Rating: 4.5/5
Hooptober 7.0 | 28/32 | black director or predominantly black cast or lead 1/2
Doctor Hess Green… Doctor of anthropology Doctor geology… While studying the ancient Black civilization of Myrthia… was stabbed by a stranger three times… one for God the Father one for the son… and one for the Holy Ghost... stabbed with a dagger, diseased from that ancient culture… whereupon he became addicted and could not die… nor could he be killed.
Reverend Luther Williams (Sam Waymon) is a chauffeur for Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones). Williams describes Dr. Green as a blood addict — a victim of a disease.
And Jesus said unto them, "Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. And I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in them."
Dr. Green receives a new assistant named George Meda (Bill Gunn). Meda feels proud to be in Dr. Green’s employment. Meda moves into Dr. Green’s mansion.
By the Christians, it is written that in the Black Myrthian Age, there existed an addition to blood among its people. Thousands of slaves are bled to death but murdered in such a way the slaves could not die. There was visited upon them a curse that they should live forever unless the shadow of a cross, an implement of torture, touched their darkened heart. But oh! Since Christ had not come yet, and the cross did not exist, don't you know they were called to walk the earth 'til the Christians came? The blood of the thing is the truth of the thing. They had come to be addicted to truth 'til the Christians came.
One night, Meda gets drunk and climbs into a tree. A noose hangs from the limbs. Meda confides in Dr. Green with his suicidal tendencies. But later that night, Meda attacks Dr. Green, stabbing him with a ceremonial dagger. He writes a lengthy suicide note and kills himself.
Dr. Green did not die. His chest bears no wounds. He discovers Meda’s body and picks up the phone. He hangs up the phone and instead drinks Meda’s blood.
The film follows Dr. Green’s journey as a vampire and the relationship that blooms between him and Meda’s estranged wife, Ganja (Marlene Clark).
The film has an unconventional structure and pace, where events happen out of sequence. The story is open-ended, so interpretation can unfold indefinitely. It fluctuates between story and delirium, pulling you in without a clear direction.
The producers approached director Bill Gunn to make a “black vampire film.” Gunn took creative control and directed the vampire metaphor to one of addiction. The metaphor goes deeper than that, drawing on Christian allegory and mythmaking to create a distinctly Black vampirism.
This film is a rare and incredible piece of Black filmmaking. Though its complete version lay buried under the producer’s re-cut, Blood Couple, we now have access to the uncut version, as Gunn meant it to be seen.