review for Dracula vs. Frankenstein on AllMovie

The cult highlight of notorious schlock director Al Adamson's career, Dracula vs. Frankenstein is a terrible picture in nearly every way -- bad scripting, bad acting, bad directing, horrendous lighting -- and yet it is a fun film to watch thanks to its very badness. The picture is a collage of oddities including hippies, bikers, a dwarf, surfing, a drug trip, and the final screen appearances of J. Carrol Naish and Lon Chaney Jr., two film greats who were obviously on their last legs. The bloated Chaney Jr., who was battling alcoholism, never utters a word in the part of Dr. Frankenstein's murderous servant, and looks even more frightening out of his mask than in it. Naish fairs a little better although the clacking of his dentures takes away from his supposedly evil character. Other memorable cast members include Russ Tamblyn as a sadistic biker, Jim Davis as the useless detective, and Forrest J. Ackerman as the monster's first victim, Dr. Beaumont. Dracula is played by Zandor Vorkov and is certainly an original version of the character thanks to blue-tinted skin and a voice that sounds like he's speaking into a trash can -- he's even got a ring that shoots deadly lightning. John Bloom plays the monster, whose bloated mask makes him look like a burned marshmallow. Technically, Dracula vs. Frankenstein is an utter mess with shaky camerawork and dreadful lighting ruining several scenes including the highly anticipated finish in which the two title creatures finally battle. The special effects are gory, but on the low-budget level, and the conclusion features a series of dismemberments that recall the hilarious "Black Knight" scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.