Blacula
by William Crain
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent, Thalmus Rasulala, Vonetta McGee, William MarshallDirector: William Crain
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-20
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Blacula
Movie Review: My, What Big Fangs You Have!!
Summary: 4 Stars
In 1972, when I was a child, I saw the trailer for "Blacula" at the theatre and always wanted to see it. Years later, I finally have and was not disappointed. I don't care if it's considered a "blaxploitation" film. It is merely a horror movie with characters who are primarily African-American. Count Dracula's depiction as a racist was a great idea; it is not farfetched considering that he has little respect for human life. Prince Mamuwalde begs Dracula to help him end the slave trade. Instead, Dracula curses him with vampirism and gives him a new name; the prince of darkness wants Prince Mamuwalde to be a "black version" of himself, thus he deems him "Blacula." I don't care for the name myself. It sounds racist and Dracula must've intended it to be that way. Mamuwalde is released from his coffin with an incredible hunger that he can't control. He makes a meal out of two gay interior decorators and the nightmare begins. Soon the vampires are multiplying in L.A, threatening to become an epidemic. (This reminds me of Stephen King's "Salem's Lot," which involves an entire town infested with vampirism.) If the police don't act fast, a plague of vampires will overcome L.A. This fast-paced movie has a great deal of action from beginning to end, and a high body count. The acting is good; the cast is composed of attractive African-Americans who were popular in the seventies. The vampires in this movie are extremely ghoulish and grotesque. They gave me the creeps. Some of those vampire women had fangs that would have shamed a sabre tooth tiger. They were long!! The movie also a strong romantic element. Mamuwalde is pursuing a beautiful, young woman who reminds him of his deceased wife. If only that meddlesome coroner wasn't getting in the way. My favorite scene: When the coroner and the police are tricked into going into a warehouse where they are trapped and beset upon by numerous vampires that are simply hideous. "Blacula" would be fun to watch as a double feature with "Dracula A.D. 1972." Both have a lot of hippie music and slang. "Blacula" is a welcomed addition to anyone's collection of vampire movies or Hammer films. I would've given it five stars if not for the overuse of certain prejudice terms that may have been appropriate for the seventies but are considered rude and offensive today.
Summary of Blacula
Urban action and fatal attraction give rise to a groove from beyond the grave in this funkadelic fangadelic Soul Cinema sensation! The eternally cool William Marshall puts a fresh spin on the age-old legend of the vampire condemned to wander the earth with an insatiable lust for blood.In 1780 African Prince Mamuwalde (Marshall) pays a visit to Count Dracula in Transylvania seeking his support in ending the slave trade. Instead the evil count curses his noble guest and transforms him into a vampire! Released from his coffin nearly two centuries later by a pair of luckless interior decorators Mamuwalde emerges as "Blacula" one strange dude strollin' the streets of L.A. on a nightly quest for human blood!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 027616901538 Manufacturer No: 1005919William Marshall, a Shakespearean actor with a rich baritone voice, enriches this otherwise bland blaxploitation vampire film with his strong, seductive performance. He's Manuwalde, a European-educated 18th-century African prince who appeals to the Count Dracula for help in ending the slave trade. Dracula, never known as a great emancipator, puts the bite on Manuwalde's troubles, dubs him "Blacula" (the only time the name is uttered in the film), and imprisons him in a casket. Stirred to life, so to speak, centuries later in Los Angeles by gay antique hunters, he steps into the soulful '70s and splits his energies between feeding his bloodlust and wooing a young beauty (Vonetta McGee), a dead ringer for his long-dead wife. Thalmus Rasulala (Friday Foster) is a modern medical professor turned urban Van Helsing, and Elisha Cook Jr. has a bit part as a coroner with a hook for a hand. The potential for a clever urban black twist on the European vampire myth is lost in this dull, thoroughly conventional tale. Marshall is under enough sloppily applied facial hair to make him a wolfman, and his victims walk around with a plastic blue pallor. But despite the limitations, Marshall creates a magnetic, aristocratic character and infuses his monster with a sense of loss and sadness in the climax. It was followed by a sequel, Scream, Blacula, Scream, and inspired Blackenstein. For a more interesting and thoughtful African American take on the vampire legend, look to Ganja and Hess. --Sean Axmaker
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