Blacula (1972) feat. Shawn Pryor, author of Kaiju Unleashed and more

An African prince is cursed to eternal bloodsucking, cape-twirling, and sideburn upkeep in this groovy spin on the Dracula tale. With vampires galore and wicked special effects, there's plenty to sink your teeth into; and then... stereotypes creakier than an 18th century Transylvanian coffin. We explore this and more: the 1970s Black cinema movement - dubbed Blaxploitation - and its complicated legacy, onset racial tensions, and whether or not Mamuwalde had any other choice but to throw those barrels. Thank you to Shawn Pryor for helping out - we raise a Bloody Mary to you!

And thank YOU for listening! Follow us on patreon.com/campkaiju, leave a rating and review, follow on Instagram, send an email at campkaiju@gmail.com, or leave a voicemail at ⁠⁠⁠(612) 470-2612⁠⁠⁠.

We'll see you next time for Alucarda (1977), a supernatural Mexican horror film!

TRAILERS AND CLIPS Blacula (1972); Scream, Blacula Scream (1973); Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976); Abby (1974); Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

SHOUT OUTS & SPONSORS

1. Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Film Criticism by Matthew Cole Levine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
2. Plays by Vincent S. Hannam
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zack Linder & the Zack Pack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
4. Classic Horror Film Board - Rondo Award Nominating!
5. Shawn Pryor Books! Including Kaiju Unleashed and Fast Break
6. Blacula: Flawed, but Important - Horror Homeroom
7. Celebrating 50 Years of Blacula - Fangoria Magazine
8. A Conversation with Blacula Director, William Crain

Camp Kaiju: Monster Movie Podcast. Blacula (1972) Movie Review. Hosted by Vincent Hannam, Matthew Cole Levine, Shawn Pryor © 2026 Vincent S. Hannam, All Rights Reserved.