Da Sweet Blood of Jesus

Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
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Common Sense says

age 17+

Thought-provoking but slow "vampire" movie from Spike Lee.

NR 2015 123 minutes
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age 16+

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, directed by Spike Lee, is a stylized pseudo-vampire movie centering on a wealthy art collector who becomes addicted to drinking blood. It's visually impressive, though moody and sometimes slow-moving, with several grisly scenes that show people being stabbed and strangled. Characters drink blood, including lapping it up from the floor while on their hands and knees. There are extended sex scenes with both male and female nudity, and some scenes that combine sex with violence. You can also expect lots of swearing (including "f--k," "s--t," "p---y," and "d--k"), characters drinking (at parties, at bars, and with meals), and character smoking both cigarettes and pot.

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What's the Story?

Soon after Hess Green (Stephen Tyrone Williams), a wealthy art collector, acquires an ancient Ashanti dagger that may have once been involved in blood rituals that helped bring down a powerful African culture, he's drawn to create his own blood ceremonies. In short order, he's killing people, drinking their blood, and proclaiming himself a blood "addict," though director Spike Lee has frequently said that Hess isn't actually a vampire. Hess shares his habit with Ganja (Zaraah Abrahams), the former wife of his first victim, who also starts to enjoy sipping fresh blood, and the couple sets out to make sure they have an adequate supply.

Is It Any Good?

DA SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS (a remake of the 1970s movie Ganja & Hess) isn't a horror movie -- not really -- though there are some graphic and disturbing killings. Nor is it a vampire movie, though plenty of blood gets drunk. It's more a commentary on addiction, status, consumerism, and race. Apropos for a Spike Lee production, it's highly stylized, with indelibly beautiful (if sometimes hard to watch) images, some of which don't even try to explain the parts of the story that are unexplainable (and there are many).

It's muddled and moody, but it's also definitely thought provoking. What is Lee trying to say by combining class and addiction? There's plenty of vision and creativity, but in the end, this film feels more like an experiment that almost works.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the relationship between sex and violence in Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. How are they entwined? What message does that send to viewers?

  • Director Spike Lee has said the characters in this film aren't real vampires. So why does Hess start drinking blood, and how does his "addiction" to blood compare to the cravings seen in other movies that do have vampires? What are some other similarities and differences?

Movie Details

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