Scream Blacula Scream [1973]

I'll make this crystal clear--"Scream Blacula Scream" is not a good movie. It doesn't have the freshness of the original "Blacula," nor does it posess the odd sense of poignancy that the relationship between William Marshall's titular vampire and his reincarnated love interest adds to the first film. Undead African prince Mumuwalde is a less rich character in the sequel and there are just too many missed opportunites for EXTREME AWESOMENESS throughout the iffy-paced plot to be ignored. The end product is textbook "Coulda Been But Wasn't" cinema, but like most movies of this sort, there are a few important points worth noting.

The plot concerns the resurrected Mumuwalde seeking to rid himself of the evil that animates his body by employing the services of a gifted voodoo priestess Lisa Poitier (Pam Grier). Of course, a vampire-dude's gotta do what vampire-dude's gotta do, so Mumuwalde spends much of his time engaging in neck-bitey activities, amassing a ghoulish army to protect him until a successful exorcism can be performed. Lisa's friend Justin, a successful entrepreneur and art collector, soon links the unexplained deaths to Mumuwalde, and attempts to persuade the police to track down the killer. I know, I know--it's a voodoo-themed blaxploitation vampire movie, and it's still not very good. Like I mentioned above, though, there are some highlights. Let's discuss!

As a film about the struggle of outlandish fashion against eye-popping interior decor, this is actually a pretty successful film. Virtually every scene has at least one outfit and one design element that made me wonder what exotic chemicals were gripping the mind of the art director. Please witness the image above. This man is wearing a jumpsuit and a matching suit jacket made out of some exotic space-age textile, and he's added what appears to be a Mondrian-designed placemat to the ensemble. Remarkable! It's almost enough to detract from the gaslights, harp and Romanesque bust in the background.

Although he's not given as much to work with here, William Marshall OWNS the character of Mumuwalde and acts the living hell out of every scene he's in. This guy personifies dignity even when he's covered in whiteface and crepe hair--you've got to admire and adore him for that. His stentorian voice and damn-near-Shakesperian delivery elevate his vampire above camp ridiculousness, and when he's not monster-facing out, one can see why the ladies are attracted to this dapper gent. He's a seductive bloodsucker in the finest Lugosi tradition.

Pam Grier's role, while a scanty bore of a Good Girl character, does give the gorgeous actress plenty of screen time, underscoring my opinion that she's got one of the finest profiles on a human being. I'll also confess that it was more than a little thrilling to see a bedewed-with-sweat Ms. Grier participating in voodoo rituals.

Speaking of voodoo--one of the important elements of Mumuwalde's exorcism is an adorable, wee Blacula voodoo doll. Witness its excellence.

Lastly, on a personal note, I managed to earn some nerd points for correctly ID'ing Nicholas Worth, the killer from Empire Fave "Don't Answer the Phone," during his one minute on screen. I love it when that happens!

There are far, FAR worse ways to spend ninety minutes than with "Scream Blacula Scream." It's got its fun moments, but the end effect of the movie is kinda forgettable.

For more "Scream Blacula Scream," check out the Flickr gallery of stills.