Though film is not generally Andy Warhol's field of greatest fame, some see his
long and
storied history in film as "
where Warhol's supreme achievement lies". And then there are the two horror films from 1973:
Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (or
Flesh for Frankenstein) and
Andy Warhol's Dracula (or
Blood for Dracula). The two films were
filmed quickly and inexpensively in the Spring of 1973, using the
Roger Corman method of filming two movies at one location using the same actors to decrease costs.
Frankenstein was filmed first, using
Space-Vision 3-D. But filming 3D footage was
too expensive and time-consuming, so
Dracula was shot in standard 35mm film.
The films are a mix of tribute to and parody of Italian horror films. Both movies were shot in and around Rome, and edited at the
Cinecittà studios,which were opened by Mussolini in April 1937, and later the location for
Roman Holiday and
Ben Hur, amongst others. Despite the pedigree of the location, the content of the films were not the of the same sort, with gory effects in
Frankenstein including
innards [that] resemble lobster salad, an evocation that stresses the obvious expense of this production (NYTimes.com Bugmenot) and
Dracula receiving an X Rating from the MPAA due to its violent and sexual elements. Regardless, or because of this,
Both films were commercial successes by Factory standards in the United States, Europe, and, for the first time, Japan. These films would be the last two Factory films that
Paul Morrissey directed, and the last Factory films in which
Joe Dallesandro starred.
Morrissey first worked at
The Factory in
1965, sweeping the floor, a year prior to the making of
The Chelsea Girls. Morrissey went on to take over the directing, pushing Warhol's films in more commercial directions. After these films,
Morrissey continued to direct movies, though he stopped when it became harder to finance independent films.
Dallesandro, probably the guy(parts) on the cover of
Rolling Stone's Sticky Fingers, continued to have
acting roles, though
he now manages a hotel in the heart of Hollywood, where he lives with his cat Booky.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has given these films to the
Andy Warhol Museum.
Dracula clips
Movie teaser (1:29)
Intro to the film (8:33), dubbed in Spanish
Screen test (4:09), film director Paul Morrissey discusses his choices for cast members for the film
Frankenstein clips
German trailer (3:19), nudity and gore included
US trailer (1:18), with minor spoilers
Udo Kier (2:18), on censorship and
Frankenstein ("It's a comedy, everyone knows the blood is syrup")
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posted by Artw at 1:26 PM on May 21