Blacula

If you're like me, when you hear the term 'blaxploitation movie' then you probably think of those really low budget 70s movies that were about the only movies at the time to feature heroic black characters. And, while not the best movies, they do actually provide a really cool time capsule of the fashions and trends of the time, they're generally not that great. But, there are always exceptions that prove the rule, and in blaxploitation, there are more than one, and one of those, that's really a cut above the rest is Blacula.



And, while the name might evoke giggles and the thought of a truly bad movie, you really have to see Blacula before you judge it. Here's the story: Manuwalde is an African prince, sent to Europe to negotiate an end to the slave trade. When he negotiates with Count Dracula in Transylvania, he finds himself and his wife captured and imprisoned themselves. Dracula curses Manuwalde with vampirism and calls him Blacula! Centuries later, when two antiques dealers buy the Castle Dracula and everything inside it, they ship Blacula's sealed coffin back to modern day (1972) Los Angeles, where they open the coffin and release Blacula on the city. Now, after stalking the city, he discovers Tina, a woman who's the spitting image of his long dead wife, Luva. Now, Manuwalde is determined to have Tina as his new bride no matter who stands in his way.

Featuring music from The Hues Corporation and a story that rivals any Hammer film, Blacula may be the best of the blaxploitation genre, because it's not played like most of the films in the genre. Most of the blaxploitation movies from the 70s feature a lot of what was called, jive talk, but, because Blacula star, William Marshall was a trained Shakespearean actor, he refused to talk in slang, and the other members of the cast follow suit, making Blacula less a blaxploitation movie and more of a horror movie...and yes, there is a difference. I'm giving Blacula four out of four cigars,

because of all the blaxploitation movies I've seen, this is probably the best of the bunch...although I haven't seen Blackenstein yet. So, until next time, when we'll ask ourselves why don't they make movies like this anymore, and then we'll come to our senses and realize why they don't, remember that the best movies are bad movies.