Plowman's ranch foreman as well as husband to be. Not even a no account Count from the undead is taking Melinda away from Billy.Watching this film all I could think about is how well Universal did those Gothic horror films and how lousy this was. Count Dracula does not sleep in a coffin and he's going around during the sunlight hours. I guess it just comes from spening too many sleepless days not in your native soil.The end of Dracula leaves a lot to be desired here as well.John Carradine who in my opinion appeared in more junk movies than any other actor looked pained during this film. I guess he remembered what he did in this genre in the olden days. A whole lot of familiar western faces also looked quite embarrassed as well.This one is one of the campiest films you'll ever see.

babeth_jr Okay, we all know that any film with the title of "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula" is not going to be winning any academy awards. This movie is exactly what you would expect it to be...low budget, unintentionally funny and campy as hell.The movie stars John Carradine as the vampire, and he's way too long in the tooth (no pun intended) for his role. He comes across as being a dirty old man (vampire?), leering after every young skirt he comes in contact with. It's not scary, just kind of repulsive. The movie has several hilarious lines, such as when Carradine growls "Where can I find this backwoods female pill slinger?" referring to the female doctor portrayed by Olive Carey, and "Oh God, the vampire test!" uttered with all seriousness by Virginia Christine, more well known as the Folger's Lady in the coffee commercials of the 1970's.When Carradine turns into a vampire a red light is shown on his face...no fangs, nothing but this weird red glow and his eyes about to bug out of his head. It's absolutely side splitting to watch.Chuck Courtney, who plays Billy, is competent in his role, but Melinda Plowman, who portrays Betty, his fiancée and the vampire's next meal, comes across as whiny and annoying. She was pretty, but I was almost rooting for John Carradine to do her in, just to shut her up.This movie is one of those "it's so bad, it's good" movies. I love it, just for the sheer camp factor. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

huemannus The odds makers were giving 1000 to 1 against Billy out-dueling Dracula for his girlfriend. Drac had everything going for him, the curious ability to withstand the glare of the intense Western sun, the skill, without any visible fangs, to inflict 4 neck puncture wounds instead of the standard two, the capability to generate a frightening red hot glowing light on his face while hypnotizing his victims, AND the talent to single handedly decorate a dull, abandoned cave with a red velvet-covered bed suitable for deflowering naïve virgins. As for Billy, his Ms Goodytwoshoes girlfriend had him so domesticated that he couldn't even win a simple fistfight with a rebellious cowhand, much less bring down the undead. Billy the Kid vs Dracula opens the door to a whole bunch of intriguing match-ups between sinister historical characters. What about the Boston Strangler vs the Fiend without a Face?