Academic Hess Green (Duane Jones) is stabbed with an antique dagger from an ancient African civilisation, but instead of dying, he becomes a vampire. When the wife of the man who stabbed him contacts Hess, she becomes his vampire lover.
Watching Bill Gunn's low budget horror is a dreamlike experience; each meaningful scene runs into the next, the various styles of music fade in and out... Although it features a mostly black cast, this is a long way from the blaxploitation shockers of the seventies such as Blacula.
While it is intriguing, the main problem with it is that it's difficult to work out what the hell is going on for too much of the time. There is a spiritual theme to its African American protagonist's story: will he be seduced by the ways of supernatural ancient Africa, or repent and give in to gospel-singing American Christianity? Worth persevering with. Also with: the reddest blood you ever did see, and a man gargling with his own bathwater.
