Scream Blacula Scream

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

On the contrary. Scream Blacula is the best of the two Blacula films. It has two of the scariest scenes in horror film history and some of the most ironic and funniest. William Marshall is an excellent actor and his regal portrayal of the cursed black prince. It was quite interesting to see Pam Grier play against type (at the time, at least) as a vulnerable female -- who happened to be a voodoo priestess. I was a kid when I saw this for the first time and the scene where William Marshall pounces on this unsuspecting fella on the stairwell still scares the hell out of me. I have often wondered why no one has done a remake of this film series, with the resurgence of black film making.

I would recommend this film and it's predecessor (Blacula) very highly.

I thoroughly disagree with a previous reviewer. This movie is a lot of fun! Anyone who loves Pam Grier as much as I do must see it, even as she is definitely not the "action hero" here. She looks particularly sexy in a sweaty ceremony scene. Unbelievable dialogue highlights this film; like when Blacula makes a new convert and the guy realizes he has no reflection in the mirror and says, "Hey man, I don't mind bein' a vampire and all that sh**, but a man has got to see his face!" I was halfway through this movie before remembering William Marshall (Blacula) from Pee Wee's Playhouse as the Cartoon King ("Let the cartoon...BEGIN!") Anyway, if you've seen this film's title and you're familiar with Pam's early work, you know what you're in for. Have fun with it!

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.

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?