- Year
- 1972
- Country
- USA
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Director
- William Crain
- Updated
- 10 Aug 2026
- Obscurity
- known (23/100)
- Also known as
- Blackula
Blacula
William Marshall plays it completely straight and almost saves it.
An African prince is cursed by Dracula in 1780 and wakes in 1972 Los Angeles, and William Marshall plays him with so much dignity and Shakespearean weight that he almost single-handedly makes the premise work. The film around him is standard AIP horror; he is not.
Marshall reportedly insisted on the tragic backstory and the character's bearing, and it shows in every scene he is in. The rest is drive-in filler with a good funk score.
Better than the title promises, entirely because of its star.
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Written about
- Blaxploitation, 1971 to 1975
Melvin Van Peebles caught gonorrhea on his own set, filed a workers' comp claim, and bought more film stock with the settlement. Four years later the studios had mined the audience out and moved on.
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