Plot: When the high priestess of a voodoo cult dies, there is conflict over who will assume the leadership role in her absence. Willis (Richard Lawson) is her son and feels he is the only proper choice, but most of the others would prefer Lisa (Pam Grier) to take control of the group. Willis takes matters into his own hands, performing a voodoo ritual to grow his own power and curse Lisa at the same time. The bones he uses in the ritual belong to the powerful Blacula however, who is resurrected in the process. Blacula turns Willis into a vampire and begins to feed on others, amassing quite a collection of new vampires along the way. Of course, Blacula has a soft spot for the beautiful Lisa and orders her to be left alone, which doesn’t sit well with Willis and some of the others. Will they rise up against their vampiric creator and if so, will this be Blacula’s final hour?
Entertainment Value: The original Blacula was fun, but sometimes a little too serious for its own good. This sequel tones down the horror and exploitation elements even more, leaving us with what is essentially a drama about vampires. I love the voodoo angle, but it isn’t used much after the ritual to revive Blacula. Seems like a wasted opportunity to add some fresh twists to the vampire lore, especially since not much else is done to spice up the narrative. I wouldn’t mind the slower pace and lack of horror/action if the story were engrossing, but it rarely shows much spark. This is just Blacula falling for another girl with more talking and less scares. I do think some might prefer this toned down approach, but genre fans are likely to sorely miss the drive-in entertainment elements. Scream Blacula Scream is by no means a terrible movie, but it is just too slow paced with too much exposition, when the story simply doesn’t require that. I think this one holds more interest for blaxploitation fans than anyone, as the horror is minimal and its really more of a nostalgia piece.
No naked folks in this one. Not much blood either, aside from a few neck chomps and stake drivings. The violence is non graphic, just some minor bloodshed, but it is fun to see Blacula throw a cop from a second floor staircase. The dialogue has some blaxploitation charm at times, but not as much as genre fans would want. The writing isn’t bad, it is just not that interesting in most scenes. Scream Blacula Scream shies away from the elements that would have raised the insanity meter, sadly. I would have loved more voodoo, more blood, and more over the top dialogue, to be sure. I don’t mind bad movies or odd movies at all, but I don’t have a high tolerance for boring ones. The movie picks up a lot in the finale, but it is too little, too late by then. I’m not sure why this movie didn’t embrace the genre tropes, but it is worse off for the decision not to.
Nudity: 0/10
Blood: 1/10
Dialogue: 2/10
Overall Insanity: 1/10
Marc Fusion 