Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966)

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966)

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Billy the Kid versus Dracula

Tagline(s):	Billy The Kid Is Down For "The Count"!
	The West's Deadliest Gun-Fighter! The World's Most Diabolical Killer!
	The World's Most Diabolical Killer! The West's Deadliest Gunfighter!
	The Youngest of Gun-Slingers! Against the Most Vicious of Vampires!
	SEE THE GREATEST NAMES IN TERROR HISTORY...IN ONE BIG SHOW!
	The Newest in Terror-tainment! SHOCKORAMA!

Nomination Year: 1994

SYNOPSIS: In this move, Dracula (John Carradine) starts sucking right away. This time, for no good reason, his victims are in the Old West. Drac finds a beautiful female rancher and poses as her long-lost uncle as he plots to make her his undead bride. Thus entrenched in the town, the vampire is free to suck blood by night. One problem: this rancher-gal is the Billy the Kid's girlfriend. Billy, with the help of the town's granny-like doctor, eventually uncovers and defeats the ancient evil (lamely), rescuing his ladylove from a fate not nearly as bad as this film.

Bryan Cassidy

Smithee Award Nominations

Most Ludicrous Premise

A Dumb Blonde

The film's title just about says it all. What's Dracula doing in the Wild West, anyway? Here, in the very first scene of the movie, he sucks on a pioneer girl who happens to be from Romania. A fake bat-on-a-string lands behind the family's covered wagon, then a second later, out walks John Carradine. He heads for the sleeping bags and leans over his wide-awake victim, who seems unable or unwilling to defend herself or cry out.

Best One-Liner
Pretty Spooky Billy the Kid is talking with Henrietta, an old woman who's the local country doctor. He asks her for her advice on what's happening, and eventually the topic of conversation turns to vampires. "I been readin' up on the subject," the Doc tells Billy. There is a short, uncomfortable pause before she continues: "It's pretty spooky!"

"Whoops!"

"And I Vould Like an Order of Garlic Bread To Go, Please."

Dracula is coming downstairs from his room at the local saloon. If you look carefully as he walks across the bar-room, you can see that Dracula, King of Vampires somehow shows up in the big bar mirror. And lest you think he's too powerful, or he's a "daywalker," or vamps in this universe cast reflections, the fact that vampires don't show up in mirrors is emphasized later in the picture as a plot point. It's how the old doc proves Betty's "uncle" is a bloodsucker.

"WHAT?!"

Good Thing He Dipped His Gun in Holy Water Before He Left

His true nature finally revealed, Dracula kidnaps Billy's fiancee and spirits her to an old cave, where he intends to transform her into his vampiric bride forever. Billy shows up, but is quickly overpowered by the vampire's strength. Suddenly, two of Billy's friends -- ol' Doc Henrietta and the sheriff -- rush into the room. The sheriff pulls out a six-shooter and empties it at Dracula. Dracula laughs. "Your bullets can't hurt me...or her either, now." The fiend indicates the inert woman. At this point, Billy recovers from where he lay stunned. Snarling "Gimme that!" he grabs the empty gun from the dumbfounded sheriff and hurls it at the vampire.

Now, you'd expect that would be even less effective than shooting him, but no. Instead, the gun hits Dracula smack in the forehead and knocks him unconscious! Seizing his opportunity, Billy grabs the doc's handy metal "scalpel" (about the size of a railroad spike). It makes nice metallic sounds as he pounds it into John Carradine's chest. Then, for no good reason, a bat flies out of the cave, drops to the ground, and begins to smoulder and roast in the sunlight outdoors. None of us could figure out what in blazes that was supposed to mean, because Dracula's body is still clearly on the floor of the cavern in the next shot, where Billy proclaims: "At least I paid him back for Betty."

Yes, but who will avenge us viewers? And remember, folks: guns don't kill people. They kill vampires. Ah, just forget it.

Directors

Director	Claim to Fame
William Beaudine	Director of hundreds of schlocky films, he earned the nickname "One-Shot" for his tendency to ignore errors rather than reshoot a scene. In other words...pure Smithee gold.

Cast

Actor	Character	Claim to Fame
Chuck Courtney	Billy the Kid	An over 40-year career in film/TV, he did mostly Westerns, but also was Bill Baterman in Pet Sematary and the Motorcycle Rider in The Gumball Rally!
John Carradine	Count Dracula	A great Shakespearean actor, his deep voice is instantly recognizable, as is his presence in many, many mediocre horror films toward the end of his career. Did everything from The Ten Commandments to Dracula. Lent his voice to the Great Owl in The Secret of N.I.M.H.. Father of actor/kung fu guy David.
Melinda Plowman	Betty Bentley	AKA "Melinda Casey," did a lot of small parts in '50s and '60s TV shows.
Olive Carey	Dr. Henrietta Hull	Husband to Harry Carey and mother of famed actor Harry Carey, Jr., she had about 80 credits worth of Westerns under her belt... Sadly, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula was her last.
Virginia Christine	Eva Oster	Despite a long career as a character actress (Wilma Lentz in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Hilary St. George in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Princess Ananka in The Mummy's Curse, Mrs. Halbestadt in Judgment at Nuremberg), she will weirdly be remembered as "Mrs. Olsen" from the Folger's commercials.
Bing Russel	Dan	Made regular appearances in Disney's live-action flicks (Blackbeard's Ghost, The Love Bug, The Million Dollar Duck, The Apple Dumpling Gang), but is best known as the deputy on "Bonanza" and Robert in The Magnificant Seven.
George Cisar	Joe Flake	Often typecast as a cop, he was Sgt. Mooney on "Dennis the Menace"; Cyrus on "The Andy Griffith Show"; and Lem in Attack of the Giant Leeches.
Harry Carey, Jr.	Ben Dooley	Son of the famous silent star; played cowboys, mostly, but had a long career. Was Bill Burnett on the "Adventures of Spin and Marty" series; was in Mask (Red), a saloon patron in Back to the Future Part III; Mr. Anderson in Gremlins. And lots of old TV.


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