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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Messiah of Evil: The Second Coming" or "Dead People" or "Revenge of the Screaming Dead"
or "The Second Coming" or "Return of the Living Dead" )
Directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz
USA 1973
Arletty (Marianna Hill, THE GODFATHER II) travels to dying coastal village Point Dune looking for her artist father but finds that he has disappeared. When she makes inquiries at a gallery, she learns that two women and a man have also been asking about him. She meats the beatnik trio (Michael Greer, Anitra Ford, and Joy Bang) as they are interviewing a tramp (Elisha Cook, Jr.) relating the grisly legend of Point Dune foretelling the return of "The Stranger" when the moon turns blood red. Thrown out of their motel, the trio shack up with Arletty at her father's seaside house and form a foursome of sexual tension. As they delve into Arletty's father's disappearance, the townspeoples' eyes have started bleeding and they've developed a taste for raw meat. Although it has its share of gore and zombie action, MESSIAH OF EVIL is an underrated horror film with a laid-back 70's semi-arthouse atmosphere. Huyck and Katz cite Antonioni's L'AVVENTURA as an influence which is believable as they claim not to have seen horror films similar to MESSIAH like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH but cite shot references to PIERROT LE FOU and the heroine being named after a character from Pagnol's CHILDREN OF PARADISE. The film's horror themes draw less from horror films than from literature, specifically Lovecraft with references to "the old gods." Although not well-received by critics at the time of its release (first as RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD for which it was served with a lawsuit and the title changed to DEAD PEOPLE and then MESSIAH OF EVIL - the title seen in the L.A. montage of Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL) - with the exception of Sight and Sound critic Robin Wood - MESSIAH OF EVIL has achieved a cult following through pan-and-scan video prints and more recent repertory screenings in scope. Fans of off-beat horror and arthouse pretense will enjoy this admirable little sleeper. *** After receiving a series of chilling letters from her reclusive father, Arletty (Mariana Hill, High Plains Drifter) drives to the remote seaside town of Pointe Dune to discover the reason for her father's developing madness. Upon her arrival, she encounters a mysterious trio of strangers investigating a local legend known as "The Blood Moon"... a curse that has transformed the inhabitants of the town into a terrifying horde of blood-thirsty maniacs! Also starring Michael Greer (Fortune and Men's Eyes), cult starlets Joy Bang and Anitra Ford, and screen legends Royal Dano and Elisha Cook, Jr., Messiah Of Evil is a unique shocker from the minds of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (Oscar-nominated screenwriters of American Graffiti). A visual masterpiece finally brought to home video in its original scope aspect ratio, Messiah Of Evil is unlike any horror film you've ever seen. Enter Pointe Dune and prepare to be spellbound... |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 2nd, 1973
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison
:Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC vs. Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Screen captures!
Box Cover |
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Coming to Blu-ray from Radiance Films in September 2023: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution |
Code Red Region 0 - NTSC |
Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:29:42 | 1:29:49.384 |
Video |
2.34:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
2.35 :1 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 23,525,888,807 bytesFeature: 17,444,143,104 bytes Video Bitrate: 21.00 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate DVD: |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono) |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1706 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1706 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1706 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1706 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) |
Subtitles | None | None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Code Red Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Studio: Code Red
2.35 :1 1080P Single-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 23,525,888,807 bytesFeature: 17,444,143,104 bytes Video Bitrate: 21.00 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Commentary by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz• Remembering Messiah of Evil (21: 41) • Short Films of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (21:31)
Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9
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Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 80 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Code Red use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the
original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio
and score featuring the electronic music of Phillan Bishop (The
Severed Arm,
Kiss of the Tarantula).
Like their DVD, Code Red offer no
subtitles on their Region FREE
Blu-ray.
The Code Red
Blu-ray
I love
Gary Tooze
ON THE DVD (2009): After years of bad pan-scan
videos and a compromised 1.85:1 Greek-sourced version, MESSIAH
OF EVIL is finally available in its correct Techniscope (2.35:1)
aspect ratio and is hellishly beautiful. Anamorphic,
progressive, and dual-layer, the transfer retains natural grain
and sometimes-intense colors. Seen in widescreen, the
compositions are consistently interesting (particularly when
live characters are posed against the mural backgrounds of the
studio). Sadly, Code Red did not include
as a bonus the theatrical opening and closing sequences where
are the same as here but scored with the Raun McKinnon song
"Hold On To Love" (added by the producer). Audio has a little
hiss but the dialogue and music is always clear. Director
Willard Huyck and co-writer Gloria Katz (who collaborated on
AMERICAN GRIFFITI) provide an entertaining commentary -
moderated by Code Red regular Lee Christian - which conveys both
their enthusiasm for the low budget project as well as their
disappointment about its obscurity. The documentary features
input from director Huyck, co-writer Gloria Katz, editors Morgan
Fischer and Billy Weber, mural painter Joan Mocine, and
cinematographer Stephan Katz. Actress Joy Bang provides a
telephone interview (the audio has been cleaned up but is still
poor given the source). Two short films by Huyck and Katz and
the usual bunch of Code Red trailers round out the extras. A
very satisfying release. |
Menus / Extras
Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC
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Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC TOP 2) Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
Future director Walter Hill!
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1) Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC TOP 2) Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC TOP 2) Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Code Red - Region FREE - NTSC TOP 2) Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
|
Coming to Blu-ray from Radiance Films in September 2023: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution |
Code Red Region 0 - NTSC |
Code Red - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |