MESSIAH OF EVIL
Terror you won’t want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.
A young woman goes searching for her missing artist father. Her journey takes her to a strange Californian seaside town governed by a mysterious undead cult.
About This Film
A young woman named Arletty (Marianna Hill) drives to the beach town of Point Dume, California, to visit her estranged father, an artist. She finds his beachfront house abandoned. He left a diary in which he addresses her specifically. In it he complains about darkness consuming the town, and horrible nightmares he is having, and implores Arletty to never, ever look for him. His letter tells her to talk to the owner of the art gallery, who sells his paintings. The gallery owner says he has none of her father's paintings, does not sell them, no one ever comes in looking to buy his works, and says he doesn't know where he went. He says Point Dume is "an artist colony" and he only vaguely remembers her father (his paintings are eerie pop art portraits of groups of people in black, white, and gray, standing; the men are always dressed in black suits, white shirts, and black ties, like dead men at a funeral). It is never clear if these are townspeople, or figures from his visions, or both.
Arletty meets a visiting Portuguese-American aristocrat Thom (Michael Greer) and his two extremely provocative, groupie-like female companions, Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford). Back at his motel, Thom interviews Charlie, (Elisha Cook, Jr.) the local town eccentric. Charlie speaks at length about "the blood moon" and "the dark stranger" and how he has lived through both. He says very soon it will be the 100 year anniversary of the first appearance of the "dark stranger." He will return, the moon will turn red, and the town will be overrun with evil. Charlie warns Arletty about her father, he says he is "one of them" now. Moments later he is murdered off screen.
Thom, Toni, and Laura are kicked out of their hotel after interviewing Charlie, and stay at Arletty's father's house. Arletty reads through her father's bizarre journal entries, in which he reveals his body temperature is 85 degrees, and he mentions fighting his "condition." Meanwhile, each night, creatures gather on the beach in front of bonfires, staring straight up at the moon. The locals call it "The Waiting."
Late one evening before making a trip to San Francisco, Laura goes into the local Ralphs supermarket, and is devoured by a hoard of vampires who are feasting on raw meat; the following day, Toni goes to see a movie, and is also eaten by the other theater patrons, who are the same creatures. That evening, the "blood moon" rises, and the town's residents turn into vampires, and the titular "Messiah of Evil" returns. Through voice-over of Charlie's taped interviews, we learn that this "Messiah" was a former minister and a Donner Party survivor from the late 19th century turned vampire/cannibal, who has come to spread his new "religion" and lead his people up the coast and inland. While Thom hides, two policemen in riot gear drive up and fire their guns into a swarm of vampires; however, one of the cops suddenly begins to bleed, causing his now-former partner to shoot him and flee. Undaunted, the undead cop shoots his former ally, and he and the other vampires go to feast on his flesh.
Thom returns to the house, where he finds Arletty half-crazed; she is cold, cannot feel pain, and thinks she may be dead or undead. She even finds a bug crawling around in her mouth and immediately vomits up various beetles, mealworms and an anole. While Thom was gone, Arletty was visited by her father, who had warned her not to follow him and begs her to leave to tell the world about Point Dume. He then attacks her, reluctantly giving in to his "vampire" urges, and after she stabs him with garden shears before burning him alive. Startled by Thom, she stabs him in the arm with the shears. The two of them flee to the beach, but the ersatz vampires follow them, even in broad daylight. They swim out to the breakers, but Thom drowns. Arletty survives and is captured by the townspeople. Instead of killing her, she is let free under the condition that she spread word of the religious movement throughout California and the world. This causes her to be locked up in an insane asylum. Each day, all day, she sits in the sun painting, dreading the day the Messiah and his followers come to take her away.
Arletty meets a visiting Portuguese-American aristocrat Thom (Michael Greer) and his two extremely provocative, groupie-like female companions, Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford). Back at his motel, Thom interviews Charlie, (Elisha Cook, Jr.) the local town eccentric. Charlie speaks at length about "the blood moon" and "the dark stranger" and how he has lived through both. He says very soon it will be the 100 year anniversary of the first appearance of the "dark stranger." He will return, the moon will turn red, and the town will be overrun with evil. Charlie warns Arletty about her father, he says he is "one of them" now. Moments later he is murdered off screen.
Thom, Toni, and Laura are kicked out of their hotel after interviewing Charlie, and stay at Arletty's father's house. Arletty reads through her father's bizarre journal entries, in which he reveals his body temperature is 85 degrees, and he mentions fighting his "condition." Meanwhile, each night, creatures gather on the beach in front of bonfires, staring straight up at the moon. The locals call it "The Waiting."
Late one evening before making a trip to San Francisco, Laura goes into the local Ralphs supermarket, and is devoured by a hoard of vampires who are feasting on raw meat; the following day, Toni goes to see a movie, and is also eaten by the other theater patrons, who are the same creatures. That evening, the "blood moon" rises, and the town's residents turn into vampires, and the titular "Messiah of Evil" returns. Through voice-over of Charlie's taped interviews, we learn that this "Messiah" was a former minister and a Donner Party survivor from the late 19th century turned vampire/cannibal, who has come to spread his new "religion" and lead his people up the coast and inland. While Thom hides, two policemen in riot gear drive up and fire their guns into a swarm of vampires; however, one of the cops suddenly begins to bleed, causing his now-former partner to shoot him and flee. Undaunted, the undead cop shoots his former ally, and he and the other vampires go to feast on his flesh.
