Part of Pioneers of African-American Cinema and Weekend Classics.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS:The first feature by director/actor Spencer Williams (commonly remembered today as Andy on TV’s Amos ‘n’ Andy) is a rural religious parable in which a woman, accidentally shot by her husband (Williams), travels to the crossroads to face the temptations of the devil himself. Williams proved to be quite the stylist with images of the leering Satan and the stunning, unexpectedly poignant finale.
HELLBOUND TRAIN:A motley crew of sinners buy their tickets to a train heading southbound with Satan himself at the switch. There’s a train car for the vice of your choice: gambling, dancing, jazz, you-name-it. And with each passing sin—oh, how Satan does rejoice. The film is the work of self-taught African-American evangelists James and Eloyce Gist, whose surreal visual allegories were screened in churches as a tool for their traveling ministry.