"Scream Blacula Scream" of 1973 is a funky and fun to watch sequel to the minor Classic "Blacula" which brought Vampires into Blaxploitation cinema for the first time the year before. The success of "Blacula" also spawned a bunch of other Blaxploitation Horror flicks, such as "Blackenstein", "Ganja & Hess" or "Abby". The sequel basically has the same qualities and faults as the original. "Scream Blacula Scream" once again delivers a groovy 70s feeling, and William Marshall is more than cool in the eponymous role. What makes this film especially worthwhile is the casting of the queen of blaxploitation, the wonderful Miss "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" herself, Pam Grier. I also liked how Voodoo was added to the plot. While it is again a cool film with a funky atmosphere "Scream Blacula Scream" is (as it was the case with the original) never creepy or scary in any way. What also disappointed me about the original was the lack of sleaze and violence, and the same is the case here, too. Nonetheless, "Scream Blacula Scream" is fun to watch. Mamuwalde alias Blacula (William Marshall) is resurrected by voodoo. As in the first part, Mamuwalde is not really a villain, but merely a tormented soul, who cannot help but turn into Blacula to satisfy his thirst for human blood in order to survive. Soon after his resurrection, he runs into Lisa (Pam Grier) a beautiful young woman who has particularly powerful Voodoo-skills... What follows are 90 minutes of goofy, but entertaining fun in funky 70s style. This is certainly no highly memorable blaxploitation effort, but it is a good time-waster and definitely fun to watch.

Sure, Blacula was killed in the last film, but like Dracula, it's hard to keep a good vampire down once and for all. The movie begins with Willis (no relation to Todd Bridges) becoming angry because he thought he'd become the next voodoo high priest. When he is passed over instead, the dude comes up with a brilliant plan--buy the bones of Blacula and bring him back to life using a little 'black magic' in order to exact revenge. Unfortunately, the plan only half works--Blacula comes back but makes this big butt-head his vampire slave--a very silly dressed vampire slave, too, I might add!

I must say that the ceremony for reconstituting Blacula was pretty lame as you NEVER get to see the bones become the vampire--the guy leaves the room and minutes later, Blacula comes out to get him. Lame! Everyone in the theater expected a cool transformation scene and got nothing! I guess that's what you get when American-International backs your film!

After Blac and his new protégé feast on a couple victims, the Prince of Evil decides to go out on the town and crashes a party where some African treasures are being admired. Since he is a very, very old African man, he is able to identify the items--and impresses the house guests so much that he's a hit at the party. In the process, he meets the lady of his dreams (and many other guys back in the 70s), Pam Grier. But, he gets a bad case of the munchies and he decides to sneak off to feed on Gloria. Soon after this, he walks home from the party and comes upon a couple cheap pimps. After they try to mug him, the Prince of Darkness then drinks one of them dry. Wow---three times in one evening, this cat is insatiable! I can't recall ever seeing Dracula doing that in any one of his films! And, for that matter, I can't recall seeing Dracula suck guys dry. Hmmmm...I guess Blacula isn't worried about what others might think or say behind his back....making him a very, very confident vampire, indeed...or he's bi-.

Later, when Gloria miraculously comes back from the dead and tries to kill her, her friend (Grier) is a bit stunned and realizes the powers of evil might just be afoot. But, in a blaze of fury, Blacula comes to save Ms. Grier as well as engage in some small talk. It turns out Blacula needs her help, as with her wondrous voodoo powers, she MIGHT be able to cure him of his wretched curse (the curse of vampirism...not his having to appear in this film!). How can Grier help? What is to become of Blacula? Tune in yourself to see.

Okay, I gotta admit that the Blacula films are amazingly silly. But, on the other hand, they are also a lot of fun--and great entertainment. However, I don't often tell people I love these two films (and many other blaxsploitation films)--it gets you funny looks! The acting of William Marshall (Blacula) is very nice--and he has a nice presence about him. As for the rest of the cast, they try their best despite having to say some occasionally silly lines and almost non-existent special effects! Good entertainment....just NOT a candidate for the Criterion Collection!

William Marshall makes a second and final appearance as the vampire Blacula whom you thought might have been killed off. But he returns in this film to become part of a power play in a voodoo cult.

As the queen of a cult lays dying her last act is to select Pam Grier as her successor passing over her son Richard Lawson. Lawson ain't about to have anything of that so obtains the bones of the now legendary Blacula and with a few incantations Blacula reappears. But he lets Lawson know that as a vampire and an African prince he ain't about to be doing his bidding.

In fact when he hears that Grier has powers and abilities far beyond the usual voodoo black arts practitioner and she might even cure his vampirism Marshall starts seeing thing her way in the power struggle. Marshall wants Grier to start doing the voodoo she does so well.

In all of this former police detective and now writer of the occult Don Mitchell tries to be the Van Helsing of the film. But he's not up to the task as Thalmus Rasulala was in the original Blacula.

I guess there were no more demands for future Blacula sequels so with these two films Marshall got one of his two career roles, the other being Dr. Dengstrom in a Star Trek episode. Scream Blacula Scream was an enjoyable piece of entertainment in the horror genre.

But as I said before Marshall came along too soon or he would have been James Earl Jones.