Rent Messiah of Evil (1973)
3.4 of 5 from 69 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
A woman arrives in a sleepy seaside town after receiving unsettling letters from her father, only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hunger for human flesh. From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of 'American Graffiti', 'Indiana Jones' and the 'Temple of Doom' and 'Howard the Duck', this dreamy and atmospheric film transposes the post - 'Night of the Living Dead' zombie movie to a surreal small-town American setting, presented through gorgeous Techniscope visuals that echo the stylish European horror of Mario Bava and Hammer. A true cult film, 'Messiah of Evil', which was also released as 'Dead People', has overcome distribution challenges to enjoy growing awareness and high acclaim after decades of word-of-mouth enthusiasm among horror cinema fans and critics around the world. - Actors:
- Michael Greer, Marianna Hill, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano, Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Dierkop, Bennie Robinson, Morgan Fisher, Emma Truckman, Dyanne Asimow, Herbert H. Margolis, Alex Michaels, Walter Hill, Laurie Charlap-Hyman, Bill L. Norton, Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, Billy Weber
- Directors:
- Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
- Producers:
- Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
- Writers:
- Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
- Aka:
- Dead People / Messiah of Evil: The Second Coming / Deep Swamp / Night of the Damned / Return of the Living Dea / Revenge of the Screaming Dead / The Second Coming
- Genres:
- Classics, Horror
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/11/2023
- Run Time:
- 90 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary by critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower
- Archival interview with co-writer-director Willard Huyck by Mike White from the Projection Booth Podcast (2019, 37 mins)
- What the Blood Moon Brings: Messiah of Evil, A New American Nightmare - A documentary feature which explores 'Messiah of Evil' in the context of American independent cinema of the 70s, as well as examining the film's allegiance to several subgenres of horror film through its underlying themes. Co-directed by Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger; featuring film scholars Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Maitland McDonagh, Guy Adams, Mikel Koven and David Huckvale (2023, 57 mins)
- Visual essay on American Gothic and Female Hysteria by critic Kat Ellinger (2023, 22 mins)
