Review of Scream Blacula Scream (1973) by Joe A — 10 May 2012

Blacula was a big success and so it was a no brainer that A.I.P. rushed into production with a follow up that was released less then a year later. Sequel tries to up the ante by adding the legendary Pam Grier to the cast but, is a weaker effort do to a somewhat lighter touch by director Bob Kelijan and a weaker script by writers Maurice Jules, Raymond Koenig and Joan Torres (Torres and Koenig wrote the original).

Grier plays Lisa, a voodoo priestess on whom a rival seaks vengence by resurrecting the vampire Mamuwalde. But, Mamuwalde has his own ideas as he sees Grier's Lisa as a way to finally lift his curse and end his eternal torment.

But will his quest to be free cause him to finally embrace the monster? There is still plenty to enjoy in this lesser sequel and William Marshall is once again strong in the role that sadly didn't continue after this entry.

His commanding presence and intense stare dominate every scene he's in and who wouldn't want to stare at Pam Grier who holds her own with Marshall quite well. There are still some very creepy moments too, especially when a squad of unprepared cops enter a vampire infested mansion at the spooky climax.

And the 70s nostagia helps make up for some of the shortcomings by adding some charm to the proceedings. Plenty of entertainment to be had if you liked the first entry or just enjoy a good dose of 70s B-movie horror.

Sadly, Scream's poor performance scrapped plans for a third entry. Had they only taken time to craft a worthy sequel this series might have gone on and made a star out of Marshall as Hammer's Dracula series did for Brit legend Christopher Lee.