Messiah of Evil – DVD Review

There are not many horror films that I haven’t seen - let alone never heard of – that came out post 1970. Code Red has released a film on DVD that boasts the amazing sounding title of Messiah of Evil: The Second Coming. A friend of mine shot me over a copy to review, and the first thing that came to mind was maybe I haven’t heard of it because it sucked with a Herculean verve. Why has it taken 35 years for me to hear of this film? Why such a huge gap between a VHS release and a format that is has been around for many moons?

The Film:

Arletty (Mariana Hill) seeks out her father in the small seaside town of Pointe Dune after receiving a series of forboding letters from her reclusive father. She runs into a sexually liberated trio who are searching for a local legend called “The Blood Moon”. 100 years ago a dark figure – a Messiah of Evil – contaminated the souls of Pointe Dune and turned them into ghouls with a penchant for human flesh.

Messiah of Evil is a beautfully shot picture that takes full advantage of the color spectrum and gives the impression that what you are witnessing is a Italian production, or a new Giallo. I thought to myself that this film lifted its hue complexion from Suspiria and Halloween, but Messiah of Evil predates those classics by several years – my guess is the filmography of Mario Bava must have played an integral part in setting up the ambience and mood. The story takes a backseat to the lavish qualities seen by the exquisite murals on the walls in the home of Arletty’s dad. There is not a single frame that’s not immersed in some sort of nightmare imagery, which gives you the sensation that you are stuck in a dream within a dream.The crème de la crème moment comes when a woman enters a empty movie theater alone only to have it slowly fill up with townspeople. Such a simple, claustrophobic scene that is pulled off brilliantly.

Messiah of Evil is by no means a classic, the story is almost non-existent as the art house qualities take center stage. But what you did get is a movie that is influenced heavily by H.P. Lovecraft in its depiction of an evil that spreads throughout a town causing dread and unease everywhere. Take a pinch of In The Mouth of Madness (especially the bleeding eyes) and a dash of Dead and Buried, and what you have is a tenebrous little potboiler.

The DVD

Audio/Video: this is a 16 x 9 widescreen transfer mastered in High Definition. The sound is solid as the synth score pounds through the speakers, where the picture looks crisp but still shows sign of wear and tear.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Moderator Lee Christian is joined by Director William Huyck and Producer Gloria Katz [husband and wife] to chat about all sorts of cool goodies. [Director] Walter Hill is the victim in the prologue, the lead’s name Arletty is an homage to the character of the same name in Children of Paradise. Christian is well prepared and doesn’t let a second go by where we are not getting a nugget of juicy information.

Remembering Messiah of Evil: Director William Huyck and Producer Gloria Katz talk about the genesis of how they came to direct a horror film. They started out working on the script for American Graffiti and finished it after making Messiah of Evil. Huyck went on to direct Howard the Duck for George Lucas.

Audio Interview with star Joy Bang: A telephone interview with star Joy Bang.

Short Films: short films Huyck and Gatz: ” The Bride Stripped Bare” and “Down These Mean Streets”.

Code Red Trailers: The Statue, Brute Corps, Choke Canyon, Night of the Dribbler, Rituals, Stunt Rock.

Conclusion: If you are someone like myself who was weaned on the work of Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento, they you will be more than happy with Messiah of Evil.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: