Duane Jones Changes Horror

Ganja and Hess is one of my favorite movies. It’s a vampire movie, but it’s more about addiction and religion than vampires. It stars Duane Jones. He was born in New York City, on July 22nd 1988. He rose to fame in the 1968 horror classic Night of The Living Dead.  

A small town is overrun by zombies. A small cast of strangers tries to find a way out or at least a way to survive until help comes. Duane plays Ben, the Black guy, and he actually lives through the zombies. He does Ganja & Hess after but can only get lead roles in horror films. Nobody will cast him in anything else despite admitting he’s great.  

He hates this and in 1988 he stops taking film roles but still performs on stage. During and after his film career he teaches literature, theater and acting at various universities and academies.  

Metaphorically, Duane Jones career suffered the same fate, as his character Ben. Surviving the horrors and rising to the top, only to be killed white people.