Ganja & Hess is a 1973 horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 directed by Bill Gunn

Bill Gunn (writer)

Bill Gunn was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director. His 1973 cult classic horror film Ganja and Hess was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival, 1973...

 and stars Marlene Clark and Duane Jones

Duane Jones

Duane L. Jones was an American actor, best known for his role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. He was director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury...

. The film follows the exploits of archaeologist Dr. Hess Green (Jones) who becomes a vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

 after being stabbed by his intelligent, but unstable, assistant (Gunn) with an ancient cursed dagger. Green falls in love with his assistant's widow, Ganja (Clark), who learns Green's dark secret.

This film contains the only other lead role for actor Duane Jones

Duane Jones

Duane L. Jones was an American actor, best known for his role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. He was director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury...

, who starred in Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...

(though he appeared in bit-parts in other movies).

The film was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

, 1973.

Cast

• Marlene Clark
• Duane Jones
  Duane Jones
  Duane L. Jones was an American actor, best known for his role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. He was director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury...
  
  
• Bill Gunn
  Bill Gunn (writer)
  Bill Gunn was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director. His 1973 cult classic horror film Ganja and Hess was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival, 1973...
  
  
• Sam Waymon
• Leonard Jackson
  Leonard Jackson
  Leonard Jackson was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1877 to 1882.Jackson was born at Holme Hurst in Norton Woodseats, on the border of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. He first played cricket professionally in 1869, for the Breckfield Club in Liverpool...
  
  
• Candece Tarpley
• Richard Harrow
• John Hoffmeister
• Betty Barney
• Mabel King
  Mabel King
  Mabel King was an American film, stage and television actress.-Early life and career:King was born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of Rosalie Washington. She was raised in Harlem where she eventually became a gospel and nightclub singer...