Messiah of Evil

Play trailer

Messiah of Evil

R

Released Apr 23, 1973

1h 29m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

While searching for her missing father, a woman (Mariana Hill) comes to a town crawling with flesh-eating zombies.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’s eerily brooding Messiah of Evil remains an undervalued gem of American gothic filmmaking.

Oct 27, 2023

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

co-writers/co-directors Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz confound life and art, reality and dreams, sanity and madness in their surreal vision of conservative America succumbing to – or biting back against – the encroaching counterculture.

Oct 18, 2023

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Truly, I was so nervous watching this film that I wanted to vomit the whole time. Now that’s what I call cinema

Oct 11, 2024

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

Here's to Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz for giving their first film everything they had. It shows, it thrills--and it endures.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 6, 2024

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

‘…Messiah of Evil is somehow far more than the sum of its parts…catnip to horror genre fans…a key film in the annals of pre-Stephen King American horror...'

Rated: 4/5

Aug 14, 2024

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

Pleasingly lethargic, alternately bloody and hypnogogic California pop-art-inflected supernatural horror film.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Dom L

Bizarre and fascinating! Recently came upon this cult film after many years of hearing about it, and it did not disappoint. A truly unique tone.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/24

Full Review

g j

Quintessential 70's horror with a broodingly unsettling atmosphere and an arresting visual style. The plot is fairly incoherent, but plays second to the general mood of the film anyway.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

Jon G

I cannot believe I missed this gem so many years ago! So happy to have found it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

Marvin H

This twisted movie has stayed with me since my childhood viewing. After rewatching resently well " it is better and even creepier than I remember". It starts with the most amazingly awful earworm song (part ballad part hot ass mess) and it just goes all over the place. It fells like a comedown from a bender and it is also what I image a fever dream (or nightmare)to look like on film. So 70's you can taste it. Awesome nightmare.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Deke P

1974 or 75. Eerie zombie movie. 100% rave reviews from the pro reviewers. Takes place in POINT DUME, they pronounce it DOOM, which I have passed many times without much thought, north point of the bay & Malibu. Saw it on the telly, 2.6.24 late nite.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

Full Review

Darren D

"Messiah of Evil" visually haunting with ongoing feeling of uneasiness from it's near silent & emptiness from the surroundings within the story. The atmosphere is a fine line between a slow moving dream & the tense build up of a nightmare you can't wake up from. Pure horror.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Willard Huyck

Director

Michael Greer

Thom

Marianna Hill

Arletty

Joy Bang

Toni

Anitra Ford

Laura

Royal Dano

Joseph Long

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Exorcist

78%

87%

The Exorcist

Watchlist

Horror Express

80%

53%

Horror Express

Watchlist

And Now the Screaming Starts

40%

43%

And Now the Screaming Starts

Watchlist

The Blood on Satan's Claw

73%

58%

The Blood on Satan's Claw

Watchlist

Antichrist

0%

34%

Antichrist

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

While searching for her missing father, a woman (Mariana Hill) comes to a town crawling with flesh-eating zombies.

Director: Willard Huyck
Producer: Gloria Katz
Screenwriter: Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
Production Co: V/M Productions, International Film Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 23, 1973, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 29m

Most Popular at Home Now