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MESSIAH OF EVIL (1974) TURNS 50!!!
Manage episode 409164468 series 3564901
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MESSIAH OF EVIL (1974) d. Willard Huyck (USA)
Clearly inspired by Night of the Living Dead and possessing the dreamlike, doom-laden tone of Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, 1974’s Messiah of Evil is a thoughtful, introspective, original and regrettably neglected low-budget horror effort.
Directed by Willard Huyck and co-written with Gloria Katz (later the screenwriters for American Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – as well as Howard the Duck), Messiah creates its own unique blend of horror and political commentary. When a young woman arrives in a small California coastal town looking for her father, she discovers little is as it seems. Despite his minimal budget, Huyck cultivates a sinister, dreamlike atmosphere that conveys a sense of moral and physical rot, clinging to the village’s residents like a malignant cancer. While it may require patience and willingness to overlook some of the rougher technical aspects, there are many rewards in store for the adventurous.
Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Jason Coffman, Darren Callahan, Lucy Ba'al, Nile Arena) as they discuss this low-budget gem on its 50th anniversary of release.
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Nile Arena has created cinema collectives, worked the film festival circuit, and lent his voice to podcasts dedicated to the silver screen. His literary/weird fiction journal, Success Stories, is available now at some of the places books are sold.
Lucy Ba’al is a demonic creature from the wrong side of Sesame Street who runs and operates the Laaaaast Video Store on Earth over on TikTok and hosts It Came from the Public Domain on Twitch, sharing lesser seen cult and horror films. All things Lucy Ba'al: https://linktr.ee/lucy_baal
Darren Callahan is an award-winning writer, director, and composer who has written drama, fiction, and non-fiction for many major outlets, mostly focused on the horror genre. He has also released nearly 100 records, from pop to noise to ambient to film soundtracks. His website is darrencallahan.com and his IMDB is http://www.imdb.me/darrencallahan.
Jason Coffman is the Unrepentant cinephile. Former contributor to Daily Grindhouse and Film Monthly (RIP). Director of Housesitters and occasional "recording artist." Proud owner of 35mm prints of Andy Milligan's Guru, the Mad Monk and Zalman King's Two Moon Junction. On Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/rabbitroom/ ------------------------------------- Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!
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