I’ve decided to use Franco Week, Mondo Exploito‘s week long tribute to the late Jess Franco, as an opportunity to watch some Franco films that have been gathering dust on my “to watch” list. Kind of selfish, yes, but I also don’t think that any Mondo Exploito reader needs to read an article telling them to watch Vampyros Lesbos or Venus in Furs.

 

DRACULA, PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN
original title: Drácula contra Frankenstein
Spain/France, 1972, Jess Franco

Imagine the script of a classic Universal monster team-up. Now toss that script, a few bucks and Howard Vernon in a Dracula costume to Jess Franco. Whether you love Franco or hate Franco, as long as you know his sensibilities behind the camera, chances are you’ve got a pretty accurate picture of Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein in your head. If you’re not a fan of Jess Franco, you’re going to really hate this one. And if you’re a fan, you’ll get a huge kick out of seeing Franco tackle three (yes, three) classic monsters in the one film.

In its synopsis, Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein appears simple. The film begins with Dr. Seward (Alberto Dalbés) – an interesting choice to go with Seward rather than Van Helsing – seems to have finally beaten Dracula (Howard Vernon). He’s nailed the undead bastard in his coffin, where he’s morphed into a harmless bat. But Dracula doesn’t stay down for long. Dr. Frankenstein (Dennis Price), his monster (Fernando Bilbao) and poached Orloff sidekick Morpho (Luis Barboo) roll into town. Frankenstein, hellbent on creating his own “unusual army”, revives Dracula and, along with Dracula’s vampirised victims, makes him his slave. Seward is the town’s only hope and, according to a local gypsy (Geneviève Robert), will destroy Dracula once and for all with the help of El Hombre Lobo (an actor credited only as Brandy) – the Wolfman!. With a plot like that, you’d imagine this to be a talky affair, as all the details are dispensed. It isn’t. Dialogue is almost nonexistent outside of a few voice overs. This turns Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein from a potentially stuffy affair to a hypnotic feast of zooms, frantic editing and intense close ups. And while the plot is simple, its execution is not, making Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein a film that you really need to pay attention to in order to make sense of it.

Franco’s presentation of the three classic monster characters is hit and miss. Dennis Price – an actor who played Van Helsing, Dr. Seward and Dracula during his career – doesn’t really work as Frankenstein. He has little presence and is not the imposing villain the film wants him to be. Vernon’s take on Dracula, however, is quite special. Vernon turns Dracula into a bug-eyed, mindless and silent character. His frozen expression and close ups of his darting eyes as he feeds on victims is extremely unnerving. Some may find this animalistic and zombified incarnation of Dracula insulting, personally I found it to be a breath of fresh air. Dodgy make up aside, Fernando Bilbao works well in the role of Frankenstein’s monster. Unfortunately, his screen time is limited, but his fight with the Wolfman is memorable. Luis Barboo also deserves credit for his unhinged and wild portrayal of Morpho.

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein, I could imagine, would bitterly disappoint most fans of Dracula and Frankenstein who have unknowingly stumbled upon a Jess Franco film. To those who have not seen his work or dislike his work, it probably appears to be a mess of shaky camerawork cobbled together from nonsensical footage. And that’s a perfectly valid reaction. However, for those that appreciate Franco’s demented vision, Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein is a fantastic experience.