Overview: 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.

Blu-ray Verdict: From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of American Grafitti and Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, 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.

For those not aware, screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz took time off from American Graffiti to make Messiah Of Evil, an art film in every sense of the term. Narrated by a woman confined to an insane asylum, the film opens with her warning “They say nightmares are dreams perverted...”, as she proceeds via flashback to relate how and why she came to be locked away. The walls are bizarre paintings that blend ’70s pop art with Edward Hopper-style imagery and the film soon becomes a nightmarish fever dream indistinguishable from that artwork.

The apocalyptic mystery involves a malediction dating back to the Donner party and doesn’t make much sense, but so what. The ladies are lovely and the set piece slaying’s sure unsettling in this quasi-surreal, one-of-a-kind film, the closest Hollywood ever came to fantastical Eurotrash in the early 1970s.

Elisha Cook, Jr as a town drunk who talks too much and Royal Dano as Arletty’s missing dad make the most of their screen time and Joy Bang attends a midnight screening of what would prove to be the prophetic Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye with coming attractions showing Sammy Davis Jr. and James Caan in Gone With The West; a film not released until 1975.

That all said, Messiah Of Evil deservedly became a cult classic that actually lives up to that appellation, even today and now that it has had a new 2023 restoration from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements of the film from the Academy Film Archive, well, come on in, the water’s just fine!

Oh and if you only want one quote from the movie to know if it is right for you, here’s one for you: “I’m as old as the hills. Mama delivered me herself. She took me from between her legs, bloody little mess. She’s about to feed me to the chickens. And daddy said, "Maybe we could use a boy lottie." That’s how I came into the world”.

Special Features:
New 2023 restoration from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements of the film from the Academy Film Archive
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
English Subtitles
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
A new “Messiah Of Evil” documentary (more info TBA)
Visual essay on the American Gothic by critic Kat Ellinger
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new and archival writing
“Messiah Of Evil” limited edition is presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

www.radiancefilms.co.uk