Make it a Double Feature: ‘Saloum’ and ‘Ganja & Hess’

It’s safe to say that moviegoers are experiencing major cases of Sinners fever. Between its immense critical acclaim and its bona fide success, making almost $200 million domestically in a few weeks, people have – been attune to the new Ryan Coogler masterpiece that has sparked various conversations regarding the story’s themes of race and culture, and even off-screen narratives regarding which films get more grace than others in terms of their box office opening. 

For all the horror lovers out there, and people who still have a case of Sinners fever, having seen it a second or third time, and want the body temperature turned up to 110°, I’ve composed an exciting double feature. First is a horror film from Africa with its own genre-bending, From Dusk Till Dawn-type premise and the other being a horny vampire flick that, similar to Sinners, touches on the theme of assimilation.

Directed by Jean Luc Herbolot, the Senegalese horror-actioner Saloum follows a trio of mercenaries known as the “Hyenas of Bangui” led by Chaka (Yann Gael, Gladiator II). As they carry out a job involving extracting a Mexican drug lord and transporting him to Dakar, an airplane leak causes them to land and hide out in the region of Sine-Saloum. As they lay low and use aliases to conceal their identity, the sudden arrival of a policeman at the resort they’re hiding in threatens their anonymity while an awakened supernatural entity causes them along with all the resort patrons to fight for their lives.

Compared to Sinners, and even From Dusk Till Dawn which both involve blood siblings, Saloum is not only about spirits instead of vampires but is a film about a found family unit. As much as the Hyenas are ruthless thieves, their brotherly bond still makes the audience want them to pull through in the end when things take a dark turn. Thanks to the screenplay by Jean Luc Herbolot and story writer Pamela Diop, when it’s revealed that they didn’t end up in Saloum by complete chance and Chaka has his own ulterior motives for being at that exact place, Saloum becomes an intriguing morality tale as well as a heartrending found family drama juxtaposed with eerie folklore.

Along with the screenplay, the three main actors successfully convey the central dynamic of the Bangui Hyenas. Yann Gael is all charisma and intrigue as headstrong leader Chaka while Roger Sallah impresses as Rafa, the conflicted middle man of the group, along with the late great Mentor Ba as Papa Minuit, a wise spiritual practitioner of Bwiti religion who’s the heart of the trio. A magnetic supporting turn by Evelyne Ily Juhen as Awa, a deaf and mute resort guest who’s as much on the Hyenas’ tail as the policeman in their presence, makes Saloum more of an acting showcase. 

As Saloum acts as a genre-bender, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess focuses on one historic horror subgenre only to make it feel fresh and invigorating. A film that was written off during its immediate release and constantly re-cut and re-titled before being given proper restoration, the 1973 horror classic revitalizes the vampire mythos to create a stirring commentary on conformity, carnality and religion. 

Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones, Night of the Living Dead), a wealthy anthropologist, has shown a particular interest in researching the Myrthians, an African civilization of blood drinkers. But when his assistant George (played by Bill Gunn) stabs him with an ancient Myrthian dagger, Hess becomes an immortal vampire. As he feels cursed by his condition, Hess slowly ponders whether to actually give himself to the doomed cross that often befalls creatures of the night. Accustomed to a life of luxury and presenting himself in a polished way to appease white society, the booming African tribal sounds that Hess hears during moments of stress and thirst that force him to be attuned with his heritage cause him to ponder purging himself of the curse completely.

By contrast, Ganja (Marlene Clark, Sanford & Son), whom Hess falls in love with and eventually turns into a vampire, feels more in tune with the curse. What Hess views as a burden and breaking of his attempt at assimilation Ganja sees as a form of empowerment. A woman of agency and pure resolve, and a game-changer for on-screen portrayals of Black women during the ‘70s when the Blaxploitation era was at its peak, Ganja is a captivating figure played mesmerizingly by Marlene Clark. Despite the film being called Ganja & Hess, it’s when Ganja arrives when the film about the undead really comes alive.

It’s when the titular lovers become entwined where Ganja & Hess dabbles into the familiarly tantalizing side of vampirism. Of course, with its merging of vampire lore and topics of culture and race, it still proved 50 years ago that there are unique avenues to take the classic myth in. Meanwhile, Saloum proves that not only can survival horror be fresh and new but doesn’t have to be restricted to conventions of one genre. For those who still feel like Sinners and want more great horror that bends stories or twists genres, why not watch these gems and make it a double feature?

Saloum is available to stream on AMC+. Ganja & Hess is currently available to stream on Tubi TV.