Customer Reviews

Messiah Of Evil (1973)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

first of this review is not for the movie it self but the dvd. the dvd has no features no menus nothing, apart from that the movie's picture is terrible the dvd looks like dvd-r memorex or somthing which tells me that someone probaly made it in ther basement. normally i wouldn't make such a fuss over a ten dollar dvd but amazon also has the diamond ent. version of this movie which also comes double feature with the devil's nightmare for about 4 dollars. (i figured with all the bad reviews diamond dvd picture got i would try somthing new) instead i got BEEP! hopefully anchorbay will pick this up and finally do this movie justice.

MESSIAH OF EVIl is a real gem of a horror film from the early seventies. Arletty is headed to Pointe Dune, presumably in Northern California or Oregon, to search for her father, a somewhat famous artist who had been writing disturbing letters to her recently. People in town are pretty standoffish and the only people who will talk to her are Thom and his two "traveling companions". The film moves fairly slowly, dripping with an atmosphere of impending doom, leading to a chaotic climax. Most people who see the movie will like the three standout, almost Hitchcockian scenes: the gas station scene at the beginning, the grocery store scene and the movie theater (those plus the minimalist soundtrack leads me to believe the filmmakers must have studied THE BIRDS). As for myself I like the very well written narration & dialogue, the scenes on the beach and the beach house, Thom who reminds me of a Lovecraft or Poe character (a traveller searching out legends and making his own occult studies- sort of like the lead character in VAMPYR), the back story about the "dark stranger" (hence MESSIAH OF EVIL) and the almost palpable sense of isolation and the end of the world. You should give it a try, especially for the price (although I would love to have a nice widescreen version- it was in 2:35:1 aspect ratio originally). Also it very much improves with age (i.e. repeated viewings).

This, like all Synergy releases are bootleg dvd-r from vhs sources. There is a officially released and remastered version available on dvd from Code Red entertainment.

Take note that the Synergy release is a bootleg on DVD-R and taken from a VHS. The only legal release is the one coming from film materials released by Code Red DVD. I don't understand why Amazon can sell obvious illegal materials.

When the letters from her father become more infrequent and bizarre, Marianna Hill travels to the coastal town of Point Dune for resolution. His home by the sea sits abandoned, filled with odd, life-sized pictures and drawings (always giving that unsettling feeling that you're being watched), as well as a journal left behind that speaks of his unravelling mental state in reaction to the town itself. A blind (!) art dealer of her father's work leads to another visitor in Point Dune; a collector of old legends interested in the event that happened there a century ago... when the moon turned blood red and the townspeople began having a taste for raw meat, dead or otherwise... timed perfectly with the arrival of a dark stranger... Might be deemed too weird for some, but the film's oddness blends well with the story at hand. The directing/writing combo of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (who would later collaborate on American Graffiti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and perhaps the even more weird Howard the Duck!) create an arty, disturbing and sometimes amusing low budget horror gem that, at the very least, will keep your curiousity riveted. And personally, I haven't come across a horror picture with Elisha Cook, Jr. (Blacula, Salam's Lot, The Night Stalker) in support yet that I didn't like. 6.75/10

First things first, this is an ultra weird flick. Messiah of Evil was included in a 3-disc, 9-movie set titled "The Living Dead." Mainly I purchased it for yet another copy of N.O.T.L.D and Last Man on Earth, the real "I Am Legend." Myself, being an avid zombie fan, of course had to buy it.
I watched this the other night and I have to admit it was pretty hard to sit through for the most part. Messiah did feature a few redeeming scenes as before mentioned; the supermarket, movie theater, beach-mouse, also the ending bit. There was a nice narrative from the father's journal throughout the film that voiced over some scenes very reminiscent of the Evil Dead films. Overall, it seemed like a very lazy attempt to make a zombie movie almost like the director wasnt sure about if he wanted it to be one or not. *Lil Spoiler*- In one scene the "zombies" eat another zombie after this guy knocks one across the head. Now why wouldn't they just eat each other all the time?
For the die-hard zombie fans, this definitely isnt a "full on" zombie movie. Basically its about this town of weirdos who cry blood and feel the need to eat raw meat and people from time to time. Everyone needs their hobbies. In the end, the movie wasnt bad, it just had a very slow pace and I found myself waiting for things to happen instead of enjoying what I was watching.