I’ll be blunt. I never liked John Carradine as Dracula. His stagey opera cape and top hat, wild-eyed approach left me thinking more Snidely Whiplash than Count Dracula, royalty to the undead. I will admit to loving one scene, though: in House of Frankenstein, when he hypnotizes Anne Gwynne with his ring, well, that scene is awesome. He plays it perfectly and generates such a sinister persona, I just wish he had carried that throughout his stint as Dracula.
But what an actor for other roles, especially as the bright spot in the bad movies he appeared in. A New York boy, he made his first appearance on stage in Camille, a New Orleans production. He was a painter and got his start working for Cecil B. DeMille, doing scenic art in Hollywood. That led to acting roles in DeMille’s films, branching out to directors like John Ford and Victor Fleming. In the 1940s he moved over to horror films (The Horror People, John Brosnan, St. Martin’s Press).
Billy the Kid vs Dracula was a terrific idea. Horror Westerns are few and far between, but can provide a large landscape for terror. Unfortunately, not much of that landscape is used creatively in this one. If you want to see a really good vintage vampire western, catch Curse of the Undead. Still, with John Carradine involved, I can always watch him in action, even as Dracula.
It Came From Hollywood sent along these cool-looking lobby cards (though the coloration seems more suited for Ib Melchior’s The Angry Red Planet).
