| Director | William Crane | Runtime: 1hr.33min. (93min.) |
|---|---|---|
| Blacula | ..... | William Marshall |
| Tina | ..... | Vonetta McGee |
| Michelle | ..... | Denise Nicholas |
| Dr. Gordon Thumas | ..... | Thalmus Rasulala |
| Lt. Jack Peters | ..... | Gordon Pinsent |
| Dracula | ..... | Charles Macaulay |
| Nancy | ..... | Emily Yancy |
| Swenson | ..... | Lancy Taylor Sr. |
| Bobby McCoy | ..... | Ted Harris |
| Billy Schaffer | ..... | Rick Metzler |
| Skillet | ..... | Jitu Cumbuka |
| Sgt. Barnes | ..... | Logan Field |
| Juanita Jones | ..... | Ketty Lester |
| Sam | ..... | Elisha Cook |
| Real Estate Agent | ..... | Eric Brotherson |
This movie begins in Transylvania at Castle Dracula in the year 1780. The count is entertaining a black (in skin color) Prince named Mamuwalde (William Marshall) of the Abani Tribe, who is trying to get support of the Count in his efforts to bring slavery to an end. Short story shorter, Dracula doesn't like the idea, so naturally, he puts the vampire curse on Mamuwalde, and kills his wife, Luva. Dracula locks them both in a secret room of the castle. After that brief prelude, we come to the opening credit scene accentuating a vampire's ability to become a bat. Ironically, Blacula doesn't turn into a bat until the last 15 minutes of the movie!
Skip ahead a couple hundred years to present day, which in terms of this movie, is 1972. A couple of gay entrepreneurs named Billy Schaffer and Bobby McCoy are buying Castle Dracula and all of its contents...including Blacula's coffin. They ship all the contents back to their warehouse in Los Angeles. Once in the warehouse, Blacula emerges from the coffin and turns the two gays into vampires. This starts his quest for modern blood. His first victim is a female cabbie with an attitude. Personally, she reminds me of a black Carol Burnett!
Mamuwalde secretly attends the viewing of Bobby McCoy's body and sees a woman named Tina who looks exactly like his long dead wife, Luva (played by the same actress). Blacula spends the majority of the movie pursuing Tina's affection while searching out blood from the citizens of L.A. His 18th century garb doesn't bring many second glances seeing the fashions of the 70s at the time. Doctor Gordon Thumas notices the same bite marks and the lack of all blood to be consistent in all the latest victims around the city.
After Bobby's body disappears from the funeral home, Dr. Gordon starts his movie-length vamp-hunt for Blacula.
Surprisingly, the acting for this seemingly B-movie is very good. William Marshall is more than believable as Blacula (as believable as a vampire could be expected to be). His voice alone would make him a good second choice for the voice of Darth Vader! And Charles Macaulay gives a brief but command performance as Count Dracula. Again, a believable vampire.
Even with the eye-opening quality of the acting and, to an extent, the plot, this movie still has its fair share of things that just stick in my craw and brings the rating down a few meows. I'll start with the actor who plays Bobby McCoy...he seems to have rather noticeable fangs before he ever is bitten by Mamuwalde! Next, in the warehouse as Blacula is emerging from his coffin for the first time, Bobby is wrapping Billy's arm in gauze because he had cut it on a crate. As Blacula is approaching, the shot keeps cutting back to Bobby wrapping Billy's arm. Each time the camera cuts back to the couple, Bobby is wrapping the same round of gauze around Billy's arm. Not very productive.
In keeping with the social terms of the 70s, I suppose it is to be expected, but the movie has no qualms about the prolific use of such taboo words as faggot
and nigger.
The movie makers also, needing to gain public support, have pretty obvious ad placement as characters are often seen downing an official can of Coors beer.
And now for some of the most blatant things that should have had more attention in the editing room...In one point in the movie, a vampire woman is running down a very long hallway towards her next victim. She is screaming like all hell at the person, however, the victim doesn't seem to even notice her until she is literally right on top of him and it is too late to run away.
Toward the end of the movie, the detective and the doctor are fighting a band of vampires in the previously mentioned warehouse. Their only defense is a box of oil lamps which they throw at the vampires in order to burn them. It works. It works regardless of the fact that the lamps seem to have the uncanny ability to burst into flames without any flame to ignite them in the first place!
!!SPOILER!!In the end, after Blacula runs into the sun and begins to burn to death, it is not more than 20 seconds before maggots have found their way to his body! That's just way to quick even for a B-horror flick!
I suddenly find your cognac as distasteful as your manner.
~MamuwaldeDid you see the rags he had on? That's a bad cape.
~SkilletI know what would develop with you in a darkroom. And it wouldn't be my pictures.
~NancyI have lived again to lose you twice.
~MamuwaldeThat is one straaaaange dude!
~SkilletTake a look at that fag. Isn't that the one?
~cop#1How can you tell?
~cop#2They all look alike.
~cop#1
4/10 
This is one is one of my most favorite movies of all times loved it we had so much fun when we went to see it aww the good ol days on U street before the takeover
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