Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

BA_Harrison 1780: African prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) and his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) visit Count Dracula to enlist his help in the fight against slavery. When Dracula reveals that he is not only in favour of slavery, but wants to buy lovely Luva for himself, Mamuwalde and his wife try to leave but are restrained by the Count's men. Enraged, the vampire bites Mamuwalde, and locks him in a coffin, entombing Blacula (as Dracula names him) and Luva in a crypt.Present day: two hilariously camp antiques dealers buy the contents of Dracula's castle, including the coffin containing Blacula, and ship it to Los Angeles, where they break off the padlock securing the casket. Released from his prison, Blacula sates his thirst with the two antiques dealers, before heading for the streets of L.A. where he encounters Tina, the reincarnation of his beloved wife, who he proceeds to woo whenever he's not biting necks. Meanwhile, scientific investigator Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) comes to believe that the spate of recent deaths are the work of a vampire and tries to convince the police of what is happening.The first example of Blaxploitation horror, Blacula succeeds in being both scary and silly, with a side order of camp. Marshall plays his role surprisingly straight, but the general atmosphere is one of lightheartedness, the film even taking time out for a couple of funky musical interludes courtesy of The Hues Corporation (who would later top the charts with their disco hit 'Rock The Boat'). Notable fun frights include the exhumation of a victim who leaps from his grave to attack Gordon, and the creepy return from the dead of a female vampire taxi driver. Also adding to the enjoyment are the stylish opening credits, some cool animated transitions to bat form, the sight of Blacula's hairy face in full on vamp mode, and a touching ending as Blacula ends his own life after losing his love once again.

Leofwine_draca Basically, this is the story of Dracula updated to the modern day, with blaxploitation trappings to make it distinctive of the era. And a pretty good little variant it is too. Apart from gasping in wonder at the fashions and the afros on display, there's actually a pretty rigid plot here amid the various shows of vampirism. As a spoof, it works extremely well, with Blacula going through all the motions.There's some fine acting from Marshall and Rasulala as the two opposing parties, and loads of great dialogue throughout, such as one character's catchphrase "That is one strange dude". The special effects are handled nicely, with Blacula turning into an animated bat, and the dissolution of his body at the end reminds one of the Hammer DRACULAdeaths (except with extra maggots). While this is nothing spectacular, it's still an essential slice of cult '70s mayhem.

jacobjohntaylor1 This is a lot scarier them people what to give it credit for. This about a black man this bitten by Dracula in the seventeen hundreds. He becomes a vampire and live into modern times. This is a very scary movie. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. This scarier then The Exorcist. If this movie does not scary you then no movie will. This wills make your heart race and give you goose bumps. It will make your hair stand on end. This one very scary Dracula spin off. People like to underrate this movie. William Marshall was a great actor. He know how to be scary. T.h.a.l.m.u.s R.a.s.u.l.a.l.a was a great actor.

DarthVoorhees With a title like 'Blacula' one goes into the film with certain expectations of exploitation and tongue in cheekiness. Viewers might actually be surprised to find a film that is actually very faithful to the vampire mythology and a title character who has a great deal of dignity and pathos. 'Blacula' has it's moments of exploitation for exploitation's sake but at it's heart this is an interesting take on the vampire myth with a compelling lead character played by the exceptionally charismatic William Marshall.Don't let my introduction scare you too much 'Blacula' still is a B movie with B movie quirks. Sometimes these quirks work to it's advantage. The soundtrack is exceptional and yet so stereotypical that it could really fit any movie made at this time. The vampire make-up and special effects showcase the low budget and yet it actually adds character and nuance simply because the film is so sincere. The problems come when we see some of the side characters, particularly the gay interior designers in the beginning of the film who are played for all the cheap laughs their stereotypical characterization can milk. I think this was inappropriate even for the times. It's just cheap titillation, getting a reaction for the sake of one. Fortunately although 'Blacula' has moments of cheap B movie exploitation in other regards none of them come in dealing with our main character.This film is so fortunate in having William Marshall in the title role. He elevates the whole thing to another level. He is so charismatic and that deep baritone voice has such resonance and power. I would have found it hard not to like him even if the film didn't give offer anything interesting with his character. It does however. The back story and character arch for this vampire are very in tune with the best of vampire stories. 'Blacula' is a lot more complex and tragic than a great deal of vampires. With a title like 'Blacula' one would expect this film to play up all the rape aspects of vampirism. 'Blacula' actually goes back to Stoker and shows vampirism as a curse. Nowhere is this point driven more home than in Marshall's performance. There comes a moment in the end of the film where Mamuwalde curses the vampire hunters for destroying his bride. I don't think Lugosi or Lee could have delivered the material better than Marshall.Occasionally these A.I.P pictures were able to honor the old Gothic horror films while still being hip and edgy. 'Blacula' is a prime example. The funkiness is to be enjoyed for it's camp value but vampire and horror lovers will not snicker as much as they thought they might. 'Blacula' has bite.