I wonder if the reason some movies made made is just because somebody said “Why the f@#k not?” Now my question is how do some of these people secure funding for a film project? I have seen films that just make you just want to light yourself on fire and then there are films so well done I’m surprised I’ve never watched them before. Back in the 70’s we were introduced to a lot of low budget original movies and I wouldn’t doubt that most of them were made because someone was tripping hard on acid. The 70’s also brought along the the beginning of movies staring black actors like Pam Grier from Foxy Brown and Richard Roundtree of Shaftfame, both took the world by storm. During this time a movie was made based on the idea of having a black vampire called “Blacula“. Not really being a fan of 70’s movies because of all the “low” budget productions, I stayed away from this film and many others until I became older and started to actually appreciate what these films actually stood for. This was the beginning of the independent movie era where the film makers were also the one’s who normally put up the money for these movies to be created. Soon “low” budget movies became a history lesson for me in the shape of what movies were, are, and will become in the future. Now I have seen movies such as Enter the Dragon, Shaft, The House of Seven Corpses and many others but completely forgot about Blacula until it was brought up in a conversation. My girlfriend jumped on the fact that we should watch it, I agreed remembering that it was something I used to see at movie rental places but never got around to watching it, so I hit the streets and found myself a copy of Blacula.

1780, Manuwalde an African Prince visits the home of Count Dracula on business to help eliminate the slavery of his people. When Dracula laughs at Manualde’s request and offers to buy his wife, Manualde decides to leave but Dracula has other plans.While struggling to leave Manuwalde is captured and soon is cursed by the bite of Dracula. Dracula gives Manualde a variation of his name, Blacula and soon seals him and his wife in a hidden room his house for eternity. Fast forward to 1972 and a same sex couple who are also interior decorators buy the home of the now “Fictional” Count Dracula. Upon inspection of the home a coffin is found and soon is brought to Los Angeles where Manualde is soon awoken. While on the prowl for blood Manualde finds Tina who is the reincarnation of his wife Luva who was sealed alive with him. Trying to seduce Tina and convince her of being his long lost reincarnated wife soon becomes troublesome. One of her friends, a local investigator from the scientific investigation division, who starts to accuse the new man who just stepped into Tina life, Blacula of being the reason behind all the strange deaths around the city.

William Marshall who’s been voices in cartoons such as “Spiderman and Friends” and “The Real Ghostbusers”  plays Blacula/Manuwalde. I can say that playing a vampire this really isn’t his strong point but as Manualde his human alter ego, his acting really shines through.  Vonetta McGee (Repo Man, Shaft in Africa) plays both Manuwalde’s wife (Luva) and (Tina) Blacula’s love interest. She plays a very convincing woman who is taken by the power of Blacula and soon is willing to go to the ends of the Earth for him, even die for him if she has to. Thalmus Rasulala (Mom and Dad Save the World, New Jack City) plays Dr. Gordon Thomas, the one investigating all the deaths around the city. His strong presence in the film as the character Dr. Gordon Thomas, is equal to that of William Marshall’s character of Manuwalde, showing both as equally skilled opponents.

When going into a movie like this I had not prepared myself properly, instead I went in thinking that it would be a dark comedy, but instead was bombarded by a very serious film. The movie really seems to borrow heavily from the legend of Dracula where after a couple of hundred years he stumbles across a young woman who look identical to his love who ended up dying so many years ago. I felt that it would have been a much stronger movie if they kept up with the idea of it being based around the idea of slavery. It would only make sense that if someone was locked up for about 200 years that revenge would be the first thing on his mind, well revenge and the idea of freeing his people from the evil clutches of the white man. What I find crazy about this movie, which isn’t a bad thing, is that it assumes you know all about vampires. Not once (after they find out vampires are real) does anyone sit around contemplating on how to kill a vampire, or if it hates anything like garlic or a cross. Because the movie doesn’t sit and explain how one disposed of a vampire, it assumes that the viewer  is intelligent, that they have collected enough knowledge over the years, instead of having to dumb it down and waste valuable story time. The real show stealer for me was the whole presentation of Blacula, how throughout the movie as Manuwalde he is cool, calm and collected, but as Blacula he his always one step ahead ready for anything that might stand between him and his love to be.

Here’s to hoping that Hollywood doesn’t do a Re-make.