BLACULA
(1972)Director: William Crain
MGM
BLACULA
(1972)In the early 70s, the film
that was responsible for fusing the horror and blaxploitation genres to box
office success was BLACULA. Reinventing the most famous horror legend with a
black actor in the lead role was a clever idea at the time, and casting William
Marshall, a distinguished Shakespearean actor with an unequaled deep voice,
proved a definitive choice. BLACULA was a big hit for AIP and acquainted urban
cinema to the Famous Monsters kids, and spawned a sequel the following
year. MGM has just released both BLACULA films on DVD, giving them the pristine
home video transfers they so richly deserved for too long.
Before the opening credits, African Prince Mamuwalde (Marshall) and his beautiful wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) are guests at the castle of a racist Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay). Manuwalde's attempts to abolish the slave trade are fruitless, as Dracula makes a rude comment and decides to enslave his dinner guests. With the help of some henchmen and a bunch of vampire brides who like extras from Andy Milligan's THE BODY BENEATH, Drac puts the bite on Manuwalde, deems him "Blacula" and seals him in a casket while Luva is walled up alive in his company.
Flash
forward to the 1970s, and an interracial homosexual couple of interior decorators
purchase goods from Castle Dracula, including Mamuwalde's coffin. The coffin
is brought to LA (utilizing footage from COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE) and Blacula is
unleashed to feed upon the modern world, starting with the gay decorators. Through
circumstance, he meets and falls in love with a woman named Tina (McGee) who
resembles his late wife, while Tina's sister (Denise Nicholas) and her police
doctor boyfriend (Thalmus Rasulala) play vampire hunter with a skeptical white
lieutenant (Gordon Pinset). Blacula's bite has caused an epidemic of vampirism
(inspiring a wild sequence where the police torch rabid vamps in a hidden warehouse),
but his only reason for existing is to spend eternity with Tina, the rei
ncarnation
of his beloved Luva.
William Marshall is one of the great screen vampires, and he adds class, fright and a touch of humor to his role. Blacula is a bloodthirsty monster one minute, and a love-sicken tormented being the next (extra facial hair and trademark fangs are added when Blacula is in his monstrous phase). There are some amusing cameos by singer Kitty Lester (who also partakes in one of the scariest bits), veteran Elisha Cook Jr. (with a hook hand!), and the singing trio of The Hues Corporation, who give us some funky entertainment at a night club where even Blacula frequents. BLACULA is not only one of the most significant drive-in films of the 70s, it's also a vampire classic that ranks with the best of them.
The
following year brought us the sequel--SCREAM BLACULA, SCREAM--again starring
Marshall as Mamuwalde/Blacula. This time, the direction was handed over to Bob
Kelljan, who seemed a natural, having previously handled the similar COUNT YORGA
VAMPIRE and THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA. Though arguably not as good as the first,
Kelljan adds his own touches of creepiness and humor to this one, and Marshall
delivers an even more fierce and ruthless vampire king (this time he even has
red lining in his cape).
Here, an obnoxious voodoo priest named Willis (Richard Lawson) conjures up Blacula using the dead vampire's bones and some fresh chicken blood. His intention is to get revenge on the ritualistic group that voted him out, but in turn, Blacula makes the poor soul his servant. This leads him to meet Lisa (Pam Grier), Willis' rival and voodoo expert. Blacula becomes fixated on her since he believes she can free him of his curse. In the meantime, he puts the bite on various party-going nubiles and hustling street pimps (whom he lectures on the dangers of "kicking his ass"), causing Lisa's African art dealer/ex-cop boyfriend (Don Mitchell of "Ironside" fame) and the no-nonsense Sheriff Dunlop (Michael Conrad of "Hill Street Blues" fame) to consider the possibilities of a modern bloodsucker stalking the city streets.
Marshall
is again excellent as Blacula, this time not motivated by love but by the idea
of ending his curse once and for all. He has a horde of pasty vampires at his
command, and the climatic vampires vs. police fiasco set in a dark mansion is
a highlight. Lot of scenes stick out, including a vampire woman rising from
her coffin as Grier's unsuspecting character watches in shock, Blacula's and
Willis' vampiric assault on gorgeous Barbara Rhodes who screams at the top of
her lungs, and Blacula's bloody attack on a woman who can't see him creeping
up through the reflection of her mirror. Although also animated in the first
film, Blacula's transformation into a bat here seems more a tribute to Bela
Lugosi in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Grier is good, but doesn't
have all that much to do (AIP certainly exploited her recent COFFY success in
the theatrical trailer) and things get a little silly at the sight of a Blacula
voodoo doll. Still, this is fun drive-in monster mayhem, so turn the lights
down low and enjoy.
MGM has released BLACULA and SCREAM BLACULA, SCREAM separately on DVD as part of their "Soul Cinema" collection. For the first time on home video, both titles are presented anamophically in their original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratios. The image on both films looks quite nice, and colors are fairly striking. BLACULA looks a bit better than its sequel, which suffers from grain and poor definition during some of the darker scenes (likely due to inferior lighting), but overall, these films have never looked better. The mono audio on both is fine, with a bit of scratchiness heard at times on SCREAM. The only extras on both are the original trailers. BLACULA is most memorable with narrator Adolph Caesar exclaiming, "Blacula, Dracula's Soul Brother!" (George R. Reis)