Messiah of Evil (1974)
Donner, party of two. Donner.
Transcript
Hello, I'm Philip Salon. I'm a film critic and author of the book 101 films you could see before you die. And this is off the marquee where we spend a minute with a movie you might consider revisiting.
Speaker B:Fans of Dario Argento's unique brand of supernatural horror should take note of this unusual 1974 horror production.
Speaker C:Messiah of Evil is a visually striking.
Speaker B:Horror film with a penchant for the.
Speaker D:Melodramatic and a stifling atmosphere.
Speaker A:Created by excellent cinematography and a terrific.
Speaker C:Moog soundtrack by Phyllin Bishop.
Speaker A:The story follows a woman named Arletti.
Speaker D:Portrayed by Mariana Hill.
Speaker C:Arletti is searching for her estranged artist father who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Speaker B:In her search, she runs across a.
Speaker C:Group of blase, hip people who take.
Speaker D:Her down a dark avenue only to.
Speaker C:Become fodder for a force taking over a small seaside town. In this scene, we hear her father's voice as she reads his diary. Her father has resigned his fate to a mysterious force haunting him.
Speaker E:These grotesque images keep crowding in on me. At night. I find myself wandering alone in town, catching glimpses of horrid animals I. I know can't be there. And along the dark beach, faces haunt me. Pale women with sleepless eyes and shadowy figures staring toward the black water.
Speaker C:In his diary, he implores her not to search for him, but if she.
Speaker D:Didn'T look for him, it wouldn't be a horror movie.
Speaker C:And her problems escalate the longer she hangs around the seaside town where he was last seen.
Speaker D:Here we hear her through narration, feeling hopeless about her situation.
Speaker F:We could go no further. They were all around watching us, staring at us as if we were trapped animals caught.
Speaker A:The film adheres to tropes set by.
Speaker C:George Romero's zombie movies while maintaining the clandestine atmosphere of an H. P. Lovecraft story.
Speaker A:This low budget american horror film is.
Speaker D:A great choice for fans of italian horror, fans of George Romero films, or just a great way to spend Halloween.
Speaker A:I'm Philips Allen and this has been off the marquee. You're listening to 91.7 W YXR.
Speaker F:You. You.
Episode Notes
Messiah of Evil has recently been given the big restoration treatment if you can catch it in a theater.
Marianna Hill’s other notable role in the movies was the out-of-control Deanna Corleone in The Godfather II (1974).
Messiah of Evil was screened recently at 2023's Indie Memphis Film Festival.
Billups Allen’s book 101 Films You Could See Before You Die is available through Goner Records. Off the Marquee on the web.