Blacula (1 & 2)

BLACULA (18)

D: William Crain

American International Pictures / Power (Joseph T. Naar)

US 🇺🇸 1972

93 mins

Horror

W: Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig & Richard Glouner

DP: John M. Stephens

Ed: Allan Jacobs

Mus: Gene Page

William Marshall (Mamuwalde / Blacula), Denise Nicholas (Michelle Williams), Vonetta McGee (Tina Williams / Luva), Gordon Pinsent (Lt. Jack Peters), Thalmus Rasulala (Dr. Gordon Thomas), Emily Yancy (Nancy)

Possibly the most famous and well known of the blaxploitation films that were released throughout the 1970s, taking inspiration from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and relocating the macabre tale to 1972 Los Angeles.

William Marshall plays the title role, once an 18th century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is transformed into a vampire by Count Dracula, when he requests help suppressing the slave trade.

Resurrected in 1970’s California, he becomes infatuated with a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his former wife and takes steps to seduce her, whilst also quenching his thirst for blood on the gritty Los Angeles streets.

I’m not going to suggest that Blacula is a fantastic film, but it does manage to be quite a lot of fun, mostly due to the enigmatic performance of William Marshall, whose theatrically camp portrayal stands out against the rest of the cast playing it relatively straight.

It’s clear to see that it was made on a small budget, which also gives it a lot of gritty surrealism, and it went on to become one of the biggest successes of the year when it was released in 1972.

6/10

SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM (18)

D: Bob Kelljan

American International Pictures / Power (Joseph T. Naar)

US 🇺🇸 1973

96 mins

Horror

W: Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig & Maurice Jules

DP: Isidore Mankofsky

Ed: Fabian D. Torjmann 

Mus: Bill Marx

William Marshall (Mamuwalde / Blacula), Don Mitchell (Justin Carter), Pam Grier (Lisa Fortier), Michael Conrad (Lt. Harley Dunlop), Janee Michelle (Gloria)

Blacula is resurrected by voodoo black magic in this sequel to the 1972 blaxploitation classic, though this follow up is nowhere near as fun, and looks as though the production budget was even cheaper.

William Marshall is still a standout as the title character, but the premise is far weaker and it’s quite clear that it was rushed into cinemas as a cash grab, since it was released barely a year after the first film.

Perhaps I made a mistake of watching this as part of a double bill with the first film, where the novelty had worn off.

4/10