When you think of Andy Warhol, the first image that comes to your mind would probably be one of his pop artworks but here's something not many know: Warhol was such a huge fan of Batman. He loved the DC Comics superhero so much that he decided to direct his own "Batman" film in 1964.
Warhol's black and white film never made a theatrical debut but it was screened as part of his exhibits.
Just to be clear, DC never authorized Warhol's "Batman" and much of the roughly one-hour film has been lost. However, cut-ups of the film have been recovered with the longest salvaged footage running a little over 20 minutes. Check it out for yourself below but be warned: it is campy and incredibly peculiar. You probably wouldn't understand a thing until you've seen it a few more times.
The title is "Batman Dracula" and it is Warhol's homage to DC's Batman series as well as the lord of darkness, Dracula. The script was written by Tyler Duncan and stars Jack Smith who took on the role of both Batman and Dracula.
"This movie is about batman having to face an overwhelming evil villain that is associated with his own fear and himself ... a classic thriller created by Andy Warhol who gave it a poetic justice about fear," Duncan writes.
Duncan's description of the plot is interesting since one of Dracula's most popular transformations is that of a bat and Bruce Wayne chose his alter ego as a way to conquer his fear of bats, which he developed as a child. Hence, the subject matter is fitting. Still, Warhol's presentation of the plot makes the work difficult to digest.
The avant-garde film was believed to have been lost, but clips of it were shown in the 2006 documentary, "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis."
