The Batman vs. Dracula

***The Batman vs. Dracula*** is a 2005 direct-to-video animated movie based on *The Batman*. It has a much darker tone than the show, and features Vicky Vale. The movie was released to DVD on October 18, 2005 and made its television debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on October 15, 2005.

## The Batman vs. Dracula

### Premiere date

October 18, 2005 (DVD)October 22, 2005 (TV)

## Synopsis

Gotham City is terrorized not only by Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night, Dracula. Batman must stop the ruthless vampire before he turns everyone in the city into his mindless minions.

## Plot

At Arkham Asylum, during a bingo game, the Penguin is told by another prisoner that a large amount of money is hidden in Gotham Cemetery, in a crypt behind a tombstone with a cross. After the prisoner mentions he told Joker, an alarm sounds and a guard yells that the Joker has escaped. Penguin uses an opportunity created by the confusion to break out as well.

Penguin meets up with Joker on his way to the graveyard, and they strike a deal - but Joker loses no time in double-crossing Penguin and knocking him out with an electrified Joy Buzzer. As Penguin watches, he sees the Batman following Joker, and smirks.

Penguin reaches the graveyard, but it turns out that many of the tombstones have crosses. Meanwhile, the Batman and Joker fight, ending in Joker's apparent death, falling in water and being electrocuted by his own Joy Buzzers.

While in the graveyard, Penguin finds a crypt and cuts loose a suspended coffin. In the process, he cuts his hand on the blade of his umbrella and the blood drips onto the corpse's heart inside. As Penguin leaves the crypt, the corpse reanimates and gains new flesh and organs.

Penguin hears the corpse and sees Dracula rise. He runs, trying to escape, but Dracula follows the scent and trail of blood from Penguin's cut. Dracula finds the night watchman and drains his blood. Penguin is surprised when he sees the watchman become a vampire, protesting that a dead man can't do that. Dracula replies that he is in fact undead.

Dracula hypnotizes Penguin into becoming his servant to show him Gotham so he can feed. Dracula notes that Transylvania has changed, and is informed by Penguin that he is actually in Gotham City. Dracula concludes that he has been moved since his death. In a flashback, a group of angry people, led by a well-dressed and seemingly very educated man, march upon the castle Dracula. The leader drives the stake through Dracula's heart in order to finally destroy him. However, the leader knows that he has merely incapacitated the vampire, paralyzing him in a deathlike state. Soon, he arranged the vampire's body to be transferred out of Transylvania, buried in America, on land that would eventually become Gotham City.

Bruce has an interview with Vicky Vale at a restaurant. On his return to Wayne Manor, he tells Alfred that he invited her to the corporate dinner and a dinner on Saturday.

As the Batman patrols the city, a woman is robbed, but when the crook is stopped before the Batman can arrive, he decides he's not needed. However, upon hearing the woman scream again, he sees that the night watchman is a vampire. The crook and the woman have also become vampires. The Batman fights them, but is unable to defeat them and forces them to retreat. Penguin then wakes up Dracula, who now looks more human, having fed on some people, with plans to turn Gotham into a city of vampires, with him as their king. But who shall be his Queen?

Batman does not believe what he has seen, but knows something is wrong. At the party Bruce meets Dracula under the name of "Dr. Alucard". Dracula takes an interest in Vicky Vale and says he is studying the Batman. A waiter comes by with a tray of beef steak tartare, which Dracula marvels at before eating, much to Vicky's disgust. When a waitress comes by with a tray of garlic shrimp, the Count is noticeably disturbed. Bruce notices this and offers him some, saying that it tastes great and "really packs a punch", but Dracula hypnotizes him and leaves. A moment later the hypnotized Bruce leaves Vicky and wanders over to the balcony, where Dracula is waiting to bite him. However, just before Dracula is to bite his victim, Alfred arrives, prompting Dracula to disappear and Bruce to snap out of the trance. Dracula meanwhile feeds on Stipes. Alfred discovers Stipes is a vampire and narrowly avoids being attacked. Bruce meanwhile deduces "Alucard"'s true identity: Dracula.

