In the late eighteenth century, Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) travels from Africa to Transylvania to seek Count Dracula’s help in ending the transatlantic slave trade. Instead of helping, Dracula condemns Mamuwalde to eternal life as a vampire. When, a few centuries later, a pair of unwitting interior designers uncover his bones, the streets of 1972 Los Angeles won’t know peace until Blacula has his revenge!

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the very first Blaxploitation horror film, Blacula, as well as the first ever appearance of an on-screen Black vampire. Initially an attempt by American International Pictures to cash in on the burgeoning Blaxploitation scene of the early 70s, it was notable for being the first studio-backed horror film by a Black director, William Crain.

It kicked off a memorable trend in which the genre reimagined familiar horror tropes for the African-American audiences of the 70s. At a time when even films aimed at Black audiences were predominantly made by white filmmakers, Blacula overturned that trend and set a precedent in horror history.

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