William Marshall is at his nocturnal pursuits again as Blacula, the vampire, in this sequel to “Blacula” (1972). The vampire this time out is at the end of his rope with his undead existence and seeks a way to eradicate himself from his vampiric tendencies. Blacula enlists the help of a voodoo practitioner, played by Pam Grier, to create a spell that can free him from his vampire curse.
Marshall exudes a debonair yet deadly presence and he can be an interesting and menacing figure when shifting into his vampire mode.
That being said, I can say that I found “Scream” to be less enjoyable than the first time out. Victims pile up, the police investigate but are unable to make heads nor tails of what they are dealing with or how to stop it and there is a driven, true vampire believer who tries to enlist the authorities’ aide but is castigated as a kook. Hey! Sounds like “Count Yorga” (1970). And I think that is where some of the issue with my boredom lies. We have seen it all before! “Yorga” heralded a mini new wave of bloodsucking villains in the 1970’s (notwithstanding Hammer Studios in England which had been churning out Dracula sequels and vampire yarns since the 1960’s!) that manifested in “The Night Stalker” (1971 US TV Movie), “Blacula” (1972), “Grave of the Vampire” (1972), etc. New blood was injected into the vampire tale for a new audience!
I still think that you should seek out “Scream, Blacula, Scream” and watch it. It is an overall enjoyable romp with the undead and provides us with the further adventures of the charming and monstrous Blacula character.
