Amid a filmography mostly distinguished by projects made with George Lucas—American Graffiti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Howard the Duck, Radioland Murders, uncredited script-doctor work on Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope—married creative team Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz have one oddball credit: 1974’s Messiah of Evil.
The eerie story of a woman (Marianna Hill) searching for her missing father has just arrived on Shudder, and it’s well worth seeking out. Not only is it an early-career curiosity for Huyck and Katz, but it’s also an exceptionally dread-filled example of the “beach horror” subgenre. Despite the coastal vibes in Point Dune, which looks suspiciously like Malibu, you wouldn’t want to vacation here; the waves roll in, and the sand conceals dark secrets—until they claw their way to the surface.
Messiah of Evil relies heavily on voice-over, a telltale sign of a low-budget production that here enhances the spiraling mental state of its main character, Arletty, which is mirrored by her father’s increasingly disturbing diary entries. The narration—which sets the tone by letting us know Arletty will be institutionalized by the end of her ordeal—is matched by a haunting soundscape, including constant howling winds and an unearthly electronic score.
Concerned that her dad, a famous artist, has cut off communication, Arletty drives to his beach house, determined to track him down despite his explicit instructions not to. The unsettling encounter she has at a gas station on the edge of town doesn’t divert her, but that’s just the beginning of the weirdness she’ll face. Despite Point Dune’s picturesque surf and quaint main street, this isn’t a tourist destination, and outsiders are looked at with suspicion.
Arletty wouldn’t need to tangle with any townspeople if her father were where he’s supposed to be, but his hippie haven of a beach cottage contains only the work he’s left behind, including taxidermied animals and murals depicting leering faces and an escalator to nowhere. It’s here she finds the diary, filled with entries charting the old man’s growing panic as he senses something is not right—and that an evil force entwined within the locals is the reason why.
A visit to Point Dune’s curiously empty downtown brings Arletty into contact with more characters, but the nightmarish reality she’s stumbled into, which has shades of Carnival of Souls, is relentless. A trio of drifters led by the well-dressed, Mercedes-driving Thom (Michael Greer) are also looking for Arletty’s father. They’re interested in his connection to local folklore about a figure known as “the Dark Stranger” who’s linked to the ominous cosmic event of a blood moon. As we soon see, it’s not just a myth to the true believers who gather around beach bonfires awaiting their leader’s return.
Adding to Messiah of Evil’s cult cred is that this “religion” imbues its bleeding-eyed followers with cannibalistic urges. The film’s two scariest scenes lean into this with ghoulish glee. In one, a woman realizes all the other customers in a nearly empty supermarket are hunched over the meat freezer, devouring the goods—until they realize a fresh specimen is nearby and give chase. In another, a different woman merrily munches popcorn at the movies, unaware that the rows behind her are slowly filling with people who’ve arrived not for the feature but to feast on her flesh. They’re not zombies, exactly, but Messiah of Evil is often compared to George A. Romero’s early output, with good reason.
You can see a tiny way into the more ghoulish aspects of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom from Messiah of Evil, which also features its own creepy-crawly scene, but otherwise this early ‘70s relic feels like a self-contained product of its times. Eagle-eyed viewers will note a few famous faces; Walter Hill, director of The Warriors and 48 Hrs., gets his throat slashed in an opening-scene cameo; legendary character actor Elisha Cook Jr. pops up as the drunk who issues one of many warnings Arletty really should have thought about heeding.
Though Messiah of Evil introduces a lot of backstory, including a flashback within what’s already structured as Arletty reflecting on her disastrous time in Point Dune, its atmosphere ends up winning out over its plot. Not all the dots quite connect at the end. But by that point, the ride’s been worth it. Bodies have been ripped apart, the sky has gone crimson, and an apocalyptic gloom has seeped into the frame. Beware the town, beware the beach, and beware the moon.
Messiah of Evil is now streaming on Shudder; you can also find it on MGM+ and for free with ads on Tubi, Plex, and Pluto TV.
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