Blacula (1972)

"You shall be... Blacula!"

Oh my God. The hair! The clothes! Must be the early '70s. Great fun, though. This is my first Blaxploitation film but it certainly won't be my last.

On reflection I should probably have watched Dracula: A.D. 1972 first: it's not unlikely that it was an influence. But I loved this. Oh, the plot was generic Hammer-style stuff and there's not a star in sight, but the very moment I heard the line above being declaimed by Dracula I knew I'd love this film.

This is, plot wise, a modern Dracula with '70s black American vernacular and an arrestingly frequent use of the word "faggot" we have a Van Helsing in the form of s detective, and even a Lucy. We have an early '70s depiction of a gay couple. We have an unlikely doppelgänger of Blacula's beloved. And we have a showdown, a final tragic suicide by sunlight, and a genuinely impressive concluding visual effect involving maggots. 

I enjoyed this muchly. Next time I see a blaxploitation film, though, I want Pam Grier!