By Eric Myford
Blaxploitation cinema is an often overlooked but integral slice of American filmmaking that emerged in the 1970s. Starting with Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, it ushered in a new era of filmmaking that exposed the general public to another culture. Despite backlash behind portraying stereotypical criminal roles, the movement was also praised for finally introducing black characters as heroes. While blaxploitation cinema was primarily action and drama oriented, there was also a small uprising of blaxploitation horror films, and today we're looking at eight of the best and most influential films of the 1970s.
Blacula Year (1972)
Director: William Crain
So the title may seem corny and that's certainly what I first thought when I first watched this back in the day, but I was treated to an honest to goodness top tier vampire movie. It's exceedingly well acted, has excellent direction and the story is just fantastic. Blacula being turned into a vampire by Dracula himself and then being set free in the modern age after a two hundred year imprisonment is a solid idea and it pans out well. Vampire fans really should check this out because despite the silly name, it's a damn fine film.
Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
Director: Bob Kelljan
The success of Blacula was quickly followed up by a sequel and it ended up being a rare instance, because in the case of this movie, it was in some ways superior to the original. Shocking, right? This time we see Blacula back in action with the help of some voodoo and also features the same great acting, and even though there's someone new behind the helm, once again awesome direction. Absolutely a must see if you're a fan of the original, don't disregard it just because it's a sequel.
Sugar Hill (1974)
Director: Paul Maslansky
When a woman's boyfriend is murdered by gangsters, she enlists the help of a voodoo queen and sells her soul in order to raise an army of the undead to do her bidding and get revenge. Sugar Hill has a special place in my heart because we just don't see many voodoo zombie movies post Romero, and this is a damn good one. Nice acting and direction, some very unusual looking zombies and just an honest to goodness great story round out a very fine feature film.
Ganja & Hess Year (1973)
Director: Bill Gunn
A doctor is stabbed with an ancient dagger and he starts manifesting an insatiable desire for blood. Meanwhile he also starts to fall in love with a woman which is complicated by his newfound bloodlust. This is one of my favorite vampire movies of all time, it's just a timeless feature that is as dark as it is beautiful. Wonderfully filmed, tremendously acted and the direction is just spot on. One hell of a story on top of it all. It was remade decades later by Spike Lee under the title Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, which was good, but didn't quite manifest the magic created by the original. A must see.
J.D.'s Revenge (1976)
Director: Arthur Marks
A law student is possessed by the spirit of a 1940s gangster and now seeks revenge against those who murdered him and his sister all those years ago. Such a poignant movie mainly due to the lead's acting. He starts out as a quiet man, very respectful and studious. Then as the possession takes hold more and more he basically turns into a bombastic and violent pimp. The transition is very remarkable. The acting is great all around but Glynn Turman is phenomenal. Direction is solid too and the story is just so well done.
Abby (1974)
Director: William Girdler
A marriage counselor leads a very reserved life until she is possessed by a demon and starts to become a perverse individual on the prowl for sex and blood. This movie is so notorious for being ripped out of theaters after a lawsuit from the copyright holders of The Exorcist. Here's the funny thing, it's just a demonic possession movie and vastly different from The Exorcist in every way. And let's be honest, it's not like The Exorcist was the first possession movie anyway, so they needed to get off their high horse and stop acting like they own a copyright on a subgenre. Fortunately the movie survived for modern audiences to enjoy and it's pretty damn good. Well acted and directed, story was nice and as an awesome bonus, the exorcism is an African shamanic ritual, very unique. Just a solid flick and a nice little piece of history.
Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde aka The Watts Monster (1976)
Director: William Crain
A scientist develops a serum to regenerate dying cells and tries it on himself, only to transform himself into an albino creature that hunts prostitutes. Crain follows up Blacula with another great movie. This is such an excellent and exploitative twist on Jekyll and Hyde and I absolutely loved it. Great acting and direction, a story with a lot of heart and violence, this is just a great mix of drama and horror and I loved every minute of it.
The House on Skull Mountain (1974)
Director: Ron Honthaner
Relatives gather at a recently deceased woman's house to hear a reading of her will, only to be subjected to voodoo magic and killed off one by one. I had to include this because it's just so much fun. It may not be a great movie, but I did enjoy it and really liked the twist on the typical greedy relative, will reading horror trope. Acting and direction are good, story is fun, just an entertaining flick.
The 70s really kicked off an entire new culture behind horror that reverberates even to today, and there have been many wonderful blaxploitation horror movies throughout the years. You can learn more by watching the documentary: Horror Noire – A History of Black Horror. It's a great watch and I hope this look at the origins gives you many great films to enjoy.
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