Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream

Director - William Crain (Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde)
Starring - William Marshall (Pee Wee's Playhouse), Vonetta McGree (Shaft in Africa), and Denise Nicholas (Ghost Dad)
Release Date - 1972
Genre - Horror/Blaxploitation
Tagline - "Deadlier than Dracula," "His bite was outta sight!" and "His habits...unspeakable.  His lust...insatiable.  His fate...unbearable"

Rating (out of 5):

     Everyone and their mother has heard of Blacula but very few people actually sat down to watch it.  The popularity of the film is only derived from the title alone.  An all black "modern" rendition of Dracula, atleast that is what the general public thinks it is, is the kind of film that goes unwatched by the general public.  When visiting FYE I found Blacula, and the sequel Scream, Blacula, Scream, for $8 and decided to pick it up.  I'll be honest, if the dvd was not there when I was visiting and was not that cheap I don't think I would have ever watched it.

     Blacula is the story of an eighteenth-century African Prince named Mamuwalde (Marshall) who travels to Transylvania with his wife to speak with Count Dracula.  They travel to Transylvania to speak with Count Dracula and try to end the slave trade between Count Dracula and the rest of the world so his people can be freed.  Count Dracula does not see things the same way Mamuwalde does.  This pisses the arrogant prince off and Dracula curses him and lays his name upon him.  He bites Mamuwalde and locks him in a coffin where he names him Blacula and keeps his wife as a slave until she dies.  Two centuries later two gay decorators acquire the coffin Blacula is locked in as a decorative peace.  While trying to open it one of them scratches his arm and the other rushes to his rescue unaware of the giant black vampire rising from the coffin.  The two fall prey to his centuries old hunger.  While attending the funeral for one of the dead homosexuals, a doctor looks over the body and finds the two puncture wounds on his neck and is intrigued.  Also attending the funeral is Tina who is the reincarnation of Mamuwalde's wife two centuries prior.  Blacula still loves his wife and will stop at nothing to make her his, however, as the bodies start to pile up the doctor figures out hes a vampire.  Can Blacula get his bride before the meddling doctor and the city police stop him?  Tune in next week for a...never mind. 
     I like blaxploitation films but I didn't think I would enjoy the mash up with horror.  I did but it just didn't have the elements that I really enjoy when I watch a blaxploitation flick.  I liked the story line.  It is miss leading when you think of the title.  I assumed it was an all black version of Dracula, similar to Vampire in Brooklyn, however it is not.  It has its very own story, which threw me off, but it is very solid story non the less.  The acting is very well done and very believable.  What I didn't like was the effects, which are lacking in this film.  The vampires are grey skinned and their fangs look like candy corn that have been painted white.  Better effects would have made the film a lot better.  The transformation into the bat was the only thing visually stunning seen throughout this entire film.  In my opinion this movie should be watched at least once but there is no replay value.

Director - Bob Kelljan (Count Yorga, Vampire)

Starring - William Marshall (Star Trek), Don Mitchell (CHiPS), and Pam Grier (Bones)

Release Date - 1973

Genre - Horror/Blaxploitation

Tagline - "The black prince of shadows stalks the Earth again" 

     

Rating (out of 5):

      I knew about the first film but it was not until I purchased the dvd double feature that I found out there was a sequel to Blacula.  I was also surprised when I saw Pam Grier starred in this one.  I knew she was famous for her 70's blaxploitation films but I had no idea she did horror hybrids.

     This time around the film follows Lisa (Grier) as she mourns the passing of her mentor and Voodoo Queen.  The Voodoo Queen did not choose an heir before passing leaving the position open for someone to be voted in.  The people attending the ceremony declared their support for Lisa instead of the Voodoo Queen's legitimate son, Willis.  Willis becomes enraged and visits the local shaman for a way to punish Lisa.  The shaman gives Willis the bones of...you guessed it, Blacula.  In a voodoo ritual, Willis foolishly resurrects Blacula and is bitten.  Blacula then slowly turns the local community into blood sucking fiends while falling in love with Lisa.  A former cop, turned African antiquities collector, starts suspecting that a vampire is behind the disappearances and murders and aids the cops in finding the fanged man responsible for them.  While Lisa is performing a ritual to rid Mamuwalde of the vampire curse, the ex-cop and the L.A.P.D. bust into Blacula's home where a vampire vs cop brawl occurs.  The ex-cop interrupts the ritual before Blacula is rid of the curse.  The ex-cop then talks sense into Lisa and she destroys Blacula by using a voodoo doll.

     I actually liked this film a little bit more than I did the first one.   I really enjoyed the story for this one a little bit more.  The whole voodoo aspect is very interesting and a bit different when applied to a vampire flick.  The acting is also better than the first film.  This flick has some serious star power behind it.  However, the effects are the same as the first film with the grey skinned vampires and horrible vampire fangs.  These flaws are nothing compared to the annoying tribal drums that play for 10 to 15 minutes in one of the scenes.  I had to fast forward it through all that bullshit because it was giving me and my wife a headache.  Overall, this movie deserves a watch, and just like the first film, does not have much for replay value.