Blaxploitation Explosion Coming To VOD This Summer
The 1970s saw a massive trend of period-rich feature films targeted at an African-American audience that came to be known as “Blaxploitation.” Now these groovy flicks are coming to VOD, hotly remastered in full HD.
The releases start with Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite and its sequel The Human Tornado, both coming out July 3. Releasing on that same day is Moore in Disco Godfather:
This action-crime gem tells of Tucker Williams (Moore), the rapping owner and main attraction of the Blueberry Hill Disco. An ex-cop with a penchant for head-whacking martial arts, Tucker is called back into action when his nephew (Julius J. Carry III) get hooked on angel dust.
And if that’s not enough Rudy for one day, check out Petey Wheatstraw:
Petey Wheatstraw (Rudy Ray Moore) was born during a tropical storm, and from the moment he took his first breath he could walk, talk and kick ass. He grows up to become a famous comedian- so famous that his rivals (Leroy and Skillet) can’t handle the competition and plan to do Petey in.
When Petey is killed in a drive-by, Lucifer ( G. Tito Shaw) offers Petey his life back, along with unearthly powers, if he will marry the Devil’s daughter (Ebony Wright) and produce a son. Petey agrees to the deal but has other plans.
Why so much Rudy Ray Moore in one day? Well, Netflix is about to release a biopic starring Eddie Murphy as the actor. Xenon Pictures, the distributor of these classics, is banking that viewers will be curious about his filmography after they’ve seen the movie.
But there’s more on the way than just that: the iconic Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song starring Mario Van Peebles will be released on the same day, July 3. And throughout the month, look for the Penitentiary franchise, starring Leon Isaac Kennedy, the original black samurai film Death Force, music documentary Welcome to Death Row, action-drama The Muthers, 1973 horror-comedy favorite Blackenstein, and one of the original blaxploitation horror films, Lord Shango.
The blaxploitation marathon begins July 3. VOD is about to get funky!