Batman Dracula: Andy Warhol’s Quirky 1964 Batman Movie (Picture Credit score – Instagram)
Omit the whole thing about Batman on display—there’s a unusual, wild gem you’ve almost certainly by no means heard of. Again in 1964, Andy Warhol, sure Andy Warhol, made his personal Batman film. And no, he didn’t ask DC for permission. Batman Dracula used to be Warhol’s DIY tribute to the Darkish Knight, shot on a 16mm Bolex digital camera and simplest ever proven at his artwork shows. Communicate in regards to the underground.
The film, starring Jack Smith as Bruce Wayne and Depend Dracula, is a complete go back and forth. No flashy explosions, no CGI, only a surreal, virtually summary chase throughout Lengthy Island and New York Town, culminating in a unusual showdown between Batman and Dracula. Warhol didn’t handle conventional superhero laws—this used to be his twisted take, stuffed with camp and weirdness. Batman and Dracula? Highest combo, proper? And Warhol used to be all in. He didn’t simply spend a few hours in this—he shot seven hours of pictures.
However right here’s the kicker—Batman Dracula used to be a misplaced movie for many years. Warhol simplest ever confirmed it at his Pop Artwork shows, and since he didn’t get the fairway mild from DC, the film by no means went public. It used to be buried in obscurity till 2006 when some pictures surfaced within the documentary Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis. The pictures? Grainy, summary, and difficult to decipher. However you need to make out Jack Smith’s goateed Dracula swirling his cape round actress Jane Holzer whilst the dreamy sounds of The Velvet Underground’s “Not anything Music” set the vibe. Superheroes, however make it artsy.
Just right success discovering all the film—it’s like attempting to find a unicorn. Even the Andy Warhol Museum and MoMA don’t have it. And in the event that they did? They couldn’t display it with out DC giving the fairway mild. So, is it misplaced ceaselessly or stashed away in a dusty Warner Bros. vault? Your bet is as excellent as ours.
Rewind to 1964. Superhero motion pictures had been slightly a blip on Hollywood’s radar. Batman had a tacky serial within the ’40s, and the campy Batman TV display wouldn’t hit monitors till 1966. Warhol, being Warhol, noticed the ingenious freedom and went full-on gothic. His imaginative and prescient? There’s a trippy conflict between two icons—Batman and Dracula. That’s the type of wild power he thrived on.
Oh, and Warhol used to be low-key obsessive about Batman. In 1966, he dressed as Robin for a photoshoot with Nico as Batman. Rapid ahead to the ’90s, and DC dropped a Batman vs. Dracula graphic novel. Twist of fate? Perhaps. However let’s be truthful—Warhol used to be simply forward of his time, doing Batman in his artsy, offbeat method.
So, whilst we might by no means get a whole model of Batman Dracula, what’s transparent is that Warhol’s bizarre little fan movie used to be method forward of its time. It wasn’t the superhero flick we all know nowadays, nevertheless it used to be nonetheless a love letter to Batman, made by way of a real fan.
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