After an intensive research with Alfred in the Batcave, Batman begins to realize that many of Dracula's legends were true events. Also realizing that Gotham citizens' disappearances are because of Dracula, he and Alfred realize that the vampires' number will grow exponentially into an army in a matter of weeks. Rather than killing the vampires, Bruce decides to find a way to revert Dracula's victims to normal again, since vampirism seems to be transmitted as a disease despite its roots in the supernatural, and normally there's a chance to treat it. Bruce and Alfred head toward the manor's library for its collection of medical textbooks and research belonging to Bruce's father himself, Dr. Thomas Wayne. Vicky is seen doing research on Bruce,until she gets a call. Next morning, Vicky talks to a bum on the news, who is definite he saw the shadow of a bat, causing Gotham PD to suspect that the perpetrator is none other than the Batman. Meanwhile, in Dracula's lair below the graveyard, Dracula watches a freeze frame of Vicky and says to himself "*Even her name possesses a mysterious allure...Vale...I think it's time we seek my bride.*".

As Batman traces the city's number of disappearances, he discovers that the first attack occurred at Gotham Cemetery, where a watchman has disappeared. After realizing that vampirism is plaguing the city, Alfred not only arms the mansion with relics and herbs known to ward off the creatures, but also Batman's own arsenal as well. At night, while investigating at the cemetery, the Gotham PD SWAT unit members are also at the scene. As he escapes, the police members are taken by Dracula and transformed into vampires. Batman encounters Dracula on a rooftop. Dracula, admittedly admiring the Dark Knight, commenting that his legend has been influential, offers him a chance of heightened senses, speed, strength and immortality. Batman understands what this offer would really mean to him and refuses, and tries to fight, but is unable to defeat him and is severely injured. Fortunately, Dracula retreats when the sun rises, but not before Dracula promises to the Dark Knight that "*maggots will feed upon his flesh*" because of the rejection. Bruce wakes up later on in his bed after having a nightmare in which he sees his parents killed after they finished watching the movie The Cloaked Rider and sees the Batman as a vampire. The young billionaire wakes up, in fear of his own persona as the Batman and Dracula's evil.

Joker shows up at the graveyard after a fisherman took him to a boat and demands his share from Penguin. He chases Penguin into the crypt where he opens Dracula's coffin and is attacked. Later, in a blood bank, a nurse is attacked and the Batman finds Joker feasting on the blood from the numerous vials on the shelves; he humorously comments that the blood has a delicious flavor of "*a bold finish of wild cherries with a hint of oak*". The two fight until they knock over the shelves. While Joker is distracted drinking blood raining down from a collapsed set of shelves, the Batman hits him with garlic bombs.

Batman takes him inside the Batcave and gets to work curing vampirism, which the computer identifies as a form of virus infecting a host's cellular structure, and also works on obtaining the whereabouts of the Prince of Darkness from the Clown Prince of Crime. Despite his hatred toward the vampire lord, the Joker is unable to reveal his location because the vampire has completely taken control of his will, as the Joker is now his vessel because of what happened at Gotham Cemetery. Vicky knocks at the manor, and Alfred opens, telling her Bruce is late. They have a discussion on how the death of Bruce's parents affected him, and she realises that Bruce won't come. Batman then hands a handful of his blood to Joker to satisfy his hunger. Batman finally finds a cure and mixes it with a sample of his blood,then hands it to Joker. When he drinks it,his vampirism is gone. Batman asks him where Dracula is, to which he responds "I'm lookin' at him". Joker forgot all events of being a vampire, and only recalls to the moment he went to the cemetery, accidentally revealing Dracula's location. Unfortunately, as the Dark Knight works toward discovering the cure and locating Dracula and his victims, he ignores the call from Vicky who is at a train station where she meets Dracula. He finishes work on the cure in the form of a vaccine. Batman then proceeds to mass-produce the vaccine and plan his attack. Alfred recommends waiting until morning to have a greater advantage. Bruce calls Vicky, but with no answer. He realises Dracula got Vicky, so he suits up.

Inside the crypt Dracula takes the ashes of his former bride, Carmilla, who was killed when exposed to the sun as she was also a vampire, and places them on a slab suspended above Vicky, who is in a coffin and under a spell. He then begins to use her soul to resurrect her, implying that she is one of the only vampires that feeds on souls as well as blood.

