Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill is a Blaxploitation Horror film. It starts with Diana “Sugar” Hill (Marki Bey) losing her boyfriend Langston (Larry Johnson). He’s beaten to death by local gangster Morgan (Robert Quarry) who wants Langston’s nightclub. To get revenge Sugar goes to local voodoo priestess Mama Maltresse (Zara Cully) who summons Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley) and his zombie army. They go after each member of Morgan’s gang until he’s the last one left. One gets thrown into a pig pen with hungry swine. Another is forced to stab himself, while a third dies from a voodoo doll.Hill is as beautiful as she is deadly. Baron Samedi is a great character showing up playing the subservient black man to Morgan’s gangsters to lure them to their deaths. There are plenty of Blaxploitation films about getting back at the man, but few did it as well as this one did. In so doing it also used voodoo as a means of empowerment for African Americans. An added bonus the outro track is Supernatural Voodoo Woman by the Originals, which is a great soul tune.All together that makes Sugar Hill a really good 1970s zombie flick.C

My mom really wanted this movie - she remembered it from the 1970's and was delighted that I could find it for her. She was so surprised and happy about it. So the movie is about a revenge story - add in some voodoo and zombies. It is actually pretty cool - it is a 70's film and the graphics are a bit cheesy but some of the outfits are pretty fly.

Loved the movie, don't want to spoiler it the synopsis pretty much tells the story clearly. Really good vengeance blaxploitation that was well acted by the lead and I loved the empowerment that the main character gained from reaching into her Voodoo roots and having the former slaves help her.

This story takes place in an area of Louisiana where the bodies of abused African slaves had been buried/dumped.The type of dancing at the opening of the film told me that this was going to be a sufficiently conscious movie.Some white thug boss orders the destruction of Sugar Hill's man in order to take over his successful livelihood.The spirit of revenge is awakened in this feminine and beautiful, empowered Black woman, and she goes on to DEAL with quite a few foes and forces of the underworld.VOODOO is presented in a superficial way, however the film ITSELF is a kind of voodoo, so hoodoo to you-do. The comedic aspect of Sugar Hill is very much on the subtle side unlike other films like "Dolemite" for example (I'm assuming most anybody interested in this movie has an appreciation for "Blacksploitation" genre).For those who want to experience the eerie, the sexy, the ghoulish, the mumbo jumbo, the woo-woo and the push and pull of the realities of the genre, I would say Sugar Hill delivers.

Super cheesy but that's what's cool about these movies. If you watch the Blacula movies you will see a couple of familiar faces. Willis from Scream Blacula Scream is in this one and if you look closely you will see see the undertaker from the morgue (also from Scream). Beware, this one is one of the cheesiest but worth buying. There is quite a bit of N word language in this one, but the zombies get the last word. Overall, a neat movie.

The Blacksploitation cycle of the Seventies was an incredible force which produced some of the best genre movies ever made. After their success with Director William Crain's 'BLACULA'-1972, American International Pictures also produced a sequel Director Bob Kelljan's 'SCREAM,BLACULA,SCREAM'-1973 and this mixture of Cajun gangster and Voodoo magic, Director Paul Maslansky's 'SUGAR HILL'-1974, an entertaining time capsule featuring the beautiful Marki Bey as the main revenge seeking character. Venerable actor Robert Quarry, who debuted one of the most successful Horror screen characters of the early Seventies 'COUNT YORGA' appears as Morgan, villain extroadinaire who wants Sugar's nightclub. After Sugar's beau is brutally murdered, she seeks the aid of Voodoo prince Baron Samedi played over the top by Don Pedro Colley who unleashes his zombie army to rid the area of Quarry's domain. The zombies are not the flesh eaters of Director George Romero's territory but more like the automatons of the thirties and forties poverty row horror films. Actor Richard Lawson who appeared as Blaculas's Renfield like character in "SCREAM,BLACULA,SCREAM' does a good turn as a detective who aids Sugar and Zara Culley chews the scenery as the ancient voodoo priestess Mama Maitresse but Ms. Bey really is the standout as she eagerly plays out her revenge scenario kicking butt if she has to. The film boasts good production values and is one of the best of its type. This release is culled from a Japanese Laser disc and looks good although the image is a tinch on the soft side but is in its 1.85 ratio. MGM Limited just released a DVD-R of the film and is a bit more higher in the price range so you can take your pick on which version you may prefer. All in all, this is highly recommended for genre buffs of all ages.

Leave it to me to have been a projectionist in a black exploitation theater for almost 10 years and miss THIS film until tonight. My theory is that it didn't have Black in the title and the booking was dropped. You get the feeling that the director was familiar with the genre going back to WHITE ZOMBIE right through INVISABLE INVADERS. A near maxed out bit rate but I would have appreciated a little more light on the screen. Some attention was paid here that resulted in a better film than this had a right to be. Some very lucid and informative on camera interviews. You could do worse.

This is one of my favorite horror movies from the 70s. I love the acting, the clothes, and the music. This movie is easily a classic. Although the makeup used on the zombies is a bit dated, this movie is definitely worth watching especially for those who love 70s movies.

Not really a horror movie - rather a revenge movie with voodoo. Funny at times as well. Enjoy this rare classic on DVD.

item arrived on time and as described.