Horrorfest 2012: Scream Blacula Scream

Here's another Blaxploitation horror flick, this time SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM, sequel to BLACULA, a film I've never seen.

The formidable William Marshall stars as Blacula, a former African prince who was cursed with vampirism by Dracula himself. As this film begins, Blacula is resurrected by Willis (Richard Lawson, from yesterday's movie SUGAR HILL) the son of a recently deceased voodoo priestess. Willis wants control of his dead mother's cult, but since she didn't expressly name him as her successor, the cult decides it's time for a vote.  They'd rather have Willis' adopted sister Lisa (Pam Grier!) as their new leader.

This is where the Blacula resurrection comes in -- as far as I can tell, Willis intends to use Blacula to get his revenge on the cult or influence them in such a way that he'll eventually become leader.  Instead, Blacula instantly turns the tables on Willis, biting him and turning him into his vampire servant within seconds of being resurrected. It isn't long before Blacula realizes Willis' sister (still Pam Grier!) has awesome voodoo powers that might cure him of his curse, so he enlists her to help him. She readily falls under his spell since he's smoother than  Lando Calrissians.

This may all sound very exciting, but unfortunately the movie suffers from a languid pace. Despite Marshall's commanding performance as Blacula and the mere presence of Pam Grier in the film, it's hard to pay attention during some of the more boring stretches. I wish they had used Pam Grier more effectively -- as it stands, she doesn't really come into her own until the last few minutes of the movie.

There are some memorable moments, though. Some of them involve Willis' disappointments with his new lot in life (or death). First, he's pissed that he can't see himself in the mirror anymore, now that he's a vampire. How is a brother supposed to make sure he looks good before he goes out? Then, his life style is further cramped when his nagging girlfriend from life joins him in undeath and just keeps on nagging. Poor Willis.

The most memorable moment of all, though, comes when Marshall one-ups Sidney Poitier by screaming "Call me Blacula!"