The Batman enters the crypt at Gotham Cemetery, and discovers a catacomb underneath it, which explains how Dracula was able to bypass the Christian relics above it. During the Dark Knight's attack, Batman cures all the vampires with the vaccine. Batman is about to fire a projectile carrying the last vial of the vaccine to the vampire lord when Dracula hypnotizes the Dark Knight and makes him unable to fire and destroy him. After hearing Dracula mockingly laugh at him, and remembering the childhood tragedy that inspired him to become Batman, the Dark Knight willfully breaks free of the vampire lord's control. He then attacks Carmilla, restores Vicky's soul, rescues Vicky and fights with Dracula. Batman learns that the caves lead to the Batcave and uses explosives to delay Dracula and enter the Batcave. He is beaten, however, and Dracula plans to kill him rather than turn him into a vampire, proclaiming in relation to the Batcave, "Impressive dwelling... It shall be your tomb!"

Alfred stabs a vial of the vaccine into Dracula but it does not work, as Dracula is the original - "evil incarnate". Batman then activates a device from Wayne Industries that can store and emit sunlight as well as turn it into solar energy. Dracula realizes too late that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Batman uses a grapple hook to fly up away from the sunlight, which then sets Dracula on fire, and Batman finishes him off with a punch, leaving only a skull with fangs. Alfred proceeds to sweep his remains into the dustbin.

In the meantime, Penguin goes after Vicky and chases her through the cemetery. After finding her in a crypt, he is just about to catch her when he is freed from his hypnosis and finally discovers the treasure that caused all the trouble in the first place. He is overjoyed, but is then caught by police. News reporters state that the people were under Penguin's control, and Penguin keeps saying they were vampires as he is taken away. Vicky sees the Batman, who arrives to check on the victims, and smiles, knowing he saved the city.

The Batman swings proudly throughout the city, knowing that he has just defeated an ultimate evil, and resumes his patrol, ready to defend Gotham against any others that might threaten its safety.

## Cast/Characters

* Rino Romano as Bruce Wayne / The Batman
* Peter Stormare as Count Dracula
* Tara Strong as Vicky Vale
* Tom Kenny as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
* Kevin Michael Richardson as The Joker
* Alastair Duncan as Alfred Pennyworth
* Ventriloquist (cameo)
* Stipes
* Mrs. Vintrup (cameo)
* McCue (cameo)
* Duncan (cameo)
* Pat Foley
* Thomas Wayne (photo and flashback)
* Martha Wayne (photo and flashback)
* Carmilla Karnstein
* Calendar Man
* Victor Zsasz
* Abraham Van Helsing (flashback)

Additional voices were provided by Jeff Bennett, Richard Green, Neil Ross and James Sie.

## Events

- Character debuts:

* Dracula
* Vicky Vale
* Stipes
* Pat Foley
* Carmilla Karnstein
* Calendar Man
* Victor Zsasz
* Abraham Van Helsing

- Dracula is resurrected,and eventually dies again. He also discovered Batman's identity.

- A bit of the Wayne family murder is shown in Bruce's dream.

