Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

A Masterpiece!

A lot of fun.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"Let the cartoooooooooooon begin!" Sorry, but for my generation William Marshall is best remembered as The King of Cartoons from Pee Wee's Playhouse, but little did I realize that he was originally the super cool vampire Prince Mamuwalde AKA Blacula! Marshall returns in this sequel that's surprisingly good. Having been vanquished at the end of the first film, Blacula is resurrected by a drug dealer who wants to use Blacula to exact his revenge. Blacula instead turns the dealer into part of a vampire army he commands for his own ends, part of which is securing Pam Grier, who hadn't broke out yet with "Coffy" which was released this same year. The vampires are creepy, the voodoo themed storyline is entertaining, and the film features a strong leads in Marshall and Grier. Overall, this is pretty silly blaxploitation film, but it's also quite entertaining in a camp sort of way. And look fast for Craig T. Nelson as a police sergeant.

This is very scary movie. It is sequel to B.l.a.c.u.l.a And it is awesome. It has great acting. It also has a great story line. It also has great special effects. If you like really scary movies. Then you need to see this movie. B.l.a.c.l.a is resurrected by a voodoo witch Doctor. This is one of the scariest movies ever made. Not a great title but don't judge it by that. This a great movie. Great movie great movie great movie. I so running out of this to say. The only people who would not like this movie are people who do not like horror movies. I people who did not see it and do not like title. William Marshall was a great actor. He know to be scary. This movie is a must see. Great Dracula spin off.

The one thing that I dislike about my video store is that is seems to have all the crappy sequels to the movies, but not the originals. If they did have the originals, then most likely they have been stolen, which really sucks. I went looking for the movie Blackula, and landed up with this piece of garbage.The plot is pathetic and simply stupid and the acting is annoying. Blackula was cursed by Dracula to live with his name (and it is supposed to be a horror, not a comedy). Some discontented voodoo guy, who was denied a good position in the cult, decides to get his revenge buy resurrecting Blackula, and then he goes on a killing rampage, only to be killed by the voodoo priestess who only minutes before was conducting a ritual to fix him up.Basically I thought that this movie was too long, too boring, and really to stupid to have really been made. Maybe the original is just as bad, but the thing with the original is that it is a black exploitation movie, this is simply a cheap rip off trying to capitalise on the original.

I actually liked this a bit more than the original Blacula. While that film was very fun and had some real pathos to it in William Marshall's performance, this one really does not have all the racial content(and intended stereotypical "humour") of the first film. As I watched the film I kept thinking how familiar it was...it should be as it was directed by Bob Kelljan who directed the Count Yorga films of the 70's. This film is very like those in style, mood, pace, and I wonder if the house in this movie was used in the Yorga films? Anyone? Anyway, we again have William Marshall as the victim of Count Dracula and cursed as Blacula. This time I think in Louisiana though setting really does not matter. The film opens with a groovy soundtrack(keeping with the times here) where we find an old voodoo woman die and the cult wants new leadership to fall to Pam Grier rather than her own spawn - Big Willis played by then newcomer Richard Lawson. So what does Big Willis do...bring back to life a force he does not understand as he is a complete idiot - a fun idiot - but an idiot nonetheless! He brings Blacula to life, has his neck bitten into, and then gives some great one-liners about how he never wants to go out again if, in his words, "a brutha can't see himself." Lawson does a good job. Then we get all kinds of people that wander up to this huge, dark mansion at the wee hours of the morn only to be chased and erased as human beings but soon to be badly decorated vampires by association. One of these early treats is a real treat for the eyes - Barbara Rhoades. She is just lovely though her time is short-lived. Well, Blacula goes to a party and finds voodoo priestess Pam Grier and her boyfriend and former cop Justin(Don Mitchell of Ironsides fame) and we have the ever urbane William Marshall chatting her up with his eyes and charm. Marshall plays this role with restrained gusto and a sophistication really not seen with most vampires. He utters his lines with particular articulation and is easily the best thing to see in this film(yes, that is with Rhoades, Grier, Lynne Moody, and many other beauties in the reckoning as well). Michael Conrad of Hill Stree Blues plays a detective and we get the inevitable meeting of many people being attacked by a horde of undead(like in The Return of Count Yorga). The movie has loads of style, atmosphere, fun moments like when Marshall is walking down a street at night and kills two pimps after warning them not to mess with them in his suave manner, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, and good, solid acting. It is cheesy fun to be sure. Heck, it is called Scream, Blacula, Scream. For what it is though it is done exceedingly well in my opinion. Where can you get vampirism, voodoo, a voodoo doll of Blacula(Dracula), great one-liners, creepy house with candles in seclusion, and a bevy of beauties even with the bad make-up jobs. The make-up in the film, on the minus side, is the most horrifying thing in the whole film. The soundtrack and titles are wonderful as well. I miss the 70's - indeed I do!