Messiah of Evil
- Year: 1973
- Country of origin: USA
- Genre: Horror
- Director: Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz
- Length: 90 min
Terror you won’t want to remember – in a film you won’t be able to forget.
Film Synopsis
Messiah of Evil (1973) follows a young woman who arrives in a seaside town to locate her estranged artist father after his messages become increasingly disturbed. As she uncovers his writings and interacts with residents and outsiders, she encounters violent incidents and discovers the town’s connection to a cannibalistic cult awaiting a prophesied return. This supernatural horror film develops creeping unease, with isolation, cult influence, and fractured perception distorting behavior.
Messiah of Evil Blu-ray & DVD editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Radiance BD-ALL/US 2023 | Code Red BD-ALL/US/OOP 2014 | Code Red DVD-0/US/OOP 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower | |||
| Audio Commentary by Co-Directors/Co-Writers Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, Moderated by Lee Christian | |||
| What the Blood Moon Brings: “Messiah of Evil” and the New American Nightmare - Interviews with Guy Adams, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, David Huckvale, Mikel J. Koven and Maitland McDonagh | |||
| American Gothic and Female Hysteria - Video Essay by Kat Ellinger | |||
| Remembering “Messiah of Evil” | |||
| Archival Audio Interview with Co-Director/Co-Writer Willard Huyck | |||
| Audio Interview with Actress Joy Bang | |||
| “Down These Mean Streets” - By Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz | |||
| “The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Suitors” - By Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Radiance’s “Limited Edition” Blu-ray includes an 80-page booklet with writing by Bill Ackerman (“Some People Do Like His Brand of Art”), Joseph Dwyer (“The Neon Stucco Towns of California Gothic”), Larissa Glasser (“Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: Lovecraft, Cults, and the Uncanny in ‘Messiah of Evil’”), Andy Marshall-Roberts (“Eyes are the Windows of the Soul: Gateways to American Despair in ‘Messiah of Evil’”) and Amanda Reyes (“A Model Actress: A Tribute to Anitra Ford”). Reissued without booklet (2023/11/28).
- Code Red’s DVD includes trailers for Brute Corps (1971), The Statue (1971), Family Honor (1973), Rituals (1977), Stunt Rock (1978), Choke Canyon (1986) and Night of the Dribbler (1990).
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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What the Blood Moon Brings: “Messiah of Evil” and the New American Nightmare (56:55) -
American Gothic and Female Hysteria (21:31)
| Editions | |
|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower Radiance BD |
| Audio Commentary by Co-Directors/Co-Writers Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, Moderated by Lee Christian Code Red BD | |
| What the Blood Moon Brings: “Messiah of Evil” and the New American Nightmare - Interviews with Guy Adams, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, David Huckvale, Mikel J. Koven and Maitland McDonagh Radiance BD | |
| American Gothic and Female Hysteria - Video Essay by Kat Ellinger Radiance BD | |
| Remembering “Messiah of Evil” Code Red BD | |
| Archival Audio Interview with Co-Director/Co-Writer Willard Huyck Radiance BD | |
| Audio Interview with Actress Joy Bang Code Red DVD | |
| “Down These Mean Streets” - By Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz Code Red BD | |
| “The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Suitors” - By Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz Code Red BD |