A woman arrives in a sleepy seaside town after receiving unsettling letters from her father, only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hunger for human flesh. From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of American Grafitti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Howard the Duck, this dreamy and atmospheric film transposes the post-Night of the Living Dead zombie movie to a surreal small-town American setting, presented through gorgeous Techniscope visuals that echo the stylish European horror of Mario Bava and Hammer. A true cult film, Messiah of Evil, which was also released as Dead People, has overcome distribution challenges to enjoy growing awareness and high acclaim after decades of word-of-mouth enthusiasm among horror cinema fans and critics around the world.

For thoughts on Messiah of Evil, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ZKxNTPdeCv4?si=bk9cbfgIgUG4KhRR&t=2706]

Video Quality

Messiah of Evil returns to Blu-Ray courtesy of Radiance Films with a 4K scan and restoration of a 35mm print in the collection of the Academy Film Archive, the only surviving element of the picture. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray from a dated master in 2014 by Code Red, but we do not have that release to compare. With the appropriate expectations in check thanks to the condition of the source material, this release looks quite great. Some fleeting moments contain a bit of softness or other downturn in quality, but overall this material holds up fairly consistently. A few small deficiencies remain even with the new transfer, but it appears as if the source has been cleaned up with great care to restore it to its greatest potential.

The new transfer retains the natural grain structure that brings out some great texture from the frame. This allows for distinct details in the clothing and production design. The colors appear to be saturated favorably with hues permeating the screen. The contrast is resolute in all environments with firm highlights and no egregious instances of black crush. The dark and shadowy moments present some admirable depth to the image that allows for a greater sense of place. Radiance Films has delivered a really strong visual presentation that should impress any fan who picks this up.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original English that complements the film well. The film is more of a slow burn than a thrill ride, but it emanates without issue. This is more of a dialogue-free feature that ratchets up a lot of tension from the lack of communication, but exchanges are clearly distinguished when they occur. Conversations never get lost within the sound effects or the score. The music comes through with a peerless fidelity. Everything element seems authentic with pleasing fidelity and very little in the way of age-related wear and tear. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

The first-pressing of the Radiance Films Blu-Ray of Messiah of Evil includes a booklet featuring the essay “Some People Do Like His Brand Of Art” by Bill Ackerman that provides a great analysis of the film through an exploration of its themes, the talent involved, influences, and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: Critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower provide an informative commentary track in which they reflect upon the legacy of this film, the complicated title history, the shooting locations, the state of the horror industry at the time, the background of the performers, the thematic throughlines, and much more that is worth a listen.

Willard Huyck: A nearly 38-minute archival interview with the co-writer-director from an October 2019 episode of The Projection Booth podcast in which he discusses his background, the creation of Messiah of Evil, the history of the film’s release, the filming community that this was made within, and more.

What The Blood Brings – Messiah of Evil, An American Nightmare: A terrific 57-minute documentary co-directed by Kat Ellinger and Dima Ballin in which several film scholars take a look at the indie film landscape of the time, the state of horror in the early ‘70s, the legacy of Messiah of Evil, the thematic strands in the story, the execution of key sequences, the aesthetic of the feature, and much more.

Kat Ellinger: A 22-minute visual essay from scholar Kat Ellinger in which she explores the history of American Gothic and the depictions of female hysteria within the form. Ellinger explores the narrative of Messiah of Evil as she draws great parallels to other gothic tales and events within society.

Final Thoughts

Messiah of Evil is a film that is beloved by cult film enthusiasts but deserves a greater degree of prominence in the mainstream. The chilling atmosphere that is created through old-school filmmaking techniques is tremendously effective. The film exudes an artistic flair, yet it never feels alienating to a wider audience. It is a very unsettling film that succeeds in all it sets out to do. Radiance Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring an admirable A/V presentation and some terrific special features. If you are a horror fan who has not had the pleasure of checking this one out yet, you should change that soon. Recommended

Messiah of Evil is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Radiance Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.