Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.
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.
- Body horror
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Character
Grave, bleak, classical in form and unpretentious.
- gravecomic
- warmbleak
- classical in formformally daring
- unpretentiousprestige
- character-ledplot-driven
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“Is it actually scary?”
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“Is Marianna Hill the best thing in Messiah of Evil?”
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“Would a little humor have helped?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Wuchakon TMDB · Aug 20236/10
**_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
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Cast
- Marianna HillArletty Lang
- Michael GreerThom
- Joy BangToni
- Anitra FordLaura
- Royal DanoJoseph Lang
- Elisha Cook Jr.Charlie
- Charles DierkopGas Attendant
- Bennie RobinsonAlbino Trucker
- Morgan FisherTownsperson
- Emma TruckmanTownsperson
Crew
- Willard HuyckDirector
- Gloria KatzDirector
- Gloria KatzScreenplay
- Willard HuyckScreenplay
- Stephen M. KatzDirector of Photography
- Phillan BishopOriginal Music Composer
- Scott ConradEditor
- Willard HuyckProducer
- Gloria KatzProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
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The Asphyx 197279% alikeBoth grave, classical in form.
The Resurrected 199178% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, bleak.
Twins of Evil 197178% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, bleak.
Twice-Told Tales 196377% alikeBoth grave, bleak, plot-driven.
Both grave, unpretentious, bleak.
The Mephisto Waltz 197175% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, bleak.
Both grave, classical in form, bleak.
Soldiers of the Damned 201575% alikeBoth grave, bleak, unpretentious.
Goetia 201681% alikeGame · Both grave, bleak.
Blade Runner 199780% alikeGame · Both grave, classical in form.
Often watched with
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