Before Shore Leave I purchased through eBay a DVD of Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, a 1966 film that was exactly what the title suggests–Dracula, the great vampire lord and prince of darkness, travels to the Old West and comes into conflict with the notorious outlaw, Billy the Kid. I suspected the DVD would be a cheap DVD-R knockoff, and so when it finally arrived in the mail this week and the artwork was clearly the product of a good inkjet printer and the underside of the DVD had that telltale blue color I wasn’t surprised.
The movie wasn’t great, as you’d expect, but it was goofy fun. There’s a set-piece when an Indian war party attacks a stagecoach, and the way it plays out, the way it’s shot is unintentionally hilarious, at least from a 2006 standpoint. The acting isn’t terrible, and the music sounds remarkably like the music from Star Trek‘s pilot, “The Cage,” crossed with a western. If this is the kind of thing you’d like–unintentional humor, every Western cliche you can imagine, and an off-the-wall concept–then Billy the Kid vs. Dracula isn’t a total loss. Now I’m curious about its companion piece, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter.
But Billy the Kid vs. Dracula isn’t what I’m here to write about.
Instead, yesterday eBay sent me an e-mail. They were cancelling the auction as they’ve banned the seller.
Isn’t this a little late? The auction ended three weeks ago. I’ve had the DVD for a few days now. Cancelling the auction now, banning the seller now, what’s the point in telling me as this action has no effect upon me? Yes, I freely admit that the seller was selling something he shouldn’t have been selling, but why should I care what actions eBay takes now?
Well, it doesn’t matter. I have my goofy Dracula movie. eBay has taken their stance against online video piracy. Everyone comes away a winner.