Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula

Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula is a better film than the title suggests. I have mixed emotions about this as I normally like for my bad films to be truly bad, but will admit to being pleasantly surprised by the story and production values.

Keep in mind I am reviewing a low budget film here. The acting was surprisingly good and, at 90 minutes, the story was neither too short nor too long. I thought Tiffany Shepis as the murderous Bonnie made the film and the other players, all unknowns (at least, unknown to me) were surprisingly colorful and good. Jennifer Friend as the dim-witted Annabel was a treat as well.

The plot is about what you would expect with a title such as this one. Bonnie and Clyde are out in the country hiding from the law and planning their next heist when they unexpectedly meet up with the evil Dr. Loveless and, you guessed it, the Prince of Darkness himself. This is as far as I will go on story explanation, the title says it all.

It doesn't matter to me if the story makes sense or is historically factual in regards to Bonnie and Clyde, but I was a bit frustrated by the fact that I had trouble determining whether this was (a) horror, (b) comedy horror spoof or (c) a gangster film. It is hard to mix genres within one production and that was, at times, uncomfortably apparent. But, it was not so bad as to ruin the production and, aside from that, Bonnie and Clyde vs.Dracula is a delightful film and nice addition to my library of B-horror.

Shot in 2008 around the St. Joseph, MO. area, near my home, I looked for this one on DVD for a long time. Per its website, it made the rounds of the film festival circuit in Kansas and Missouri before being offered on DVD. It was worth the wait. It fits nicely with such 1960s films as Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. I am very pleased to see films such as these back in production. If you, as I, love films such as this one, I encourage you to add it to your library. I got my DVD from Amazon and it costs around $10.00, including shipping.

The film starts with a nice plot twist and is a tale of two worlds until Bonnie meets Drucula. All in all it was pretty well written, shot well with a good sound track. The graphic violence was a little rough for my taste however. Tiffany Shepis as the mean girl Bonnie is the standout, but everyone was good including the space cadet flower child Annabel played with glee by Jenny Friend. T. Max Graham who plays the irascible Jake has one gruesome but hilarious scene towards the climatic end. Even though the film was made in 2008 it feels like a period piece and is well worth a watch if you can stomach occasional graphic violence.

Incredibly stupid movie which - I'm sorry, I can't help myself - I was quite pleased with.

Tho Tiffany Shepis' Bonnie Parker is the main turn, the real star is Jennifer Friend as weird hippie-girl-in-fantasy-world, Annabelle.

On the lam Champion Barrow and Parker chance upon a country pile where Count Black Church has been resurrected by raving Dr Loveless and his unwilling wacko assistant sister, Annabelle. Loveless believes a transfusion of ye olde Transylvanian red drip will cure an unpleasant malaise which causes him to wear a sack on his head to spare everyone his horrible boat.

Much happens. Most of the film is tongue-in-cheek crime caper cut up by odd shootings or straight razorings. Tho it's unpretentious, quick and plain old crackers, the criticism 'Bonnie And Clyde vs Dracula' has met is fully justified - but it just sorta gets ya.

The upshot of all this is not much to be honest, but a watchable not much : Barrow becomes kinda Renfield to Parker's undead - now not only a bloodthirsty gangsteress but also one of Dracula's brides of blood! Betcha didn't know Bonnie Parker was a vampire ? Faye Dunaway tricked y'all . .

How did this get a 4.9. There have been a lot of very great Dracula movies. And this is not one of them. This is one Dracula sequel you need to skip. The acting is awful. The story line is awful. The ending is awful. I think it is supposed to be funny but it is not. And if it is trying to be scary. It is not scary. Do not waste your money. And do not waste your time. Do not see this movie. I do not knew why it got a 4.9. It is just an awful awful movie. See Dracula vs Frankenstein. That is one of the great Dracula sequels and it is very underrated. And this is just overrated. I do not Knew why people like this awful horror movie. Dracula (March 1931) is a great movie. This movie has an awful ending. Do not see this movie. You have been warned.

My criticism of Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula might be a tad-bit unfair as one probably isn't supposed to complain much about a movie called Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula.

Going into it, I knew it was a D-List B-Movie with a preposterous premise ... and it is. The film has "decent" acting from some no-name-never-will-be-a-name actors who do the most with their cheesy dialogue and the grotesque situations in which they find themselves. Simply because someone believed a confrontation between the notorious gangster-duo and Dracula would make for an interesting movie, Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula was made.

It doesn't really matter how Bonnie and Clyde end up in the same house as Dracula (a mad doctor with a burlap sack over his head -- Dr. Loveless -- is harboring the bloodsucker in his basement ... yep, hahaha, sure thing!); all that does matter is that the two sides confront each other ... and nobody else (the supporting players) really stand a chance.

This is an "ignorance-is-bliss" kind of a film ... the audience is simply supposed to enjoy the stupidity on screen. I was able to ... some.

What bothered me was that the remarkably bad screenwriter apparently knew next-to-nothing of Ms. Parker and Mr. Barrow. They are pretty-much Bonnie and Clyde in name ONLY as their behavior, action and motivation in THIS film are nothing-at-all like they were in real life (it could have been worse, though, as Hilary Duff doesn't play THIS film's Bonnie). I am sure I shouldn't have cared; and I only did a little bit ... because, seriously, get something right! (I'm not asking for 100% historical accuracy in ANY film; but I'd have accepted a mere 05% here)

It can be difficult to blend real-life characters with fiction in something like this. I read and accepted the recent Pride & Prejudice and Zombies lately and did NOT mind Lizzie Bennett and her sisters being ninja-trained warriors (as they are fiction-upon-fiction); but having Bonnie Parker go medieval with a razor blade (before they even encounter Fangs McGhee) was just too much (as it is still debated whether or not the REAL Bonnie Parker ever pulled a trigger).

The movie is supposed to be a brainless/thoughtless, fun-time. For this to happen the movie should be watched with one's brain turned completely off as ANY kind of thinking will mar the film. How is that possible?!? Actually ... I don't know as I haven't turned my brain back on yet.