GANJA AND HESS (1973)

Cast

Plot

Dr. Hess Green, an archaeologist overseeing an excavation at the ancient civilization of Myrthia, is stabbed by his research assistant, who then commits suicide. When Hess wakes up, he finds that his wounds have healed, but he now has an insatiable thirst for blood, due to the knife carrying ancient germs. Soon after, Hess meets his former assistant's wife, Ganja. Though Ganja is initially concerned about her missing husband, she soon falls for Hess. Though they are initially happy together, Ganja will eventually learn the truth about Hess, and about her husband. Will she survive the revelation? Will Hess? "The film making is far from flawless, but whatGanja & Hessreally projects is the sense that it came from a person who wanted the work to reflect himself. It is a personal film, its creator having put his art and intellect on the line. Much of the dialogue is played for how it sounds, sometimes even buried under great sound abstractions that deepen the otherwise absent feeling of dread usually expected in horror films. But when the actors do get a chance to take on a monologue, there is a sudden expansion of the worldGunnhas created, and the poetic, philosophical riffs surpass the B-movie aesthetics to create an art movie with real blood on its lips" - MARK SENEVIRATNE