ThiefHott Too much of everything

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

BA_Harrison 1780: African prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) and his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) visit Count Dracula to enlist his help in the fight against slavery. When Dracula reveals that he is not only in favour of slavery, but wants to buy lovely Luva for himself, Mamuwalde and his wife try to leave but are restrained by the Count's men. Enraged, the vampire bites Mamuwalde, and locks him in a coffin, entombing Blacula (as Dracula names him) and Luva in a crypt.Present day: two hilariously camp antiques dealers buy the contents of Dracula's castle, including the coffin containing Blacula, and ship it to Los Angeles, where they break off the padlock securing the casket. Released from his prison, Blacula sates his thirst with the two antiques dealers, before heading for the streets of L.A. where he encounters Tina, the reincarnation of his beloved wife, who he proceeds to woo whenever he's not biting necks. Meanwhile, scientific investigator Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) comes to believe that the spate of recent deaths are the work of a vampire and tries to convince the police of what is happening.The first example of Blaxploitation horror, Blacula succeeds in being both scary and silly, with a side order of camp. Marshall plays his role surprisingly straight, but the general atmosphere is one of lightheartedness, the film even taking time out for a couple of funky musical interludes courtesy of The Hues Corporation (who would later top the charts with their disco hit 'Rock The Boat'). Notable fun frights include the exhumation of a victim who leaps from his grave to attack Gordon, and the creepy return from the dead of a female vampire taxi driver. Also adding to the enjoyment are the stylish opening credits, some cool animated transitions to bat form, the sight of Blacula's hairy face in full on vamp mode, and a touching ending as Blacula ends his own life after losing his love once again.

Leofwine_draca Basically, this is the story of Dracula updated to the modern day, with blaxploitation trappings to make it distinctive of the era. And a pretty good little variant it is too. Apart from gasping in wonder at the fashions and the afros on display, there's actually a pretty rigid plot here amid the various shows of vampirism. As a spoof, it works extremely well, with Blacula going through all the motions.There's some fine acting from Marshall and Rasulala as the two opposing parties, and loads of great dialogue throughout, such as one character's catchphrase "That is one strange dude". The special effects are handled nicely, with Blacula turning into an animated bat, and the dissolution of his body at the end reminds one of the Hammer DRACULAdeaths (except with extra maggots). While this is nothing spectacular, it's still an essential slice of cult '70s mayhem.

disinterested_spectator Obviously, this is a blaxploitation film about a vampire of African descent. The movie is all right at first, but then it goes stupid. The detective knows he is after a vampire, and he knows all the rules about killing vampires with sun exposure or a wooden stake through the heart, and he knows that a cross will make a vampire cringe. But when he goes to the place where he suspects that Blacula keeps his coffin, he goes with cops who are armed with nothing but pistols, which are ineffective, of course. So cops get killed left and right. But the detective has a cross for himself, of course. Oh well, it could have been worse. Blacula could have been played by Christopher Lee in blackface.

bkoganbing Among the films of the Seventies that were classified as black exploitation Blacula still has quite the cult following. No doubt due to William Marshall's voice and commanding presence in the title role. Marshall outside of the two Blacula films is best known for an appearance on Star Trek as Doctor Dengstrom who invents a super computer. Had he come along a little later Marshall would have been giving James Earl Jones stiff competition for the roles Jones got.Marshall plays an African prince who comes over with his wife Vonetta McGee and is entertained by the famous Count Dracula. Marshall is on a mission to stop the African slave trade, but Charles Macauley who plays the infamous count defends the institution and then he and his vampire minions attack the visiting prince and make him a vampire in a sealed coffin with McGee locked in a sealed tomb.Two centuries go by and a pair of gay and flamboyant antique dealers buy the contents of Dracula's castle and unloose Marshall on 20th century Los Angeles. Marshall is one hungry vampire and after 200 years of no feeding. Worst of all he spots Vonetta McGee who is a reincarnated version of his bride. Worse for Marshall she's the sister of Denise Nicholas who is the wife of his Van Helsing Thalmus Rasulala. My reaction to the two stereotypical gay guys was at first to be offended. But on further reflection these two stereotypes and all represent a hopeful future. Blacula follows along the lines of the Dracula legend with all the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of the vampire. In the end one of those weaknesses bring his demise about, but not after he wreaks havoc in Los Angeles.And the film is quite a picture of seventies culture, especially black culture. The voice of Marshall, simply marvelous.