Villian(s)  Vampire

Actor(s):  William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent

Brief Description  Blacula is a landmark 1972 American horror film directed by William Crain and released by [American International Pictures](0.6.1, 0.6.2). It stands as a foundational masterpiece of the blaxploitation genre, blending traditional gothic horror tropes with 1970s African American urban culture. Starring William Marshall in a commanding, Shakespearean-caliber performance, the movie follows an 18th-century African prince cursed into vampirism who reawakens in contemporary Los Angeles.

Plot:
In the year 1780, Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) and his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) travel from Africa to Transylvania to petition Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay) for help suppressing the transatlantic slave trade. Dracula, revealed to be a cruel racist, mocks Mamuwalde's request, assaults him, and transforms him into a vampire. Spitefully dubbing him "Blacula," Dracula seals the prince in a coffin to suffer from eternal bloodlust while trapping Luva in the tomb to die beside him. Nearly two centuries later, two gay interior decorators purchase the contents of Dracula's castle and ship the coffin to Los Angeles. Upon opening the crate, they accidentally unleash Mamuwalde, becoming his first modern-day victims.

While wandering the neon-lit, funk-infused streets of 1970s LA, Mamuwalde encounters Tina (also played by Vonetta McGee). Convinced that Tina is the literal reincarnation of his deceased wife Luva, Mamuwalde successfully courts her, trying to balance his intense romance with his worsening predatory nature. As a trail of bloodless bodies accumulates across the city, police pathologist Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) and Lt. Jack Peters (Gordon Pinsent) investigate the bizarre crimes. Dr. Thomas soon deduces that a vampire is running loose. The authorities track Mamuwalde to a chemical plant. During a shootout, Tina is accidentally shot by a police officer. To save her life, Mamuwalde transforms her into a vampire, but an officer subsequently drives a stake through her heart. Heartbroken and weary of his cursed existence, Mamuwalde willingly climbs up to the sun-drenched roof of the facility, allowing the sunlight to destroy him.