Blu Release- 4/5
Welcome Home Brother Charles
Director – Jamaa Fanaka (Penitentiary, Emma Mae)
Starring – Marlo Monte, Reatha Grey (The Terror of Hallow’s Eve, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Stan Kamber (The Fiend Who Walked the West, Warlock)
Release Date – 1975
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “They tried to take everything…even his manhood”
I love horror and I could never deny my obsession for the genre. I’ve been a fan of fright flicks for almost 20 years and I have no desire to turn my back on the genre. Many know me because of my love for these films but very few people know how much I love Blaxploitation flicks. This started when I was a kid and my dad bought Truck Turner on tape. From that point on Ioften rented what few tapes the local video store had along with my normal horror selection.
Vinegar Syndrome has never let me down. Their horror releases are superb but their Blaxploitation releases are top notch. I can’t think of another company that could outdo them in terms of Blaxploitation. Not long ago they released the Blaxploitation double feature featuring two film from director Jamaa Fanaka. The first in the set is the oddball Welcome Home Brother Charlie. Once again I want to thank Vin Syn for sending this one my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows drug pusher Charles (Monte) who is arrested for his crimes. The arresting officer is racist and roughs him up before attempting to cut his penis off. We jump three years and Charles is released from prison and wants to start over with his girlfriend but learns she has moved on and is dating his old partner.
Distraught, he turns to drinking but quickly runs into a woman that tried to help him get away when he was getting arrested. They become a couple and try to live a clean life but he is struggling to find a job due to his record and this pushes him over the edge. He blames the police, the judge, and the prosecuting attorney for his misfortunes and sets out to kill them.**Spoiler Alert**
I have a hard time explaining to people why I love Blaxploitation so much. The stories are always fun, the characters are very colorful and unforgettable, and the action never lets me down in the cheesiest way possible. Welcome Home is no different except this is one of the few Blaxploitation flicks that made me say “what the fuck” on more than one occasion.
The acting in this one is solid. The cast really get into their roles which made the scenes really fun to watch. I liked Monte as the film’s star but aside from the death scenes his character is overshadowed in almost every scene.
The story for this one plays out like a traditional Blaxploitation flick until the death scenes where we have those “what the fuck” moments rearing it’s head. These scenes did feel out of place but I loved them. They are so unexpected and make the film unpredictable.
Finally, the film does have a few deaths scenes that are void of blood and gore. Instead, you get originality with some hilarity. Overall, Welcome Home Brother Charles is a mediocre Blaxploitation flick that will draw the viewer in with shock value. If you want to see big black dick then this is the film for you! Check it out.
Emma Mae
Director – Jamaa Fanaka (Street Wars, Penitentiary)
Starring – Jerri Hayes, Ernest Williams II (That’s My Mama, Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes), and Charles D. Brooks III (Welcome Home Brother Charles, Common Theory)
Release Date – 1976
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “She’s just off the bus from the deep south…and learning fast how to out-smart and out-tough the big city just to stay alive”
It has been awhile since I caught a blaxploitation flick so I was excited for this double feature from Vinegar Syndrome. The first film in this double feature was a little strange when compared to other Blaxploitation flicks so I was curious to see how this one would turn out considering it was from the same director just one year later.
Honestly, I enjoyed Welcome Home Brother Charles but Emma Mae, aka Black Sister’s Revenge, was a better film all around. Once again thank you Vin Syn for hooking Horror Society up with a review copy.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Emma Mae (Hayes) who arrives from the deep south to stay with her cousin’s in LA. She is a fish out of water at first but soon realizes that she is in a different world and toughens up. She also falls in love with a man in a gang but he finds himself in jail after assaulting a police officer. She moves out of her cousin’s home to be with his gang to help raise money to get him out but that fails several times until she attempts to rob a bank only to discover that he never loved her. He was only using her for sex and money.**Spoiler Alert**
I was expecting a crazy ass Blaxploitation flick after checking out Welcome Home Brother Charles but Emma Mae actually hit me with a straight forward drama. This one was more grounded and didn’t struggle with figuring out what it was.
The acting in this one is great even more so when you consider how little experience the cast had. The film’s star, Jerri Hayes, has no other imdb credits but was able to carry this entire film on her back. She is a strong female lead and her performance is what made this film so spectacular. Her supporting cast is solid but she is the real star of the film as the title suggests.
The story for this one is more straight forward and grounded over the other film in this double feature. This one fully embodies the Blaxploitation sub-genre and dives deep into urban African American culture of the 70s. The character of Emma Mae witnesses police violence, repression, racism, gang violence, poverty, and drug use for the first time turning this innocent southern girl into a tough as nails woman. This one doesn’t really have the colorful characters and outlandish situations as some of the other Blaxploitation flicks but it is more of a look at the struggles they go through in a normal day. Sure, some are embellished but the facts remain the same.
Finally, those of you looking for blood will not find it here. This drama is meant to be an informative film to show the world what the black population on LA has to go through while keeping that Blaxploitation look and feel. Overall, Emma Mae may night have characters like Dolemite and Foxy Brown but it still satisfies. Fans of the sub-genre need to see this. Check it out.
Special Features
2K Restoration
The History of the L.A. Rebellion and Jamaa Fanaka Featurette
Post Film Q and A
Original Trailer
Multiple Original Teases
Reversible Cover Art
Subtitles
