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The Gratuitous B-Movie Column: Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf
Image Credit: Wolfbain Productions
The Gratuitous B-Movie Column Issue #619: Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf</
Hello, everyone, and welcome once again to the internets movie review column that isn’t going to go there, there, or there, but is willing to go over there if it makes sense, The Gratuitous B-Movie Column, and I am your host Bryan Kristopowitz. In this issue, issue number six hundred and nineteen, I take a look at the mega low-budget classic horror monsters homage sequel, Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf, which was released into the world at some point in 2023.
Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf</
Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf, directed and co-written by Joe DeMuro (Dwight Kemper is the other screenwriter of record), is the sequel to the very cool mega low-budget classic monsters homage Tales of Dracula (check out my review of that flick here). Much like that flick, Dracula Meets the Werewolf takes place in a black and white world that’s meant to remind you of the old Universal horror classics, and for the most part it succeeds at that. However, unlike the first movie, Dracula Meets the Werewolf doesn’t feel like a full on complete work, but more like the middle part of a story that has at least one more part to it. Clocking in at around 44 minutes, Dracula Meets the Werewolf moves quickly and features plenty of fine performances and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Will we get a third one at some point in the future?
Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf essentially features four stories happening at roughly the same time. First, there’s Creighton Reed (Tom Delillo), the man afflicted with lycanthropy from the first movie, being captured by a Gypsy family (Marina, as played by Olga N. Bogdanova, co-screenwriter Dwight Kemper is Bruno, and Alonnie Milligan as Cloestine) after attempting to steal a piece of clothing from the family’s clothesline. Reed woke up in the forest after becoming a werewolf and attacking a man and his dog the night before, and he needed new clothing because he lost most of what he was wearing when he transformed. In the midst of his captivity, Reed eventually gets help from Marina after Bruno insists that she do so. Marina does a Tarot card reading thing for Reed, Reed reveals that he believes he was cursed with lycanthropy after trying to steal something from a travelling Gypsy circus, Reed wants the Gypsy family to help him get rid of his curse (that’s actually Reed’s whole thing, finding someone/anyone that he thinks can help him get rid of his curse), and Marina reveals that she has the curse of lycanthropy, too (she has a pentagram tattoo on her arm which, I guess, means that you are a werewolf).
While all of that is happening, Jessica Von Helsing (Samantha Sloma), the granddaughter of the famous vampire hunter Abraham Von Helsing (Mickey Ray), is on a train headed to the town of Lugosi (ha). To pass the time on the train, Jessica reads her grandfather’s journals. Also on the train is Renfield (John Carey), Dracula’s main minion. Renfield is the train’s conductor (you can tell he’s that because he wears a hat that says “Conductor” on it). Renfield strikes up a conversation with Jessica, and after giving Jessica a plate of goo, Dracula (Wayne W. Johnson) appears, and captures her and takes her off the train.
And while all of that is happening, Dracula confronts Jessica’s grandfather in a prison cell in Dracula’s castle, snaps the old man’s neck, and then Dracula appears at the Gypsy family’s camp and confronts Reed and tries to recruit him to find and destroy the Cross of Magyars, an old religious relic that can apparently kill Dracula. If Reed destroys the cross, Dracula will remove Reed’s werewolf curse.
And while all of that is happening, Dracula’s brother Radu (Jon Campbell) is roaming around, along with Ingrid (Mary Liz Adams), a female vampire minion that isn’t as loyal to Dracula as you would think. Jessica Von Helsing also ends up in the woods.
One of the things I love about Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf is how ambitious the whole enterprise is. When it comes to mega low-budget cinema, you expect a small number of characters and a small number of locations. You also expect the movie to focus on one, maybe two characters at most. Dracula Meets the Werewolf has grander ideas, and the movie manages to mostly pull them off. There’s a lot happening in this classic monsters homage, and you want to keep watching to see how it all works itself out. And when you realize that the movie’s runtime is 44 minutes, you end up amazed that it managed to pack as much it did into that runtime. You will likely end up asking why the movie isn’t longer (that’s what I did), but then you suspect that there has to be another movie in the future to wrap up the various storylines. I mean, there has to be, right? It can’t be the end when the movie is over. It just can’t be.
Another great thing about Dracula Meets the Werewolf is how fantastic it looks. While the movie was obviously shot digitally, the black and white cinematography is consistent throughout and manages to make you think you’re watching an old Universal classic horror flick. If director DeMuro and company had tried to shoot the movie in color, it just wouldn’t be the same. The movie would likely still be entertaining and fun, but it wouldn’t have the same charm that it does in black and white. Charm can matter.
And a third thing that’s great about Dracula Meets the Werewolf is that Dracula does, in fact, meet the Werewolf in the movie. It’s always wonderful when the movie’s subtitle actually happens and is meaningful. You’d be surprised at how many times a movie’s subtitle isn’t meaningful at all. I don’t have the actual numbers on that claim, but, really, how many times have you watched a genre sequel with a subtitle that’s just one or two words and ends up coming off like a throwaway bit the distributor tacked on to the main title? Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf could have easily been Tales of Dracula 2: Monsters! or some bullshit.
My favorite part of Dracula Meets the Werewolf, besides the cast (more on that in a moment) is the soundtrack. Returning composer Johan Back Monell outdoes himself with a vibrant orchestral sound that makes the movie seem much larger than it is and brings real tension to the proceedings. I can see some viewers thinking the soundtrack is overbearing, simply because it’s so loud and large, but Monell’s work gives the movie a personality it wouldn’t have with a smaller, less ostentatious sound. Just amazing stuff.
