Blacula

Blacula is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire (and later locked in a coffin) by Count Dracula in the Count's castle in Transylvania in the year 1780 after Dracula refuses to help Mamuwalde suppress the slave trade. The film co-stars Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent and Thalmus Rasulala. The film was released by American International Pictures on August 25, 1972. Blacula was released to mixed reviews in the United States, but was one of the top-grossing films of the year. It was the first film to receive an award for Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards. It was followed by the sequel Scream Blacul