Jesús Franco is a filmmaker whom many people adore, yet there are probably just as many who cannot stand what he does. His films run the gamut from poor to really poor, from good to great, and all of them, no matter the quality, offer some sort of entertainment to be found. Most will be familiar with the output of erotic movies, yet the man would dip his toe into various genres, including horror, of which this picture would be one. Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein, as one might guess, features the Lord of Vampires as well as the doctor and his monster, not to mention a wolfman as well. It is a bit of a stew pot, but it is all in good fun and ends up being a fairly uneven, but interesting excursion from the prolific director.

The story finds Dr. Frankenstein wanting to take over the world for some reason; the man is no longer content with creating monsters or taking pride in his research. To that end, he seeks out Dracula, now in bat form after having been killed by Jonathan Seward some years earlier. Reviving the vampire with the blood of a young woman after first bringing to life a monster of his own creation, Frankenstein directs Dracula to head out and start killing while making more vampires along the way. Learning of this, Seward enters the picture once more and looks to put a stop to all of it and does so with the help of a wolfman and some of the local gypsies.

Under Franco’s direction, there was much to marvel at, but it all felt a little listless as the story and the script were lacking. The first third of the film had no dialogue, and while that was not necessarily bad, it let the man give viewers some wonderful cinematography and beautiful shots, but it did little to engage the audience. Things started to pick up when Frankenstein himself came into the picture as played by Dennis Price. The man is obviously quite mad as he talks about bringing back Dracula and his plans, which include ruling the world, maybe not realizing just how big a planet the Earth really is. That aside, he brings the vampire back as portrayed by Howard Vernon, and the man is more of a laughing stock than he is a fearsome vampire, thanks to his face being frozen in one constant expression throughout the entirety of the affair. Fernando Bilbao would star as the monster and, through a variety of scenes, proves to be just that despite looking slightly ridiculous. Worst of all would be the wolfman who appeared out of nowhere seemingly, with some of the worst makeup ever seen in any film and proving just how weak the writing was in this movie.

While the plot is razor-thin, Franco packs the movie full of beautiful women, Carmen Yazalde, of note, playing one of the vampires who would add to the gothic atmosphere. If there is one thing Franco does best, it is fill his movies with women who capture the attention of his audience. Still, it suffers because little holds it together, despite how appealing to the eye it might be. Logic is thrown out the window after a short period, but given all that is present, how could one not enjoy what is happening? Shot well and filled with monsters, Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein is the perfect late-night excursion for those looking to dull the senses and take a trip to a land where beauty and horror come alive.

3 out of 5