Why so much hype?

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

After a dying Voodoo queen, Mama Loa, chooses an adopted apprentice, Lisa Fortier (Pam Grier) as her successor, her arrogant son and true heir, Willis, (Richard Lawson) is outraged. Seeking revenge, he buys the bones of Mamuwalde the vampire from the former shaman of the voodoo cult, and uses voodoo to resurrect the vampire to do his bidding.This film seems to get a bad rap. In the first Blacula, there was an attempt to make the vampire more refined, more serious and a character who was not just a joke. Some say they did not take the same approach the second time around. Well, I don't agree with that. Having him be knowledgeable in African art seems pretty refined to me.Maybe an army of vampires or a voodoo priestess is a little silly, but this is AIP we are talking about. The point is to have fun, and this movie is fun.

Although knowledge of the first "Blacula" movie is pretty well widespread, even by those who have never actually watched it, the sequel "Scream Blacula Scream" is mostly unknown even by fans of the first movie. The reason for it is pretty obvious when having watched it: It's not a very good movie. Though the returning William Marshall brings with him the instant charisma he brought to the first movie, his actual performance often comes across like he's phoning it in. And Pam Grier lacks the spunk she brought to the movies where she was the headlining star. I think the lack of enthusiasm by the actors comes from the fact that the script is kind of a mess. For example, it's not made really clear why Blacula was resurrected from the dead, and it remains a mystery what his plans are until near the end of the movie. And the direction by Bob Kelljan lacks the - ahem - bite that was found in the original movie; the horror sequences, for one thing, come across as routine and flat. One of the better scenes in the movie is where Blacula is outraged at the sight of two people of his race pimping out an African-American woman. I think that had the plot gone across more along those lines - a black vampire directly confronting various aspects of modern African-American culture - the end results would have been more interesting.

The revived Prince Mamuwalde yearns to be cured of his bloodsucking habits and, to this end, seeks the help of a voodoo-practicing young woman. The raison d'etre behind this inferior sequel (directed by the man behind the two "Count Yorga" movies) to a surprisingly successful "Blaxploitation" take on the vampire myth only comes to the fore during the last fifteen minutes of the film; the rest is taken up by standard thrills, even more humdrum detection and, hilariously, copious use of – no pun intended – colorful slang: at one point, 'Blacula' himself is described as "an interesting dude"; met by a "What's happenin'?" greeting when he overhears the intentions of one of his newly-fanged acolytes to go against his direct orders – who also pleads with his master to tell him if he looks good now that he can no longer cast a reflection in the mirror!; and dismissed as an alcoholic hallucination by an inebriated partygoer with a cry of "Shiiiiiit!" As intimated earlier, the pacing is a bit off for most of the film's running time and, while William Marshall is as commanding in his role as the first time round, the welcome appearances of Pam Grier (as Blacula's would-be savior) and an unrecognizable Bernie Hamilton (as a tramp whose actions set the narrative in motion) do not help matters much.

An interesting and, dare I say it, better-then-the-original follow-up to Blacula. Where the first was essentially set-up, this is dynamite pay-off. William Marshall and his team of phantom vampires are generally creepy this time (thanks to a director who's been there before) and the story presents an interesting take on the vampire story with Voodoo elements combined. Pam Grier is an expert on the occult, and agrees, with some heavy reservations mind you, to take on Mr. Blacula and tries to rid his little problem with the help of voodoo dolls! If this sounds silly, it probably is, but it's presented quite interestingly and with a lot of style that the cheesiness isn't too obvious. Quite a little surprise.