Messiah of Evil

Arletty (Marianna Hill) arrives in a small, odd, creepy coastal town in California looking for her father and she quickly learns little is as it seems.

Before Romero's Dawn of the Dead and The Crazies, there was Dead People a.k.a Messiah of evil. Shot in 1971 the film was not released until 1973. Like H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon and The Wicker Man (1973), weird locals are hiding a horrific secret... In Messiah, the people of Point Dune worship the rise of a red moon as they become zombies. The storyline is disjointed, but this adds to the mystic, surreal and dreamlike quality of the film. Admittedly, it feels art house, there is some irregular editing and the score is very much of its time, but there's plenty to like about it.

Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Dead & Buried (1981) and the aforementioned Dawn of the Dead clearly have taken a cue from Willard Huyck's jumbled but effective film. Especially the scene where slinky brunette Anitra Ford is pursued through a supermarket. There is also truly creepy scene again with Ford and an albino trucker, played by Bennie Robinson, who you'd think would have been in a lot more horror movies. If you liked Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) and Night of the Living Dead there's some horror delight to be found here from the shocking first kill to the insane asylum ending.

Messiah of Evil oozes dread and suspense, it's a chilling 70's horror flick that despite its faults is a lot better than some of today's so called horrors.

This enigmatic, artsy horror film from the early 1970's is a lost low budget B classic waiting to be rediscovered. Also known as "Dead People," "Revenge of the Screaming Dead," and "Second Coming," this is actually a pretty creepy and surrealistic little flick.

Nicely stylized performances, both slowly sliding from self-possessed cool into numb fear in a believable style. There are also effective character turns by Elisha Cook, Jr. Old veteran actor instantly recognizable for his many roles film noir. Elisha Cook, Jr. Has a flair for portraying intense neurotics or spineless double-dealers. His best-known role was that of Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Rock solid performances, strongly developed characters, a genuinely creepy atmosphere. Much better than one would imagine for its low budget. "Messiah of Evil" ultimately has some great visual ideas and a genuine undercurrent of dread . Messiah Of Evil is a macabre little gem and a must for any fan of 1970's horror.

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with the guy who wrote the review on the top screen. Not vehemently but slightly. This is a really good and unique film for the genre. In contrast to most of the living dead movies ever made this is a classic.

You;re right, though, the scene at the supermarket and the theatre scene are standouts. I think it is well shot, or at least unintentionally atmospheric and I like it because I get a feel of that time and place in independent film-making.

Could have been better but more than technical perfection I look for uniqueness in a movie and this one is unique. Since video stores no longer actually have videos it's great that movie like this are making their way to compilation packages at media superstores. If you see this one in a combo package go ahead and but it I think you'll like it.

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After losing contact with her artist father, Arletty (Marianna Hill) travels to the coastal town Point Dune. She does not find him and stumbles upon Thom (Michael Greer), a weird wealthy man that is travelling with two lovers, Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford), to meet her father. She reads his diary and soon she realizes that there is something strange with the residents of the Californian town.

"Messiah of Evil" is an atmospheric horror film with a messy screenplay and disappointing conclusion. There are several great scenes and creepy deaths with wonderful cinematography. However the character Thom never works and his arrival to the house of Arletty's father is ridiculous. The living sharing Point Dune with the dead is also absurd. Last but not the least, there is no satisfactory explanation for the transformation of the dwellers into zombies. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Zumbís do Mal" ("Zombies of Evil")

Eerie, dream-like zombie picture that anticipates both Romero's consumerism subtext and Boyle's agile undead. Full of quirky touches, it should be much better known than it is. Strange to think that one year later husband-and-wife team Huyck and Katz would co-write American Graffiti