Review of “Scream Blacula Scream” (1973)

This week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie was a return to the cheesy flick of yesteryear—a vampire pic to boot.

Plot:

The film opens with the death of voodoo adept Mama Loa. Her son Willis Daniels (Richard Lawson) then claims her place. Others tell him it’s a matter of voting. A favorite is Mama Loa’s adopted daughter, Lisa Fortier (Pam Grier). Willis leaves, furious, and buys bones he intends to resurrect for revenge like a golem or a zombie, except it’s a vampire.

Silly boy. He has to know something’s going to bite him in the rear end, maybe not literally.

At first, nothing seems to be working, so he sits in the living room and drinks a beer, the brand label fully visible. (product placement?)

While he’s going over in his mind what went wrong, a shadow moves in the other room. A hand grasps the back of his neck, and soon, two fangs sink into poor Willis’ neck.

Oh, bummer. Looks like that revenge thing’s a bust.

Later, Willis, in a suit my mother would describe as “wearing colors,” asks Blacula/Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) why he can’t see himself in the mirror. A man has to see his face. He explains that he is going to a party. His girl is coming. His friend Justin Carter (Don Mitchell) will be displaying his African artifacts. Willis doesn’t mind being a vampire and all, but he’s still gotta go out, right?

Blacula explains a few things. Willis doesn’t leave the house without his permission. And what’s this about African artifacts…?

In a surprise to no viewer, Blacula crashes Justin’s party and proves himself the expert on the artifacts on display—first-hand knowledge. As the partygoers start dropping like flies, Blacula meets Pam. He realizes she’s powerful in voodoo and charms her. He has a plan. Could she, you know, maybe unvampire him? She agrees to try.

Thoughts:

This is a sequel to 1972’s Blacula (reviewed here). In the 18^th century, African prince Mamuwalde fell victim to the vampire Dracula, who cursed him to always hunger for human blood. The prince’s wife was cursed with him. He was uppity enough to demand an end to the slave trade.

Like the earlier film, the is a blaxploitation flick. While these films provided expanding roles for black actors, they often came with their own set of stereotypes.

The first movie had Blacula trying to win over his reincarnated love, his wife. This one has him conflicted about his vampirism while, at the same time, killing people with seeming abandon, including the guy who brought him back to life. He soon has his own little army of the undead, dressed in the flower garden colors of early 1970s style.

In one odd, amusing scene, a lady of the evening walks up to Blacula and asks if he wants some company. When he doesn’t answer immediately, she gets frustrated and stomps off. Hey, time is money, ya know? Her two pimps then walk up to Blacula, insult his cape, and then things get ugly. He lectures them on enslaving a sister and instantly makes the sister a free agent.

I wouldn’t call this film Academy Award material, but it was fun. The first movie was, in my seldom humble opinion, superior, but this is still worth a view.

Its strength lies in the acting chops of the actor playing the main character, William Marshall. He’s tall with a deep voice and a commanding presence. With a background on stage—including Shakespeare—he can come across as suave and sophisticated or menacing with equal force.

The ending is ambiguous. Clearly, the producers planned a sequel that never came to pass.

Scream Blacula Scream was nominated for a 1975 Golden Scroll Award for Best Horror Filmby the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

This movie can be watched here with a whole lot of ads.

It’s also available to rent or buy on subscription services like amazon or Apple TV.

Title: Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Directed by
Bob Kelljan

Writing Credits
Joan Torres…(screenplay) &
Raymond Koenig…(screenplay) and
Maurice Jules…(screenplay)
Joan Torres…(story) &
Raymond Koenig…(story)

Cast (in credits order)
William Marshall…Blacula / Prince Mamuwalde
Don Mitchell…Justin Carter
Pam Grier…Lisa Fortier
Michael Conrad…Sheriff Harley Dunlop
Richard Lawson…Willis Daniels

Released: 1973
Length: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Rated: PG