Celebrate fifty years of Blacula and enjoy a horror all-nighter at the Watershed

1972 was such a banner year for popular culture that we’ve been swamped with 50th anniversaries of late. One that could easily have slipped under the radar, had it not been for Adam Murray of the Bristol Black Horror Club, is the half-century notched up by the original blaxploitation horror flick: Blacula – the first studio-backed horror film by a black director.

Back in 1780, African prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) travels to Transylvania to solicit Count Dracula’s aid in ending the slave trade. But unsympathetic Drac opts instead to give Mamuwalde the nibbling treatment and bury him in a sealed coffin. Fast forward to 1972, and the coffin is discovered, shipped to the US and opened, unleashing Blacula into a confusing LA of gay antiques dealers, female cab drivers and soul and funk music. Bloodsucking ensues.

Blacula had mixed reviews on release, but proved a box office hit. It even spawned a sequel, Scream Blacula Scream, and is credited with launching a blaxploitation horror mini-genre that included Bill Gunn’s influential Ganja & Hess.

For the 50th anniversary, Adam has organised a UK tour of the film as part of BFI FAN’s In Dreams Are Monsters nationwide horror season, which reaches the Watershed on December 2 (go here for tickets). He also invited director William Crain to the recent Abertoir Festival in Aberystwyth for a Q&A that was recorded to accompany the other screenings.

“It was his first time visiting the UK, and he enjoyed every minute,” Adam tells us. “It’s quite rare to find any decent interviews or information about Mr Crain’s contribution to Horror/Horror Noire, and Blacula is a singularly iconic moment in the blaxploitation cycle of films. It features one of the first openly gay interracial couples in cinema history and is full of timely insights, humour, romance and fun, plus a super-funky soundtrack courtesy of The Hues Corporation.

“I’m thrilled to be introducing the film at Watershed for its 50th anniversary and sharing some insights and anecdotes with a Bristol audience about my adventure to Wales with the director of Blacula and Dr Black And Mr Hyde. It’s a real one-off opportunity to listen to the jaw-dropping adventures of a trailblazer of African American cinema.”

Eight days later, on Saturday 10 December, the Bristol Black Horror Club’s last event of the year also takes place at the Watershed as part of the In Dreams Are Monsters season. It’s an all-nighter billed as “a deliriously anarchic celebration of what goes bump in the night”, organised in partnership with ‘immersive horror studio’ Stormjar. Beginning at 10:30pm and running until 9am on Sunday, the ten-hour Home Is Where the Horror Is event comprises five features. It opens with Iranian-born director Ana Lily Amirpour’s striking monochrome debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.

That’s followed by Peter Medak’s effective if overlooked 1980 supernatural horror The Changeling. Next up is the Spike Lee-produced anthology Tales from the Hood.

Stuart Gordon’s 1986 body horror From Beyond, adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft story, is icky enough to awaken anyone who dozes off in the small hours.

And the all-nighter concludes with the Dario Argento-produced OTT romp Demons, in which a horror movie audience find themselves threatened by a demonic force.  This one has a score by Argento’s veteran collaborator Claudio Simonetti of Italian proggers Goblin and also features plenty of rousing heavy metal from the likes of Motley Crue and Saxon.

Stormjar’s interactive and immersive contribution takes the form of live elements between the films and an opportunity to create your own digital monster. There will also be a commemorative zine.

The Café & Bar will be open all night for hot drinks, soft drinks, and snacks. Alcoholic drinks are available until 2am. Breakfast rolls are served at 9am, with veggie and vegan options available for those who prefer to keep the gore out of their meals. Tickets, price £20/£15 (conc), are available here.

Main image from ‘Blacula’. Pic supplied by Watershed.