Director: Bob Kelljan
Year: 1973
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Vampire
Plot:
After the death of his mother, a gang member swears revenge on the newly elected leader by resurrecting the vampire Blacula to do his bidding, but longs to rid himself of his curse; as bodies start piling up, everyone races to stop him before he puts his nefarious plan into motion.
Review:
This one features some really great moments. One of the film's best qualities is that it really raises the bar by showcasing a vampire who is struggling with his own inner bloodlust. This humanizes the main vampire character a bit by showing the lengths he is willing to go to get rid of his vampiric side. This isn't really a guy who is trying to cover up for his darker nature, but rather is one who is warring with himself, striving to overpower his own sinister urges. Key to this success is a noticeable distinction between the two characters, from the obvious physical differences to the human persona, which is affecting and interesting in how he seems cultured and amicable enough to want to genuinely mingle with modern society.
Although still able to turn into the Blacula character with shadowy eyes, stark cheekbones, a frizzed-out widow's peak, and some wild hair patches smeared across his face, there's a big difference here that makes for an interesting new evolution in the vampire personality dynamic. There's even plenty of fantastic action, including a vampire woman rising from her coffin as an unsuspecting character watches in shock, highlighted by a raging thunderstorm that illuminates the set sporadically, a vampiric assault on two intruders of their mansion, and quite an ingenious attack on a woman who can't see him creeping up as there is no reflection in the mirror. This also includes the climactic vampires-against-the-police fiasco set in a dark mansion, as the hordes come crawling out of the mansion to stop them while the extravagant voodoo ceremony takes place alongside the action, which is a highlight.
Coupled with some genuinely funny lines, this one really has a lot to like about it, as there isn't a lot that doesn't work. This, thankfully, puts a grateful end to the old tradition of vampires turning into bats. This is a thankful element that has been dropped and is the source of a lot of unintentional humor in the genre. For starters, they can't fly, they're not very fast, and they have the directional acumen of a moth on crack. There's a really hysterical scene in here that proves this where Blacula transforms into a bat, and we can see him fluttering side by side with cars and buses on a busy metropolitan highway. Realizing that there are plenty of other ways of making more progress down the street than the way he is, he decides to forego his embarrassing flying foolishness and turns back into a human. This goofy scene alone proves that those scenes are no longer needed in vampire films. The worst problem is that the film has no clear-cut ending. It simply ends, without much fanfare or much of anything being resolved. It's quite a disappointment compared to the great ending that the first one had, and it lowers the film somewhat.
Overview: ***.5/5
A decent follow-up to a classic, there are some likable factors to be had here that make this a fun and watchable, if decidedly inferior, sequel that makes for a solid experience overall. Those who appreciate this era of the genre, who are curious about it, or who are fans of the original will have a lot to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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