Messiah of Evil

"Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget."

1975 1h 30m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 176🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★6.3IMDB · 6,501

HorrorMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young woman searching for her missing artist father finds herself in the strange seaside town of Point Dune, which seems to be under the influence of a mysterious undead cult.

“Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.”

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Cast

Marianna Hill
Arletty Lang
Michael Greer
Thom
Joy Bang
Toni
Anitra Ford
Laura
Royal Dano
Joseph Lang
Elisha Cook Jr.
Charlie
Charles Dierkop
Gas Attendant
Bennie Robinson
Albino Trucker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Willard Huyck
Writers: Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Willard Huyck, shot by Stephen M. Katz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Phillan Bishop. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Scott Conrad shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marianna Hill and Michael Greer and Joy Bang carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0071396 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Willard Huyck directs. Stephen M. Katz behind the camera. Phillan Bishop scores. Scott Conrad cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
251 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Willard Huyck, shot by Stephen M. Katz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Phillan Bishop. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Scott Conrad shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Marianna Hill and Michael Greer and Joy Bang carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.".
8IMDB entry: tt0071396 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "small town", "beach", "undead", "curse".
10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen M. Katz
Original score: Phillan Bishop
Editing: Scott Conrad
Makeup / hair: Bud Miller
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Messiah of Evil (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 6,501 votes
MPAA: R

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Willard Huyck

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-08-30
★ 6/10
I see "Dead People" A woman (Marianna Hill) goes to the California coastal town of Point Dune to visit her artist father, but can't find him and runs into a guy (Michael Greer) and his two female companions (Anitra Ford & Joy Bang). They discover that there are mysterious and peculiar things going on in town, which eventually take a deadly turn. "Messiah of Evil" (1973) is an American film with a misleading title; it was originally called "Dead People," which is more fitting. The flick has a haunting ambiance, effectively combining elements of "Carnival of Souls" (1962), "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). It's on par with the first two, but not great like "Night," a classic horror masterpiece. If you don't remember Marianna Hill, the doe-eyed protagonist, she was one of the most beautiful women to appear on the Original Series of Star Trek, specifically the episode "Dagger of the the Mind" as Dr. Helen Noel. The movie is a must for fans of her since she is prominently featured. The title "Messiah of Evil" is too generic and gives the impression that the story prominently features a weirdo dark Christ-figure, but this is hardly the case. The dark messiah is ambiguous and barely featured. A more fitting title would be "Village of the Dead" or something to this effect. In any case, many hail it as a moody horror masterpiece from the early 70s. It has a few highlights and is mandatory viewing for 60s-70s mystery/horror aficionados and admirers of the lovely Marianna Hill. Unfortunately, it's actually kind of boring and the whole "dark messiah" side of the story is insubstantial. It runs 1h 30m and was shot in SoCal in Malibu, Burbank, Anaheim, Melrose, Venice and Echo Park. GRADE: C+/B-

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