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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Uncanny, Poetic Masterpiece, March 25, 2004
This review is from: The Devil's Nightmare / Messiah of Evil (DVD)
Who knew what darkness lay in the hearts of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the screenwriting team that brought us *American Graffiti* and *Howard The Duck*? Huyck also directed this tale of atavistic resurgence run amok.
A young woman travels to a small seaside town to search for her missing father, a local artist. There, she meets a curious *ménage a trois*: An effete researcher into ancient legends and his two female traveling companions. The uncooperative townspeople from whom they seek information resemble somnambulists, especially at night, when they gather on the beach and gaze longingly out to sea under a reddening moon. Other weird and terrifying portents soon appear: An old drunkard warns the heroine that, here, the corpses must be burned, not buried; a man offers a hitchhiker a mouse--when she refuses it, he eats it alive; tears of blood drip from the townspeople's eyes; live insects and vermin spew from their mouths. As the heroine and her companions delve deeper into the mystery, they find themselves engulfed in cataclysmic violence, and the secret of the messiah of evil, as well as the fate of the girl's father, transpires at last.
What this bare synopsis omits completely is the true source of the film's power: Its overwhelming and consistent poetic atmosphere of doom. From the dismal organ and synthesizer music that underpins the heroine's first exploration of her father's empty studio and its strange *trompe l'oeil* murals, to the massed townspeople waiting expectantly on the beach like sleepwalkers in a Delvaux painting, *Messiah of Evil* creates a perfect microcosmic nightmare world. Once seen, it is never to be forgotten: A rare triumph of perfect atmosphere.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressed, January 11, 2006
This review is from: The Devil's Nightmare / Messiah of Evil (DVD)
[Note: I have only seen "Messiah of Evil"].
I approached "Messiah of Evil" without expecting much, but the movie delivered a great deal more than expected. Considering the relatively unknown status of this film, it has many standout psychological horror scenes. The scene in the supermarket is genuinely disturbing. And the scene in the movie theater terrified me for reasons I don't fully understand (and few movies frighten me). And who can deny the wonder of the off-the-wall "beach-mouse" scene?
This is an unconventional zombie movie with genuine artistic value (as far-fetched as it sounds).
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zombieville U.S.A., January 9, 2004
This review is from: The Devil's Nightmare / Messiah of Evil (DVD)
MESSIAH OF EVIL begins with a young woman in a mental institution. She tells of her search for her missing father (played brilliantly by Royal Dano). Her quest takes her to a tiny beach-town called Point Dune. She is joined by a strange trio (Michael Greer and two beautiful women, one of whom was the queen of "The Bee Girls") who seem to be seeking answers of their own. Together, they encounter a town population gone mad! Increasingly, we see townfolk who have been slowly transformed into a horde of flesh-eating zombies! In one memorable scene (of which there are many), a girl goes to the movie theatre to see "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", where she is slowly surrounded by eerie-looking zombie patrons. This flick is an excellent twist on the undead theme, with many genuinely scary moments and a building atmosphere of dread that is almost suffocating. The "Messiah" himself is a man in black who first appeared a century ago, killing people and turning them into zombies. He called this his "new religion". He left, vowing to return in a hundred years (now) when people would be ready for his rancid gospel. We never get a good look at his face. A macabre, apocalyptic tale of horror. I loved this movie! Highly recommended...
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