Messiah Complex
If you have any doubt that the early 70s were one of the most fertile times for low-budget, nightmarish American horror, then this newly remastered edition of `Messiah of Evil' ought to help convert you to an unfettered worship of that glorious era. The plot concerns a lady named Arletty (Marianna Hill) who travels to eerie Pointe Doune in the hope of tracking down her increasingly isolated, mentally-degenerating father (Royal Dano). Once there, she meets up with swinging folklorist Thom (Michael Greer) and his `travelling companions' and starts to fall victim to a local curse spawned by a century-bygone devil-preacher, a curse that, amongst other things, afflicts the locals with a craving for meat and murder...
A slow-burning piece of work, William Huyck's film is a wonderful journey into a twisted reality increasingly detached from mainstream existence. Its closest contemporary is definitely the brilliant `Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural', both featuring a similar dreamlike ambience, and showcasing the central plot of a daughter's quest for her father amongst the undead. Whilst `Lemora' is in my view the superior film (it has that extra level of overt Freudian anxiety that `Messiah' lacks, and Cheryl Smith is a far more compelling heroine), `Messiah' really benefits from a sense of stylistic creepiness and artfulness all its own. Highpoints include Arletty's arrival at her father's oddly painted house, walls bedecked with unnerving figures, stuffed dogs in evidence, perspective frequently manipulated to disorientating effect, not to mention any scene involving Bennie Robinson's freakish trucker, particularly his ratty late night encounter with Greer's chum. Then there are the strange vignettes of the villagers at the beach, and, best of all, the cinema scene. Once viewed, never forgotten, if `Messiah' has one real claim to fame, this deeply unsettling set-piece is it. Furthermore, Phillan Bishop's haunting score is deeply evocative, and director Huyck goes out of his way to make heavy use of red and blue lighting and colour schemes, giving the movie a lurid style highly reminiscent of Dario Argento's `Suspiria', as pointed out by another astute reviewer.
A word must be said about Code Red's dedication to presenting this lost gem in the grandeur it deserves. My previous experience with the film was on DVD paired with `The Devil's Nightmare', but this proved a frankly appalling rendition of the movie which was barely watchable (if at all), and is to be avoided at all costs. To even compare the two discs in any way would be grossly insulting to this Code Red edition: whilst `Messiah...' is clearly a low-budget film with a less than pristine visual quality, the Code Red team have done wonders making it look as good as they have. `Messiah...' is now in its original 2.35:1 scope aspect ratio, with full participation of the Huyck, and is accompanied by a commentary, audio interview, featurette and short films by the director. A round of applause for all involved.
Further viewing? Well, if `Lemora' is the contemporary, Dan O'Bannon's cult classic `Dead and Buried' is the clear descendant, along with John Carpenter's `In the Mouth of Madness', which sports a similar feel and asylum-based framing sequence. But in all honesty, there is little like `Messiah of Evil' out there. So what do you with films like this? To paraphrase Bennie Robinson, you devour them, that's what you do with them! Happy eating.
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