Until recently Spike Lee’s crowdfunded film Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus was shrouded in mystery. After a screening back in June, critics confirmed that the film was in fact a remake of Ganja & Hess, a 1973 cult classic known by film buffs for it’s striking cinematography. Directed by Bill Gunn, Ganja & Hess stars Night of the Living Dead’s Duane Jones and actress Marlene Clark. Jones plays Dr. Hess Green, an archaeologist who becomes a vampire after being stabbed with a dagger which is carrying an ancient curse. Dr. Green falls in love with his assistant Ganja, played by Clark, who learns of his secret blood lust.
For years Ganja & Hess was largely unseen in it’s complete, original form. Despite rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973, the film was recut into a blaxploitation film, titled Blood Couple. In 1998 Ganja & Hess was released in it’s original form on DVD.
Watch a clip from the film, below. Ganja & Hess is available for purchase on Amazon.