Welcome to Thoughts of the Amazing Homosapien. Today I will be reviewing the 1972 cult classic Blacula.
Let me start off by saying that this film is probably not at all what you expected, at least I know it wasn't for me. I went into this film expecting a movie so bad it's good, but in all honesty this film was not that bad. It certainly is miles above other blacksploitation films of it's time. Unlike other cheap horror knockoffs of the 70's this film deserves some respect (not much but some). This is almost entirely in part to William Marshall who takes the lead role of Blacula/Mamualde.
In the original script Blacula was a jive talking pimp vampire (comedy gold, but certainly cinema trash). This was changed when William Marshall signed on. He suggested that the character should become the regal African Prince Mamualde that we see in the film today. It is true that Marshall does tend to overact at parts, but you have to give the man credit for trying to bring some class into a truly classless project like Blacula. If it were not for the rediculous tile his character is given he could have almost passed this film off as a serious vampire movie. Now this is not to say that this film is a masterpiece by any streach of the immagination, but it is nice to see an actor really put out the effort Marshall does for this role.
The film opens up with Mamualde and his wife Luva meeting with a very elderly Count Dracula (who technically shouldn't have aged considering he is a vampire). The Count is played by Charles Macaulay, one of the worst actors ever to play the part of Dracula. I have a feeling if Bela Lugosi saw this film he would roll over in his grave.
Mamualde has come from Africa in order to discuss a possible end to the slave trade in Transylvania. I bet you didn't know there was an African slave trade in Transylvania.... Well that's because there wasn't. The movie completely made up this fact, but did you really expect historical accuracy in a film like Blacula?
It turns out that not only is Dracula a blood sucking vampire but also a huge racist, rambling on and on about how fun slavery is for the master and how it is a complement for a white man like himself to look lustfuly at Mamualde's wife. This scene is just plain painful to watch. The acting is terrible and the writing is just plain bad. The writers of this scene might as well have put a stamp on his head that read "I AM A RACIST!" Then again this is a blacksploitation film, so you have to expect white antagonists to act this way.
Needless to say things go sour and Mamualde is locked in a metal coffin and cursed by Dracula with one of the stupidest curses I have ever heard. I won't spoil it for you, but you have to hear how badly delivered and poorly writen this line is.
After this we return to the presant day of 1972, where black people all have afros, talk jive, and dress in colors so bright it would make your head spin. Two of the biggest gay stereotypes I have never seen named Bobby and Billy are purchasing Dracula's castle to sell the antiques inside for proffit back in America (Because Dracula's castle would easily be in the buyin range of a middle class gay couple from Los Angeles.) Blacula's coffin is shiped back to LA, where Billy and Bobby open the tomb looking for anythign to salvage.
As you probably have gusessed by know, Blacula has risen and is out for blood, revenge, and his long lost love Luva. From here on the film is a mixture of cult film gold and cinema trash. We get some decent performances from Vonitta McGee as the love interest Tina and Thalmus Rasulala as Dr. Gordan Thomas (the soul brother equivilent of Dr. Van Helsing.) We also get some hilariously bad balcksploitation dialogue: "That was the RUUUUUUDEST Nigger I have ever seen!" The film also suffers from a poorly structured and rushed love story, and some laughably bad bat special effects. Yet in the end this film is still far above the quality that has come to be expected from blacksploitation films.
I really have to give this movie two scores, because like most cult films you have to know what you are getting into before you can enjoy it.
Casual Observer Rating: C-
Cult Film Score: A
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