Ganja & Hess is a 1973 American horror film written and directed by Bill Gunn, starring Marlene Clark and Duane Jones. The story follows Dr. Hess Green (Jones), an anthropologist who becomes a vampire after being stabbed with a cursed ancient dagger by his unstable assistant (played by Gunn). Hess falls in love with his assistant’s widow, Ganja (Clark), who eventually learns his secret and joins him in his vampiric existence.
It was one of only two lead film roles for Duane Jones, best known for Night of the Living Dead (1968). The film premiered at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and was later remade by Spike Lee in 2014 as Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. In 2024, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
Plot[]
Dr. Hess Green, researching an ancient African nation of blood drinkers, is attacked by his assistant George Meda, who stabs him with a ceremonial dagger. Meda later commits suicide, and Green, surviving the attack, discovers a thirst for blood. After drinking Meda’s blood, he realizes he has become immortal.
Meda’s wife, Ganja, arrives looking for her husband and eventually falls in love with Green. After discovering Meda’s corpse, Ganja agrees to marry Green, who turns her into a vampire. Ganja embraces her new life, seducing and killing a young man with Green’s help.
Struggling with guilt, Green returns to Christianity and ultimately kills himself. Ganja survives and continues her life as a vampire. The film closes with the young man Ganja killed reemerging, alive.
Cast[]
- Marlene Clark as Ganja Meda
- Duane Jones as Dr. Hess Green
- Bill Gunn as George Meda
- Sam Waymon as Reverend Luther Williams
- Leonard Jackson as Archie
- Candece Tarpley as Girl in Bar
- Richard Harrow as Dinner Guest
- Mabel King as Queen of Myrthia
Novelist William Gaddis and Judith Thompson appear as extras during a party scene.
Production[]
Produced on a $350,000 budget, Ganja & Hess was developed after Gunn was approached to make a "black vampire film." Although reluctant, Gunn used the project to explore vampirism as a metaphor for addiction. Filming took place at Apple Bee Farms in Croton-on-Hudson and the Brooklyn Museum. Gunn’s artistic approach emphasized experimental visuals and non-linear storytelling.
Reception[]
Initially overlooked, the film was praised by critics like James Murray of the Amsterdam News, who called it "the most important Black-produced film since Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Later reviews highlighted its innovative use of vampirism to discuss Black identity, assimilation, and spirituality.
Recut Version[]
Unhappy with the film’s original structure, producers re-edited and rereleased it as Blood Couple. This version was heavily altered and disowned by Gunn. However, screenings of the original version at the Museum of Modern Art helped establish the film's reputation as a classic of independent Black cinema. It was later restored by Kino Lorber.