Thom returns to the house, where he finds Arletty half-crazed; she is cold, cannot feel pain, and thinks she may be dead or undead. She even finds a bug crawling around in her mouth and immediately vomits up various beetles, mealworms and an anole. While Thom was gone, Arletty was visited by her father, who had warned her not to follow him and begs her to leave to tell the world about Point Dume. He then attacks her, reluctantly giving in to his "vampire" urges, and after she stabs him with garden shears before burning him alive. Startled by Thom, she stabs him in the arm with the shears. The two of them flee to the beach, but the ersatz vampires follow them, even in broad daylight. They swim out to the breakers, but Thom drowns. Arletty survives and is captured by the townspeople. Instead of killing her, she is let free under the condition that she spread word of the religious movement throughout California and the world. This causes her to be locked up in an insane asylum. Each day, all day, she sits in the sun painting, dreading the day the Messiah and his followers come to take her away.
Keywords
Female Nudity
Independent Film
Female Full Frontal Nudity
Murder
Female Frontal Nudity
Psychotronic Film
Blood
Gore
1970s
Female Protagonist
Stabbing
Vampire
Shooting
Evil
Surprise Ending
Supernatural Power
Voice Over Narration
F Rated
Model
Zombie
Shot In The Back
Painting
Menage A Trois
Small Town
Curse
Satanism
19th Century
Three Word Title
Gas Station
Narration
Drowning
Religion
Cannibal
Rat
Vomiting
California
Undead
Title Directed By Female
Mercedes Benz
Locked In
Living Dead
Eaten Alive
Trapped
Insane Asylum
Throat Cut
Stabbed With Scissors
Supernatural Horror
Walking Dead
Good Versus Evil
Animal Cruelty
Burned To Death
Straight Razor
Covered In Blood
Evil Dead
Prophecy
Insect
Scuba Diver
Immolation
Repeated Scene
Killed By Evil Dead
Diary
Movie Theater
Unhappy Ending
Impervious To Bullets
Ghoul
Apocalypse
Candy Cinema
Voice Over Inner Thoughts
Stabbed With A Knife
Bitten By Evil Dead
Evil Priest
Moon
Eating Human Flesh
Attack
H.p. Lovecraft
Art Gallery
Sole Survivor
Human Prey
Tape Recording
Warning
Virus
Journal
Hit With A Fireplace Poker
Local Legend
Offscreen Killing
Female Vomiting
Burned Body
Human Flesh
Flesh Eating
Dead
Stranger
Dark
Raw Meat
Coast
Searching For Father
Convenience Store
Suspended Upside Down
Woman In A Bath
Burned Hand
Human As Food
Reading Someone Else's Diary
Daughter Murders Her Father
Bitten By A Vampire
Set On Fire
Man In Black
Father Daughter Estrangement
Estranged Father
Waiting
Vampire Messiah
Vampire Cult
Wagner
Eating Raw Meat
Eating A Live Mouse
Shocker
Dead Body In A Truck Bed
Reference To Richard Wagner
Supermarket Freak Out
Movie Theatre Patron
Devoured
Evil Cult
Overrun
Torn To Pieces
Playboy
Testimony
Murder Of A Policeman
Reference To The Donner Party
Disturbing Scene
Sketch Pad
Feeling Someone's Face
Riding In The Back Of A Pickup Truck
Singing To Oneself
Artist Studio
Crashing Through A Skylight
Blood Dripping From Eyes
Self Piercing
Bug In Mouth
Telling A Story
Swimming In The Ocean
Covered With Paint
Cut With A Knife
Eye Bleeding
Blood Moon
Unable To Feel Pain
Eating In A Movie Theatre
Beacon
Bleeding From One's Ear
Bleeding Painting
Burning One's Hand On A Hot Stove
Crashing Through A Stained Glass Window
Eating A Live Animal
Eating Of Humans
Evil Albino
Evil Dead Apocalypse
Evil Reverend
Evil Stranger
Faked Death Of Father
Fox Theatre
Hunting Humans
Insect In Mouth
Killed In Theater
Looking At The Moon
Looking At The Ocean
Male Police Officer Killed
Messiah Prophecy
Mobil Gas Station
Old Gods
Presumed Drowned
Public Domain Movie
Reference To A Sirocco
Reference To Africa
Reference To Dope
Reference To Idaho
Reference To Portugal
Reference To San Francisco
Reference To Spain
Reference To The Greeks
Religious Conversion
Return From The Sea
Singing Amazing Grace
Stabbed With Shears
Throat Cut With A Straight Razor
Turning Into Evil Dead
Woman Eaten Alive
Breach Of Movie Theater Etiquette
Burning Evil Dead
Destroyed By Fire
Human Versus Evil Dead
Return Of Evil Dead
Street Overrun By Evil Dead
Trapped By Evil Dead
Conversing With Evil Dead
Evil Dead Infection
Evil Dead Intruder
Zombie Horror
Daughter Kills Her Father
Shot In The Torso
Daughter Searches For Her Missing Father
Father Attacks His Daughter
Raggedy Ann Doll
Undead Priest
Return Of Father
Religious Faith
Movie Screen
Coastal Town
100th Anniversary
Red Moon
Movie Theater Interior
Missing Father
Messiah
Flesh Eater
Bleeding From The Eyes
Bad Religion
Second Coming
Bloody Moon
Albino
Stained Glass Window
Art Studio
Donner Party
Supermarket
Title Co Directed By Female
Also Known As
Dead People, The Second Coming, Revenge of the Screaming Dead, Blood Virgin, Blood Virgin, The Second Coming, Dead People