Review: Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula DVD

STUDIO: Indican | DIRECTOR: Timothy Friend | CAST: Tiffany Shepis, Trent Haaga, Allen Lowman, Russell Friend, Anita Cordell
RELEASE DATE: 4/26/11 | PRICE: DVD $24.99, Blu-ray $29.99
BONUSES: cast and crew commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, Loveless viral video
SPECS: NR | 93 min. | Horror crime thriller | 2.35:1 widescreen | 5.1 stereo |

RATINGS (out of 5): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

Tiffany Shepis means business in Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula

Maybe Bonnie and Clyde MEET Dracula With A Half-Hour To Go would have been a more accurate title for this no-budget 2008 straight-to-DVD movie, which stars Trent Haaga and scream queen Tiffany Shepis (Night of the Demons) as the well-known Depression-era outlaws and Russell Friend as the Prince of Darkness. The characters never really clash, though, which is sorta frustrating, particularly given the film’s name. Hell, even Frankenstein’s monster and the Wolf Man fought each back in 1943, and their shared billing was entitled Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.

There are two parallel stories going on in this horror-gangster hybrid film (which is pretty ambitious even if it is unwanted): There’s Bonnie and Clyde on the run from the law as they commit a robbery or two, and then there’s the loony Dr. Loveless (Allen Lowman) and his even nuttier sister (Jennifer Friend), who have found Dracula’s remains and hope to revive him for some immoral purpose. B&C don’t find their way to Drac’s castle until the final third of the movie.

The gangster parts are routine, but far more entertaining than the Loveless/Dracula scenes (Drac actually doesn’t have much to do until the end), though the latter does score points for general weirdness.

Fans of the ubiquitous Tiffany Shepis will probably enjoy Bonnie and Clyde Vs. Dracula the most. Putting on a deliciously trashy Southern drawl and nicely filling out some period dresses, Ms. Shepis goes to town as Bonnie, firing off shotguns, putting moves on horny marks, gurgling blood as a vampire in the final third and delivering a full frontal flash for her fans.

In one part of the film, Tiffany’s Bonnie furiously slashes two rednecks’ throats with a straight-edge razor and then, splattered with blood and still overheated, pleads with Clyde to give her “one more poke.” It’s a great, quick moment that reminds me why I love Tiffany Shepis movies.

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