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Dracula Vs. Frankenstein - You Thoughts? Creepy Simul-Cast
-"ROCK"! David ROCK Nelson, "Monster" comedy moviemaker, acor, comic, Most "Notorious" Annual "Monster BASH" guest, etc! Thanks, David...glad you're viewing with us this weekend! After you watch, e-mail your thoughts. One sentence, or paragraphs on your thoughts! Maybe, one word in this week's case (HA!). We'll post them here on Monday! Well, we survived here at Creepy Central. We watched DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN (1972), the Al Adamson film Saturday night. We watched the DVD put out by the Roan Group a while back. It has a great, funny intro by producer Sam Sherman. Lon didn't look that bad, although I've heard how sick he was at this time in 1971-72. I believe it was his second to the last movie he made. He's even carrying a girl over his shoulder at one point. The highlight for us watching, was the crazed Angelo Rositto, laughing maniacally! Of course, other highlights, included J. Carrol Naish's clacking dentures and watching his eyes follow large cue cards. Regina Carrol's song at the beginning was a hoot too. Of course, there's Uncle Forry Ackerman getting beat up by the Frankenstein Monster. He always told the story of how his suit was ruined when he was laying in the mud after getting the "bear hug" by the monster. It was a riot...plus, there was music cribbed from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (Bob Pellegrino pointed this out). You know, this isn't a great movie...but, it sure is fun. -Ron Adams Does anyone else think they should have kept the original ending? Check out the special features on the Troma DVD (the original ending is there). Mark Ditoro - Moon Township, PA
Hi Ron HA! I think we all know.....
Hello Ron, Bob, David "The Rock" Nelson and all other monster fans out there in "Horrorwood" U.S.A. and around the world! ---Hope you enjoyed (or at least where able to tediously tolerate) this classic peice of "SUPERSCHLOCK" film tripe!!!! I KNOW I DID! All I can say is WOW- watching this peice of "swiss cheese" (AND YES-IT HAS PLENTY OF HOLES IN IT- THE STORY THAT IS) brought back alot of great (but hazy) early childhood memories for me. I remember seeing this film on the "Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show" back in 1973/1974 when I was a young kid living in Parma, Ohio. I also remember struggling to stay up and watch it! (AS EVEN A YOUNG KID-I REALIZED HOW BAD THIS FILM IS!!)
Again, Happy (Un)Pleasant Dreams, Everyone Dan Brenneis, Monster Bash Staff Member and Lifetime Film Fan.
Ron, This was,
all in all a good nights entertainment and one I whole heartedly recommend to any monster movie fan.
NOT THE WORST FILM EVER MADE ( THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS HOLD'S THAT TITLE ) IT'S ONE OF THOSE SO BAD IT'S GOOD TYPE OF MOVIE.I LOVE IT PERSONALY. HOW ABOUT WE WATCH " INVISIBLE INVADERS" THE WEEK AFTER CREATURE ? CHUCK, CARSONVILLE,MI. Hi Chuck, you're right...there are worse..yes, indeed. BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS, THE CREEPING TERROR, CURSE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN....those mind-numbing works of movie torture. We'll put INVISIBLE INVADERS in cue. There area few other requests already. -Ron
Hey Ron, Here`s a few more tidbits of info on "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" that all our readers should find interesting! (By the way, I WATCHED THE FILM AGAIN YESTERDAY WITH THE AUDIO COMMENTARY BY SAM SHERMAN RUNNING ON IT-IT IS ON THE TROMA LABEL) :
Did I hear correctly, Bob Pellegrino chose this movie to watch this weekend? If so, Bob you owe me 90 minutes of my life back! Wow, this one is a strange movie. I don't know which was more difficult; seeing the Lonster and Naish in such older states, or listening to aging hippies spout pretentious bunk! -Brian Nichols, Texas |
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Yup, I'm watching "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein" this weekend, at my own "dungeon" in Des Plaines, IL., as "Monster BASH" people are watching it in their town (Ligonier & Pittsburgh, Pa.) (and EVERWHERE) Sat. nite, as well! We'll all give our opinion on this "Grr"-eat "classic", FUN Drive-In "Monsta" movie by the late, "Grr"-eat(Great) B-Movie Maven, Al Adamson (whom I met 5 mths. before he died, at "Chiller Theatre" Expo in NJ, May of '94)! There's a "Coool" pic of The "Frankenstein Monster"(BIG John Bloom) there! Check this website out today or this weekend (see above on this page...ed.) & again Mon. & everyday next week, to see the new opinions posted of those of us who watched "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein" AGAIN Sat. night(tomorrow)! If you've already seen it, watch it AGAIN! Then email your opinion, review on it to them! Have SCREAMIN "MONSTA" FUN! That's my fave 70s Dtive-In "Monsta"(Monster) movie, I just watched it 2 months ago & I'm watchin' it AGAIN tomorrow/Sat. nite! It's a "HOWL"!
I couldn`t get over how bad the Frankenstein monster looked or how incredibally cheesy Count Dracula`s facepaint looked (especially in well-lit scenes) And I am just getting started, folks!! How about that hilariously inane and inept dialogue?? Watch the film twice in a row and concentrate on the scriptwriting as it pertains to the situation of the characters dealing with the monsters or each other and you will see what I mean!! Also, the SPFX at the end of the film concerning Dracula`s demise in the rays of the hot sun are of bargain basement quality (at best). Couldn`t they have done a better job? After all, it is the CLIMAX of the film! Oh well, I guess they just ran out of money!!! The fight between the two monsters is acceptable, but I find it hard to believe that Dracula could tear off Frankee`s head as easy as a Tootsie-Pop! 
