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Ganja & Hess

  • 19731973
  • RR
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Ganja & Hess (1973)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:39
1 Video
30 Photos
DramaFantasyHorror
After being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.After being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.After being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Bill Gunn
  • Writer
    • Bill Gunn
  • Stars
    • Duane Jones
    • Marlene Clark
    • Bill Gunn
  • Director
    • Bill Gunn
  • Writer
    • Bill Gunn
  • Stars
    • Duane Jones
    • Marlene Clark
    • Bill Gunn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 42User reviews
    • 75Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro

    • Videos1

    Ganja & Hess
    Trailer 1:39
    Watch Ganja & Hess

    Photos30

    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Marlene Clark and Duane Jones in Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Marlene Clark and Duane Jones in Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Bill Gunn in Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Bill Gunn and Duane Jones in Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Duane Jones in Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)
    Ganja & Hess (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Duane Jones
    Duane Jones
    • Dr. Hess Green
    Marlene Clark
    Marlene Clark
    • Ganja Meda
    Bill Gunn
    Bill Gunn
    • George Meda
    Sam L. Waymon
    • Rev. Luther Williams
    • (as Sam Waymon)
    Leonard Jackson
    Leonard Jackson
    • Archie
    Candece Tarpley
    • Girl in Bar
    Richard Harrow
    • Dinner Guest
    John Hoffmeister
    • Jack Sargent
    Betty Barney
    • Singer in Church
    Mabel King
    Mabel King
    • Queen of Myrthia
    Betsy Thurman
    • Poetess
    Enrico Fales
    • Dr. Green's Son
    Tommy Lane
    Tommy Lane
    • Pimp
    Tara Fields
    • Woman with Baby
    Evangel Revivaltime Church
    • The Congregation
    • Director
      • Bill Gunn
    • Writer
      • Bill Gunn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was released theatrically several times by different distributors and under different titles. Initially released as "Ganja and Hess" by Kelly/Jordan Enterprises in 1973, it failed at the box-office and was then picked up by Heritage Enterprises. Heritage re-edited the film and released it under the title "Blood Couple" later that same year. This version included 15 minutes of footage not used in the original release print, despite being 33 minutes shorter overall, and was marketed as a blaxploitation film. This same cut was released to theaters by Goldstone Films as "Double Possession" in 1975.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Hess Green: [Ganja phones looking for her missing husband and is forced to ask for a place to stay] Where are you, Mrs. Meda?

      Ganja Meda: I'm at the goddamn airport, that's where I am!

      Dr. Hess Green: Tell me where you are exactly, and I will send the limousine for you.

      Ganja Meda: I'm standing in front of Pan American, and the driver can't miss me, cause I'm that evil.

      [hangs up]

    • Alternate versions
      Version entitled Blood Couple is heavily cut.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Comix Scrutinizer: Witch Doctor #0 (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Bungelii Work Song
      Used by permission of Folkways Records Inc.
      Recorded by Musee de l'Homme

    User reviews42

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Better than the average blaxploitation flick
    Ganja and Hess doesn't surpass any cinematic niveaux or reinvent the art form but it is far above the standard fare afro Americans have had to tolerate as representative cinema. Something about it is just charming enough to recommend it; it is quirky and pensive but paces itself so deliberately it might well be delivered in episodes. It is a historical artifact, you will notice a multitude of 70s markers. The vampirism is not campy, the dialogue while perhaps inexpertly delivered, is not cliché or stereotyped and the cast looks good. It takes patience, nonetheless to watch and more than a little intelligence to decipher its subtexts.
    helpful•18
    5
    • jackrabbit1969
    • Jan 3, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Black Vampire
    • Filming locations
      • Croton-on-Hudson, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Kelly/Jordan Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $21,197
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,406
      • Jun 3, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $21,197
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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