Intelligence and madness must be hereditary in the Frankenstein bloodline, as the last surviving scion of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Dr. Durea, also happens to be conducting “experiments” that would easily get him discredited from every scientific institution. Durea’s latest endeavor is developing a cure for his lackey, Groton, to help fix his damaged body and mind. The mad scientist believes that in order to finish developing the serum, he’ll need to revive the corpse of ancestor Frankenstein’s monster. Dracula catches word of the doctor’s predicament and offers his help, as long as he gets a sip of the cure he’s working on, believing it will render him impervious to the sun’s fatal rays.
If you have some room on your list of guilty pleasures, add “Dracula vs. Frankenstein.” Cult movie director Al Adamson — who helmed such “masterpieces” as “Psycho A-Go-Go,” “Blood of Ghastly Horror,” and “Satan’s Sadists” — takes the reins on this totally groovy tribute to Universal’s classic monster flicks. Hippies, bikers, and psychedelia abound in this flick, whose Dracula looks like he should be haunting discos instead of graveyards, and whose Frankenstein’s monster has a face that looks like a plate of mashed potatoes that was left in the sun too long. Still, despite the dated 1970s look and the cheap production values, the climactic showdown is worth the price of admission alone.