The music, cinematography, stuntwork, editing and other basics of this film are actually done pretty well, Believe it or not! As far as the cast is concerned - There is no question that it is here where the film`s major charm lies (IN MY OPINION) How did the late,great Al Adamson get this cast to come together and do this production? THE MIND BOGGLES......From Al himself to Sam Sherman to the young B-movie (future)directors who helped out (Gary Kent and Greydon Clark) in the production to Forrest J. Ackerman (YES, UNCLE FORRY MAKES A GREAT, BUT BRIEF APPEARANCE! ) to a who`s who of horror and sci-fi actors, both old and young alike (From J.Carroll Naish and Lon Chaney Jr.{The last film both ever made} to the great dwarf actor Angelo Rossitto {best known for starring with Bela Lugosi in "Scared To Death" in 1947} to Jim Davis {who starred in "The Monster From Green Hell" in 1958 and "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein`s Daughter" in 1966} to up and comers like Russ Tamblyn {who was in "Tom Thumb" (1958) "The Haunting" (1963) and "War Of The Gargantuas" (1966) and who also was in director Robert Wise`s classic musical "West Side Story" (1961) and Anthony Eisely {"The Wasp Woman" (1959) "The Navy vs. The Night Monsters" (1966) "Journey To The Center Of Time" (1967) "The Mighty Gorga" (1969) and "Monster" (1979) all these wonderful, talented and truly dedicated individuals came together to give it their all- even if the budget belied their efforts...........
On a few sad notes, It is extremely tough to watch Lon Chaney Jr. in his role here. Because of his throat cancer and other health problems, he has no dialogue in this film. Instead he just grunts and groans, lumbers around and attacks people and dies. NOT EXACTLY HIS SHINING HOUR AS A WORKING ACTOR. This is certainly a far cry from his classic films and even pales badly next to films like "Witchcraft" and "Spiderbaby" where he had a chance to still shine. Later on, director Al Adamson lost his wife {Regina Carrol} to cancer (she played the role of Judith Fontaine- the lead blonde girl survivor in the film) in 1992. Al himself met with a gruesome fate (right out of a horror movie) when he was murdered a few years later by someone who he had hired to work on his bathroom inside his house. His body was found buried underneath the tile floor inside the bathroom. How Tragic.When it comes right down to it, Al Adamson`s schlocky horror films are entertaining if watched in the right frame of mind, and although this one isn`t his best (in my opinion) it still holds alot of B-movie charm for classic horror fans out there.....My Rating: 1.25/5 stars.
I watched this movie on Saturday night and it is and always had been one of my favorite Al Adamson films. A lot of people I know worked on this film.
Zandor Vorkov makes a very bizarre Dracula and the Frankenstein monster is probably one of my favorite movie monsters because he looks so messy! John Bloom plays the monster
and it is always a treat to see Lon Chaney, Jr and J. Carrol Naish no matter what they are in.
Forry Ackerman shows up long enough to be killed by the Frankenstein monster in a scene that was actually very painful for Mr. Ackerman but done very well on film.
Al's lovely wife Regina Carrol is the female lead looking for her lost sister and I have to admit there has always been a soft spot in my heart for Regina and I will watch anything
with her in it. 
1) Jim Davis, who plays the police sargeant in the film, should be known to all classic TV fans as playing "Jock Ewing" in the prime-time nighttime soap opera "DALLAS" 2) Actors Paul Lucas (Disney`s "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea") and Francis Lederer ("The Return Of Dracula" "Terror Is A Man") were the first choices to play Dr. Frankenstein but neither ended up in the role. Paul Lucas turned it down because he felt the film was "Too Bloody" and Francis Lederer had a banker`s conference to go to!! 3) Broderick Crawford (Yes, Lon`s dressing room brawling buddy of fame!!) was the 1st choice to play the police sargeant! (But he also turned down that role) 4) Sam Sherman wanted John Carradine to play Dracula in the film BUT director Al Adamson vetoed that decision and cast his stockbroker Roger Engle as the Count!! (He is listed as Zandor Vorkoff in the cast credits) 5) The Original shooting title(s) of this film were: "The Blood Seekers" and "The Blood Freaks" 6) 7 foot 4 inch tall actor John Bloom, who plays The Frankenstein monster in this film, used to be an accountant when he was hired by Al to be in this movie, his film debut!! John then proceeded to have memorable roles in other horror/sci-fi films such as "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" (1971) where he played Danny, the tragic deaf-mute who gets a killer`s head grafted onto his body and then goes on a rampage before being killed in a mine!!, "Brain Of Blood" (1972), "The Dark" (1979) where he played the alien creature terrorizing the city of L.A. at night, "Harry And The Hendersons" (1987) and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) where he played a behemoth alien who fights with Captain Kirk (William Shatner) on a frigid ice planet prison penal colony. Interestingly, John is the tallest actor to ever play the Frankenstein monster in the movies!!! Sadly, John passed away on January 15th, 1999 due to heart failure. What a shame, considering by all accounts he was a real nice guy and had a very interesting film career. Hope everybody out there in "Monsterland" enjoyed some more trivia about this B-movie favorite of ours!!! -Dan Brenneis.