Lost Films: Batman Fights Dracula
Written by Rachael Crawley
A “lost film” has no known existing copies. In most cases, none will ever be found. This series aims to discuss lost movies from across the ages, and to highlight the reasons for film loss and the continuing efforts to counteract it. It is estimated that 90% of all movies made before 1929 are gone forever.
That’s right – it’s the crossover you didn’t know you needed, but now can’t live without. Batman Fights Dracula (Leody M. Diaz, 1967) pitted two legendary bat-figures against each other in the ultimate chiropteran showdown. As it turns out, this happened multiple times in film and comic history. However, unlike other pairings, this one is nowhere to be found.
Looking through my sources, I realized:
1) I have to see this movie.
2) I am going to have the Batman theme stuck in my head for the rest of this article – and now, so will you!
The mid-1960s were, bizarrely enough, a time of many unauthorized Batman parodies from around the world. Initially, I blamed this on the Adam West TV series, but it seems to be more a symptom than a cause, as several of these films predated the show. Andy Warhol’s Batman Dracula (1964) is the closest I could find to this movie, though it was likely quite different in style. It was also believed to be lost until after Warhol’s death, though sections later resurfaced. These adaptations seemed particularly popular in the Philippines. James Batman (Artemio Marquez, 1966) made us consider whether Batman liked his martinis shaken or stirred, while Alyas Batman at Robin (Paquito Toledo, 1965), apparently a more conventional superhero story, was released in the same period. It was a great time to be alive, in other words.
Did you know? Though lost films are often associated with the silent era, later films may be lost as well – particularly non-commercial films and international movies. Famous examples include some of Ed Wood’s later movies, several notable Indonesian films, and an early performance from Peter Finch.
The most detailed plot summary I could turn up was from Esquire Philippines. When a mad scientist revives Dracula, Batman and his love interest (the daughter of another scientist) team up to save the day, helped by Robin Ruben. Ultra-ray sunglasses are involved. No worries – Dracula is turned against his creators in the end, defeating the villain. Though all the stills I found were in black and white, multiple sources confirmed it was made in Eastmancolor. No running time was mentioned. The film was frequently described as both action and comedy. Other than that, few production details exist. A small selection of posters and stills give us some insight into the movie.
What happened to the prints, then? I found no record of any previous existence in an archive or cinema, though its recency, compared to most lost films, gives me hope that it is still out there. It was significant enough to attract media attention, as indicated by this (possibly misdated) review. There is no indication that it was destroyed by fire or another disaster. Nor do I think that this film was buried by copyright – there is no suggestion that DC Comics, or any other entity, pursued legal action against Diaz or the studio (though an intellectual property case would have been hard to enforce internationally at the time). It’s curious that it was lost at all. As Cinelinx notes, the lead actors were notable in the Philippines, so the film would likely have had some traction. Director Leony Diaz was also well-known for action movies. In a market flooded with Batman movies, could this film have simply been overlooked?
The movie’s disappearance has resulted in a grassroots effort, mostly by Batman and B-movie fans, to try to find a print. Comic Book Resources referred to it as “a Holy Grail…[of] lost Asian media”. You may have noticed that several of my sources are blogs and one-off articles, as opposed to a greater emphasis on books for Saved from the Titanic – and for good reason. As opposed to archivists or filmmakers, this search is very much fan-driven. Many of the resources I have used are posts from people who have themselves sought the movie, sometimes simply by browsing eBay or by attempting to track down cast and crew. One Reddit user chronicled every bit of information they could find, though they ultimately could not locate any potential prints.
As it turns out, we just can’t resist pairing up these two bat superstars. DC Comics would publish the Batman & Dracula graphic novel trilogy (1991-98), and The Batman vs. Dracula appeared on Cartoon Network in 2005. It’s not far-fetched to imagine that bat will continue to fight bat, especially with the current superhero trend. Here’s hoping that, with some luck and determined searching, we have another rediscovered piece to add to the roster.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.