When it comes to the cast, it’s nothing short of phenomenal. Tom Delillo is fantastic as Creighton Reed. Delillo makes Reed seem like a complete fish out of water, which he is, and that becomes even more apparent when Reed speaks with an accent that no other character in the movie has. It’s like Reed is from “old New York” or something. You just don’t expect to hear that kind of thing in this particular slice of old Europe.
Wayne W. Johnson does a spectacular job as Dracula. Johnson makes Dracula come off as a super imposing force simply by appearing, and he just exudes maximum menace. And when he speaks, Johnson’s Dracula sounds like pure evil that you’re also somehow drawn to. The Dracula makeup definitely enhances Johnson’s performance, but you get the sense that if he didn’t have that makeup and was just wearing the classic Dracula cloak, Johnson’s Dracula would still be the most feared monster in the movie. He really is that damn good.
Olga N. Bogdanova does a fine job as Marina, the young Gypsy woman that’s also a werewolf. You’re not quite sure how to take her when you first meet her (is she going to rob poor Reed out in the middle of the woods? Man, that would be messed up), but as you find out who she is, you love her and root for her and her family for the rest of the movie (Dwight Kemper and Alonie Milligan make for a great Gypsy couple as Bruno and Cloestine). Bogdanova also gets to do a wild dance that’s a sight to behold. I wouldn’t be surprised if and when there is another Tales of Dracula movie that Marina plays an even bigger part in the overall plot. There’s got to be way more to her lycanthropy that can be explored in another sequel. And I’d imagine there’s more dancing to be done.
Samantha Sloma does a nice job as Jessica Von Helsing. She doesn’t get to do all that much compared to some other characters in the movie, but she does manage to exude a youthful energy that’s infectious, something her grandfather couldn’t do because he’s, well, old. I’d imagine, with the way Dracula Meets the Werewolf ends, we will see more of Jessica in a third movie.
And Jon Campbell and Mary Liz Adams are fun to watch as Radu and Ingrid. That’s what you’ll remember about them. They’re fun as hell. And how can you hate John Carey as Renfield? He’s wearing a hat that says “Conductor” on it. That’s awesome!
Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf is a wonderful sequel and loving homage to the classic Universal monsters. While the sequel isn’t as wholly satisfying as the first Tales of Dracula movie (the sequel’s relatively short runtime and rather abrupt ending feels too much like it’s setting us up for whatever the third movie is going to be instead of being its own complete thing), Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf is still very much a worthwhile mega low-budget B-movie watching experience. If you’re a fan of the classic Universal black and white monster movies, Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf is definitely something you should check out. It’s very much worth your time. You will love it. I know I did.
See Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf. See it, see it, see it!
And I can’t wait to see whatever the heck the third Tales of Dracula is going to be. I mean, there just has to be a Tales of Dracula 3 to finish off the overall story. It has to happen.
So what do we have here?
Dead bodies: At least 3.
Explosions: None.
Nudity?: None.
Doobage: Some guy walking his dog in the woods. Attempted clothes stealing. A train. Diary reading. An old pocket watch. Tarot cards. An arm tattoo. A cool looking castle. Serious neck breaking. A plate full of goo. Off screen werewolf transformation. Talk about the moon. A vampire choke. Hatchet attack. Off screen killing (I think). An onscreen werewolf transformation. Howling. A big push. A big storm. Roaring. A choke slam. More pushing. The sun.
Kim Richards?: None.
Gratuitous: Black and white cinematography. Violin playing. A clothesline. Gypsies. Interpretive dancing. A Von Helsing voiceover. Poor man’s process. Mark of the Beast. Dracula flying as a bat. A hat that says “Conductor” on it. Squirrel eating. Breaking the fourth wall. A disembodied voice.
Best lines: “Dear God, not again!” “All right, old woman! I’m coming! I’m coming!” “Are you a travelling saleswoman?” “Do you not believe in the supernatural, mister?” “If you try to flee, I will kill you.” “Shut up and deal.” “I need to have the curse lifted!” “He has the Mark of the Beast on him! I told you! Werewolf!” “If you do not help this man your suffering will continue until the end of days!” “You know I am sworn to destroy you!” “Well, I almost broke my neck, but at least I am still free.” “It’s going to take a miracle for any of us to pull this off.” “So much for prophecy!” “I see you retain your cunning as well.” “Who is your master? Who do you serve?” “I told you this man could not be trusted!” “So, this is how our battle ends? Not with blows but with pithy quips?” “Hello? Hello?”
Rating: 8.0/10.0
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Tales of Dracula 2: Dracula Meets the Werewolf
Wayne W. Johnson– Dracula
Tom Delillo– Creighton Reed
Olga N. Bogdanova– Marina
Samantha Sloma– Jessica Von Helsing
Dwight Kemper– Bruno
Alonnie Milligan– Cloestine
John Carey– Renfield
Mary Liz Adams– Ingrid
Jon Campbell– Radu
(check out the rest of the cast here)
Directed by Joe DeMuro
Screenplay by Joe DeMuro and Dwight Kemper
Produced by Wolfbain Productions
Not Rated
Runtime– 44 minutes
Buy it here
