10 Weirdest Dracula Adaptations
Weird is wonderful. So is Dracula.
Dracula has appeared on screen in over 200 movies. Mostly, because his is an amazing story. Also, because that story and the character are licence free, meaning not only is he eternally popular, but he’s also cheap. Could there be a better combo?
So, if you ever need another character for that screenplay or novel you’re working on, remember, Dracula and a whole rogues gallery of his monster buddies are there for you.
Naturally, the fact that's he's been in so many movies means things have gotten quite... broad over the years. Obviously, it also means that only a handful are any good, a tiny minority are amazing, most are dreadful, some are unwatchable, and of course, some are downright weird.
Dracula movies are hugely diverse, some are direct adaptations and some are far removed from the source material. Of course, some are also set in space. You always get to space eventually, and it usually doesn’t take anywhere near two-hundred movies.
Weird can be wonderful, and it can be dreadful too and Dracula has been incredibly odd over the years...
10. Batman/Dracula
Andy Warhol loved Batman and in 1964 he shot a film in homage to the caped crusader, entitled Batman/Dracula. He did this completely without permission from DC, and they got pissy, ordering all copies to be removed from distribution. Even though Warhol had only been screening the movie at private events, he scrapped it and all copies were lost.
In 2006, as part of a documentary about the film’s star, Jack Smith, who played both Dracula and Batman, several unedited scenes from Batman/Dracula were found in his private belongings.
They are as batsh*t crazy as you’d expect.
They're uber camp, totally surreal and so DIY most fan films put the production to shame. And that’s exactly what the movie has been compared to, a pioneer fan film from a time before fan films existed.
Unfortunately, the film in its entirety remains lost, but if you want to see Warhol’s vision for a Dracula fighting Batman, you can find the clips on YouTube.
Batman fighting Dracula is a popular idea though. Just a few years later, in 1967, Batman Fights Dracula was produced in The Philippines. That one was unauthorised too and unfortunately is also lost.
Finally, in 2005 DC did it themselves, with the animated The Batman vs. Dracula. So, if you really need to see Dracula and Batman duke it out, that’s where you need to go.