Scream Blacula Scream

"Scream Blacula Scream" of 1973 is a funky and fun to watch sequel to the minor Classic "Blacula" which brought Vampires into Blaxploitation cinema for the first time the year before. The success of "Blacula" also spawned a bunch of other Blaxploitation Horror flicks, such as "Blackenstein", "Ganja & Hess" or "Abby". The sequel basically has the same qualities and faults as the original. "Scream Blacula Scream" once again delivers a groovy 70s feeling, and William Marshall is more than cool in the eponymous role. What makes this film especially worthwhile is the casting of the queen of blaxploitation, the wonderful Miss "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" herself, Pam Grier. I also liked how Voodoo was added to the plot. While it is again a cool film with a funky atmosphere "Scream Blacula Scream" is (as it was the case with the original) never creepy or scary in any way. What also disappointed me about the original was the lack of sleaze and violence, and the same is the case here, too. Nonetheless, "Scream Blacula Scream" is fun to watch. Mamuwalde alias Blacula (William Marshall) is resurrected by voodoo. As in the first part, Mamuwalde is not really a villain, but merely a tormented soul, who cannot help but turn into Blacula to satisfy his thirst for human blood in order to survive. Soon after his resurrection, he runs into Lisa (Pam Grier) a beautiful young woman who has particularly powerful Voodoo-skills... What follows are 90 minutes of goofy, but entertaining fun in funky 70s style. This is certainly no highly memorable blaxploitation effort, but it is a good time-waster and definitely fun to watch.

Once again it has been shown that the sequences can be better than the original. Although "Scream Blacula Scream" isn't scary at all, unlike most of such movies it isn't stupid. It has a fairly well-written story, with a moderate amount of humor and interesting characters. The acting is good, music is even better, and movie keeps your attention from start to finish. It's not effective as horror, but it's quite decent low-budget movie worth watching.

6/10

When the voodoo priestess Mama Loa dies, she had not selected who would be the next leader of the cult. Her ambitious and arrogant son Willis Daniels (Richard Lawson) believes he will be her successor, but the cult chooses his stepsister Lisa Fortier (Pam Grier) instead. Willis is angry and meets an old voodoo leader that gives Mamuwalde bones and written instructions to him to seek revenge against the cult. He resurrects Blacula that turns him into a vampire and his minion. Blacula goes to a party at Justin Carter (Don Mitchell)'s house and meets his girlfriend Lisa, who is a powerful voodoo practitioner. Blacula continues his crime spree and while Justin investigates the murder cases, Blacula asks for help to Lisa to use her powers to get rid of his curse using a voodoo doll. Will she succeed?

"Scream Blacula Scream" is a Blaxploitation horror film and sequel of "Blacula". The first film was very funny, but this sequel is not so comic. Anyway, it is also a worthwhile entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Os Gritos de Blácula" ("The Screams of Blacula")

I'm a Dracula fan and I really got a kick out of this film. True, if you try to perceive it as merely serious horror, then you might be disappointed. But if you view it as a Dracula Genre-Blackxploitation Meets Hammer Films-1970's Culture Shock Satire, then it's a lot of fun! Sure, I'll watch anything with Pam Grier in it; and I have! I love William Marshall's deep-voiced, precisely-dictioned intonations too. How many actors can walk into a 1970's black nightclub in a tux and cape,sans "afro" and carry it off with his effortless aplomb? But this film has more than humor. It was fairly well thought out and is entertaining escapism. It also has all the usual funny little peccadillos of the low budget film genre. These are numerous and often hilarious. I watch it almost every time I see it on cable. [Of course I also loved Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde, with Bernie Casey.] For my money, any Dracula is good Dracula... or is that Blackula?

William Marshall makes a second and final appearance as the vampire Blacula whom you thought might have been killed off. But he returns in this film to become part of a power play in a voodoo cult.

As the queen of a cult lays dying her last act is to select Pam Grier as her successor passing over her son Richard Lawson. Lawson ain't about to have anything of that so obtains the bones of the now legendary Blacula and with a few incantations Blacula reappears. But he lets Lawson know that as a vampire and an African prince he ain't about to be doing his bidding.

In fact when he hears that Grier has powers and abilities far beyond the usual voodoo black arts practitioner and she might even cure his vampirism Marshall starts seeing thing her way in the power struggle. Marshall wants Grier to start doing the voodoo she does so well.

In all of this former police detective and now writer of the occult Don Mitchell tries to be the Van Helsing of the film. But he's not up to the task as Thalmus Rasulala was in the original Blacula.

I guess there were no more demands for future Blacula sequels so with these two films Marshall got one of his two career roles, the other being Dr. Dengstrom in a Star Trek episode. Scream Blacula Scream was an enjoyable piece of entertainment in the horror genre.

But as I said before Marshall came along too soon or he would have been James Earl Jones.