Blacula
While the film was in its production stages, William Marshall worked with its producers to make sure that his character had some dignity in it. His character's name was changed from Andrew Brown to Mamuwalde and he received a background story about his being an African prince who had been turned into a vampire by Dracula in 1780.,When Gordon and Jack go to the warehouse and are fighting the vampires, they pull oil lamps out of a box and begin throwing them at the vampires like Molotov cocktails. When the lamps break, they burst into flames like Molotov cocktails. None of the lamps are lit when they are thrown, however, so when they break, they should not burst into flames.,Dracula: You shall pay, black Prince. I shall place a curse of suffering on you that will doom you to a living hell. A hunger, a wild, gnawing, animal hunger will grow in you, a hunger for human blood. Here you will starve for an eternity, torn by an unquenchable lust. I curse you with my name. You shall be - Blacula!,When the film was originally released in theaters in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure an "X" rating. All of these cuts were waived in 1998 when it was granted a "15" certificate for home video.,Edited from Count Yorga, Vampire (1970),Main Chance
by Billy Page and Gene Page
Sung by 21st Century Limited,"Blacula" - can there be a title that would sound more promising for fans of 70s cult-material? And cult-stuff this is indeed! While "Blacula" of 1970 is certainly no highlight of 70s blaxploitation cinema, this is about as entertaining as it gets for lovers of cult-cinema, and an absolute must-see for all the blaxploitation enthusiast's out there. Plot and suspense are secondary, of course. This film is pure style and coolness, which is delivered in a highly entertaining manner.

In 1780, the African Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) is on a visit at Count Dracula's castle in Transsylvania with his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee). Mamuwalde, who wants to put an end to slave trade, falls on deaf ears with the evil Count who supports slavery. After a subsequent argument, Dracula bites Mamuwalde, turning him into a vampire, and locks him in a coffin for eternity. Almost two centuries later, a black/white couple of (very) gay interior decorators buy several pieces of furniture from Dracula's castle, including the coffin in which Mamuwalde was locked. Back in the United states, they open the coffin, releasing Mamuwalde, who has become a vampire... Blacula! And he subsequently runs into the beautiful Tina (also Vonetta McGee) who is the spitting image of his wife...

I did not expect extreme suspense, but what i was (a bit) disappointed with was the lack of gore. Whenever Blacula bites someone, I thought to myself that the whole thing wold be quite a bite cooler if he'd rip little pieces of flesh out (or do something else of the kind). The make-up is very cool, however. The atmosphere is generally very cool and typical for the funky 70s. William Marshall fits perfectly in the role of Blacula, and so does Thalmus Rasulala, who plays the hero character as a super-cool Shaft-style forensic specialist. For me personally, however, the absolute highlight is the sexy Vonetta McGee. I've been a fan of Vonetta McGee since I first saw her in Sergio Corbucci's Italian Western masterpiece "The Great Silence" of 1968 (one of my all-time favorite movies), and she sure is amazing here. Denise Nicholas is equally sexy as her sister. The movie is as sleaze-less as it is non-gory, however, so don't expect the amount of sex and nudity that you're probably used to from blaxploitation cinema. All things considered I have only one regret with "Blacula" - it should have been nastier! With more sex and violence, this could have been a great blaxploitation flick, but it is sadly too mild for my tastes. It is still a classic, however, and the funky soundtrack and super-cool 70s style make it even more enjoyable. Highly recommended to all the fans of blaxploitation and cult-cinema out there!,