## Trivia

* The film is stand-alone, and it could take place anywhere in the series (especially given that Yin, Ethan, Rojas, Gordon, Batgirl and the Batsignal aren't in the movie), although the most possible settings are as follows:
	+ The Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) made a cameo at the beginning of the film during a bingo game at Arkham Asylum.
		- This movie might have took place after *A Fistful of Felt* which it was aired a week before the film was released. This is the one of the few times Arnold appeared in this series without Scarface (besides the end of *The Big Dummy*) due to the fact that he and Mr. Snoots were crushed to pieces together by Chu-Chu Chucky near the end of the episode. Therefore, this movie takes place before *RPM.*
	+ Given that Batgirl and Detective Yin aren't in the movie, this probably takes place in between the second and third seasons of The Batman.
	+ It is certainly before the introduction of the new Batmobile in season 3, and likely before Batman's relationship with the police becomes normalized with the introduction of the Batsignal in the season 2 finale, due to the cops being ruthless towards him. It's obviously after Joker and Penguin's debut episodes, and possibly after *The Big Dummy* where Bruce dabbles in online dating due to his more serious relationship with Vicky, and the fact that Wesker is without Scarface. And seeing that Joker is wearing his suit rather than the straitjacket, it takes place after *Topsy Turvy*. Overall it would take place between season 1 and season 2.
* The film however cannot take place *RPM* onwards. Due to said episode having the original Batmobile (the one in the movie) destroyed. And the later seasons feature Batman with a squared chin, unlike S1-3 and the movie, which feature him with a pointed chin, and given the fact that the final seasons have Dracula's skull in the trophy room,taking place after the film.
* A sequel titled *The Batman vs. Hush* that featured Hush as the main villain along with the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, and Clayface was planned for a long time. However, the film ended up being scrapped. Before its cancellation, producer Alan Burnett had hopes of making one or two more DTV movies based on *The Batman*.
	+ Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill tweeted a message saying that they will love to make a *Batman: Hush* animated film and in 2019, a movie based on Batman: Hush was made.
* This film is quite similar to *Batman Mask of The Phantasm* where someone blamed Batman for all the trouble in Gotham City, and that a creature similar to Batman begins to attack Gotham citizens, with the similarity to Batman being used for the GCPD to bring out the entire SWAT force against him, a chase scene where Batman and the figure have a brief battle, and ends with his love interest figuring out his secret identity.
* *The Batman Strikes! #15* is a prequel to the film.
	+ This moody tale, which guest stars the Penguin, serves as a companion piece to *The Batman vs. Dracula*, and introduces Count Dracula into Gotham City. Even though the Penguin is under Dracula's control, this does not keep him from tending to his own business. He exploits the missing Gothamites/the Lost Ones by kidnapping citizens and holding them for ransom. He is aided by the Kabuki Twins. As the issue comes to a close, Batman is about to apprehend the Penguin when he is rescued by Dracula. Dracula does not appreciate the exploitation of his activity and makes sure to keep the Penguin on a tighter leash.
* It's worth noting that the police send a SWAT team after Batman, for **abduction** charges; when *real* villains like Joker and Penguin only get a few cars sent after them.
	+ The cops are incompetent:
		- They attempt to outright kill Batman, who hasn't murdered anyone; just for pinning him for the abduction of the Lost Ones. Completely ignoring Penguin is still on the loose and could easily have someone dress up as Batman.
		- They just switch to blaming Penguin since he was with the cured Lost Ones, even when Vicky can back up Penguin's claim of vampiresm.
* It's noted all the Lost Ones were never reported as house abductions; meaning vampires needed invitation to enter private residences. Dracula entering the party at Wayne Manor isn't an oversight; public gatherings like parties are *open invitation*.
* Dracula's Castle, featured in the opening titles and through flashbacks, bears an uncanny resemblance to the castle Dracula calls home throughout the *Castlevania* television and video game series.
* One of Batman's earliest villains was a vampire called The Monk, who also targeted Bruce's love interest of that time (Julie Madison).
* Dracula introducing himself as "Alucard" ("Dracula" spelled backwards) was also used by Lon Chaney, Jr. in the title role in *Son of Dracula**.*
* The movie included elements from *Elseworlds* tale *Batman & Dracula: Red Rain*, such as Dracula and his minions' vampiric designs and a Vampire Batman (who appears in Bruce's nightmare). A bat crashes through the window (which serves as Bruce's inspiration to be Batman), only the bat lies dead in Bruce's nightmare.
* This animated film was released in 2005, the same year of the live action film *Batman Begins*.
* The way Dracula is resurrected (Penguin accidentally cutting himself and his blood dripping onto the skeleton of Dracula), might be a reference to Dracula: Prince of Darkness, in which Christopher Lee's Dracula is resurrected when blood is dripped onto his skeleton, albeit a much larger amount of blood.
	+ Dracula also refers to himself as "the prince of darkness".
* Like in Tim Burton's *Batman (1989)*, Vicky's the love interest, she displays a growing mutual attraction with Bruce, the villain takes an interest in her, and she also figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
	+ It's hinted that Vicky knows Bruce is Batman, while she and Alfred discuss about what kind of affect his parents' death had on him.
* Joker's line of "This time, I'm out for blood, Batsy." foreshadows him becoming a vampire.
* This movie is featured in *Vampire Reviews*.
* The Penguin cries out, "Here's Ozzie!" as he goes after Vicky Vale. This references Jack Torrance's similar, "Here's Johnny!" from *The Shining.*
* The Penguin says "Show me the money" when looking in the graveyard and the Joker says, "Batman, you complete me" in an unrelated scene later in the movie,referencing *Jerry Maguire*.
* Although unnamed, the man who stakes Dracula in the flashback is most likely Prof. Abraham Van Helsing. He even has a resemblance to Peter Cushing with the addition of a mustache.
* The people of Gotham assuming Penguin framed Batman for the disappearances at the end of the film is a clear reference to *Batman Returns*, when he and Catwoman tried to do the same thing.
* Joker gets a taste of his own medicine from the Joy Buzzers, leading to his "death" by electrocution, just like in the censored cut of *Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker*.
* This is one of the few times where blood is used in the series.
* Despite the similarities in story,the man that told Penguin about the treasure is not Warren White (a.k.a Great White Shark). His design was based on a crew member.
* Thomas Perkins confirmed that both Calendar Man and Victor Zsasz were inmates at the opening scene.
* One of the inmates at Arkham happens to somewhat look like Lunkhead. Character designer Thomas Perkins stated that it was not intended to be him,although "it could work".
* One of the attendants at Bruce's party looks like Ellen Yin. Thomas Perkins confirmed it is a coincidence she looks like her,as it is a reused model.
* Penguin's mugshot looks like it pronounces "fishes".
* The person that looks like Glen Murakami makes yet another cameo.

