Embassy Pictures released Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter and Billy the Kid vs Dracula as a double feature on 10 April 1966. They premiered together on 30 March 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut.
I avoided seeing both these films for years because they have arguably the silliest titles in the history of film.
Okay. Maybe Octopussy is worse. Of course, I’ve never seen it. I don’t much care for Roger Moore period Bond. But that also indicates why the title doesn’t matter. It’s a bond picture. They could be numbered. Who knows what to expect from Billy the Kid vs Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter?
Well, it isn’t hard to guess if you think like a filmmaker. After all, Dracula lives forever. So why not turn Billy the Kid into Van Helsing? Frankenstein doesn’t live forever, so we get his granddaughter (despite the title).
The films were shot back-to-back. William Beaudine directed both. He had been directing since the silent era. In total, he directed hundreds of feature films and television shows including 80 episodes of Lassie.
I like both films, but I prefer Billy the Kid vs Dracula — probably because of John Carradine’s over-the-top performance. I also like how the start of the film is a bit of an homage to Stagecoach. And I like the happy ending.
You can find Billy the Kid vs Dracula online but the prints range from fairly bad to unwatchable. Last year, KL Studio Classics released what is probably the best version we will get on DVD and Blu-ray. They both come with a commentary track by writers Lee Gambin and John Harrison. If you want to get Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, Elite Entertainment produced a good version on DVD with a Joe Bob Briggs commentary track.
But you don’t need to buy either since both these films litter the internet. Here is a decent print of Billy the Kidd vs Dracula:
And here is a so-so print of Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter:
Other Anniversaries for April 10th
Filmmakers:
- Harry Morgan (1915-2011)
- Chuck Connors (1921-1992)
- Max Von Sydow (1929-2020)
- Omar Sharif (1932-2015)
- Steven Seagal (1952-)
- Orlando Jones(1968-)
- Haley Joe Osment (1988-).
Films:
- The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
- Blood and Black Lace (1964)
- Multiple Maniacs (1970)
- Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)
- Excalibur (1981)
- Knightriders (1981)
- The Howling (1981)
- Subway (1985)
- Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
- FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
- Sleepwalkers (1992)
- Species II (1998)
- Dr Horror’s Erotic House of Idiots (2004)
- Skin Crawl (2007)
- Dragonball Evolution (2009)
- Vampiress: Lady of the Night (2010).
Billy the Kid vs Dracula (1966) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use. Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
