| |
see larger picture
|
|
Staring:
Michael Greer,
Marianna Hill,
Joy Bang,
Elisa Cook Jr.,
Bennie Robinson
Director:
Willard Huyck
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $12.00
|
|
|
|
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Brentwood Home Video
EAN: 0891978002369
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Label: Code Red
Manufacturer: Code Red
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Code Red
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2009-10-27
Running Time: 89
Studio: Code Red
Theatrical Release Date: 1973 |
|
|
|
Product Description
Beware when the moon drips blood! Carnivorous zombies will prowl the night! Worms will ooze from their mouths! And blood will drip from their eyes! Terror will reign when he returns. And now, after 100 restless years, the Messiah of Evil will wreck havoc in a small ghostly town!
Considered by many as one of the most horrifying and well received zombie films ever made, and as one of the least herald yet haunting of 1970's horror film. Contains number of masterfully scary set pieces by Tim Lucas, written and directed by the acclaimed writing team of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, HOWARD THE DUCK) and starring cult actors like Marianna Hill (HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER), Michael Greer (FORTUNE IN MEN'S EYES), Joy Bang (NIGHT OF THE COBRA WOMAN), Elisa Cook Jr (THE MALTESE FALCON) and starring Benny Robinson as Albert the Albino, MESSIAH OF EVIL: THE SECOND COMING will scare your life away!
|
|
 Over Praised and Over Narrated, 2010-08-01
I blind bought this movie after all the internet praise I read and I wish I hadn't. There were things I liked - the music, art direction, and a handful of scenes - the opening, a creepy rat eating scene, a grocery scene, the theatre scene, people jumping through a roof window scene but that's all about it I liked - some scenes. The movie as a whole was underwhelming because when those scenes are not happening, the viewer is straddled with bland characters, clunky dialogue and just not much happening on screen.
I absolutely abhorred the constant narration of the lead actress, Marianna Hill, and her onscreen father's journal. The father's journal consisted of going on and on about the red moon and what it does to people in the small sea town. I really needed to hear it once - not over and over throughout the whole movie, banging me over the head with it. Hill's narration was worse, often telling the viewer what we can see on the screen. For example, the viewer sees that Hill and another person are surrounded by the town people and they are swimming in the ocean and she's narrating "we were surrounded. they were watching us. staring at us. we were in the ocean." It took me right out of the movie.
Imagine watching Halloween ('78) and hearing a Jamie Lee Curtis voiceover, "I grabbed a knitting needle, and hit him with it in the neck. I was afraid."
I also thought Marianna Hill had no screen presence at all and the tension onscreen was often undone by her poorly delivered, overstated narration and weak performance. Anitra Ford, who has a small role, would have made a better lead in my opinion.
Approach with caution.
Damn!, 2010-08-06
What a ride. I walked into this film with some trepidation but came out of it engaged and creeped out.
The first thing I noticed was the camera work as it always teases the viewer with unexpected nuances and distinct points of view. It seemed that every time my anticipation for a thing to occur was shot down, that expectation would be replaced with some subtle or overt thing to put me in a state of curious awe.
A movie, unless you're speaking about some over-hyped, big budget piece of modern day trash, is made up of the detail and nuances which not only enhance the movie experience but also reveal the creator's care for the project. Through the entire film I never found myself bored or in the slightest way distracted from what the camera was showing me and I can't recall that ever happening before.
I'd also like to point out the masterful way the director used small, inexpensive things to create a big-budget sting in the viewer such as the mural inside the house as it's filled with paintings of creepy looking men staring at the main character as she sleeps. I'm not going to spoil the film but it's those kinds of artistic creativities that melee the viewer with a combination of awe and uneasiness.
In conclusion this is damn fine work that I'm not likely to forget anytime soon.
Low-budget Horror Cinema, '70s Style, 2010-09-02
This film made an impression on me when I initially picked it up in a 50-film public domain movie DVD set a couple years ago. When I heard that it had been restored to it's original aspect ratio and packaged with some extras including commentary, I knew I had to own it. I bought it, and am proud to have it among my other quirky but effective 1970s-era horror films...certainly makes a great addition to it!
Beware the video on demand version of Messiah Of Evil is not the Code Red version., 2010-05-18
The video on demand version of "Messiah Of Evil" is not the Code Red release. It's a horrible pan and scan atrocity. Amazon wake up. If you're going to offer video on demand of a film, make sure it's the version advertised. I want my $1.99 back!
HIDDEN TREASURE!, 2010-07-23
This movie is a real gem from the 70s that makes for a great midnight movie watching experience! It's all so simply shot and edited (good ol' 16mm) and has a minimal but VERY effective retro electronic soundtrack. Some scenes are utterly horrifying and will remain in your mind long after the movie is over. The pervasive sense of dread builds nicely with only a few minor bumps along the way. Unjustly overlooked for years ' Messiah of Evil' deserves your attention and is a pure solid example of 70s cult horror at its best. The only drawbacks are some of the shots which are unnecessarily long, but it does give it a realistic feeling. The creepiness is eventually overwhelming. Those who are patient will be well rewarded. Who could ever forget the 'movie theater' scene? This is one of the really good ones worth checking out!
|
![The Man with No Name Trilogy [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ue8GNJ3aL._SL75_.jpg "The Man with No Name Trilogy [Blu-ray]"){kind=small}