Underplayed Gems

Messiah of Evil (1973)

Messiah of Evil poster
Directed by
Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
Genre
horror film, vampire film, zombie film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 30m
Rated
R
Rating
6.2 of 10 from 170 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A woman searches for her missing father in a remote California coastal town. She encounters strange people and bizarre events that suggest something supernatural is happening.

dreamlikeunsettlingslow-burnsurrealatmosphericeeriebleakhypnotic

What happens

Messiah of Evil is a 1974 American supernatural horror film written, produced, and directed by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck. It stars Michael Greer, Marianna Hill, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano, and Elisha Cook Jr. Its plot follows Arletty Lang, a woman who travels to a remote coastal town in California to find her missing artist father Joseph; upon arrival, she finds herself in the midst of a series of bizarre incidents. Shot in 1971 but not premiered until December 1974, the film was released throughout 1975 under several titles, such as Return of the Living Dead, Revenge of the Screaming Dead, Night of the Damned and Dead People. Largely overlooked upon initial release, the film later developed a cult following and underwent a critical reappraisal, with praise directed towards its surrealist, dreamlike tone and elliptical plot. Husband-and-wife team Huyck and Katz went on to direct and write Howard the Duck. The duo had previously co-written American Graffiti and later wrote Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.