Lunkhead-looking guyMugshot.Yin look-alike.Glen.
* Joker being thrown and grabbing a piece of what he was thrown on is similar to Batman's and Joker's final fight in *Batman: Arkham Origins*.
* Alfred says "This time,I'm out for blood",just like Joker.
* This movie does not feature the bat-transition.
	+ It is technically the first episode in *The Batman* to do so.
* The Batboat makes a brief appearance when Joker is taken to the Batcave.
* This is one of the few times in the series where guns are fired.
* This is one of the few times in the series where the word "die" is used.
* The tone of the movie is much darker than the show. It was also given a higher rating,having a PG rating instead of the show's Y7/Y7-FV rating.

## Errors

* Throughout the encounters with the "Lost Ones" and Dr. Alucard, it's made clear that vampires cast no image on reflective surfaces. However, when Vampire-Joker encounters Batman in the Blood Bank, Joker's menacing face casts a reflection in the containment beakers from behind a shelf in a POV shot.
	+ It could be due to Joker's vampirism being a special case.
* At the end, when the return of the 'Lost Ones' is being covered on the news, the police cars switch between shots from having 1 flashing light on the roof to 2.
* When Batman and Dracula first meet and fight, dawn/daybreak is less than an hour away, and yet the low moon is full rather than a crescent.
* It has been established that vampires cannot enter a home unless invited. Yet Dracula goes to Bruce Wayne's party (entering the house in mist form) without an invitation.
	+ However,Dracula entering the party at Wayne Manor isn't an oversight; public gatherings like parties are *open invitation*.
* There are 3 of the blond guy at the party.
* When Alfred fires a vial at Dracula,for one brief frame, there are two of it, one flying and the other in place.
* After Dracula is destroyed, Alfred says he'll sweep the skull to the bin, however the skull is later seen at the Batcave's trophy room.
* The credits write Neil Ross as Neal Ross.Vial error.Neil Ross error.

## Prior Batman/Dracula crossovers

* In the *Elseworlds* comic book *Batman & Dracula: Red Rain* by Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, and Malcolm Jones III, Batman encounters Dracula and becomes a vampire to defeat him.
* Batman fought Dracula in the 1964 film *Batman Dracula* and in the 1967 film *Batman Fights Dracula*. However, neither of these movies was authorized by DC Comics.
* An early *Batman* villain, the Monk, was a vampire character who debuted in 1939.
* Batman fought against the vampire Gustav Decobra in *Detective Comics* #455 (January 1976)

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130516025304/http://www.legionsofgotham.org/TOONSthebatmanBTSpreprodHush.html
2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070128033428/http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/thebatman/?x=backstage/interviews/burnett

### Thomas Perkins

1. ↑ File:Warren.PNG
2. ↑ File:Zsasz and calendarman.PNG
3. ↑ File:CalendarManproof1.jpg
4. ↑ File:CalendarManproof2.jpg
5. ↑ File:Zsaszproof1.jpg
6. ↑ File:Lunkhead.PNG
7. ↑ File:Zsasz and Yin.PNG