MESSIAH OF EVIL (Willard Huyck, 1973)

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

To think, the director of this would one day go on to make the masterpiece that is Howard the Duck...

[Spaghetti Monkey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Spaghetti Monkey]

Heheh, i actually like HtD for what it is, more than i dislike it for what it isn't. But still, this would be a horrible double feature.

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

Heheh, i actually like HtD for what it is, more than i dislike it for what it isn't. But still, this would be a horrible double feature.

I unironically have always loved Howard, but I am also fully cognizant of its shortcomings and the hatred for it. Interestingly, I once read an interview in Comics Scene with Huyck, and almost all of the movie's flaws came down to George Lucas' creative interference and demands for a PG-rated movie.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

The reissue is now in stock at Diabolik.

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/...ay-all-region/

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Radiance Films are reissuing this as a special edition using a new restoration of the best available elements. It'll be out in October, limited to 3000 copies.

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/prod...iah-of-evil-le

Messiah of Evil

A woman arrives in a sleepy seaside town after receiving unsettling letters from her father, only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hunger for human flesh. From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of American Grafitti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Howard the Duck, this dreamy and atmospheric film transposes the post-Night of the Living Dead zombie movie to a surreal small-town American setting, presented through gorgeous Techniscope visuals that echo the stylish European horror of Mario Bava and Hammer. A true cult film, Messiah of Evil, which was also released as Dead People, has overcome distribution challenges to enjoy growing awareness and high acclaim after decades of word-of-mouth enthusiasm among horror cinema fans and critics around the world.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

New 2023 restoration from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements of the film from the Academy Film Archive
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Audio commentary by critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower
Archival interview with co-writer-director Willard Huyck by Mike White from the Projection Booth Podcast
A new documentary on the film with more information to be revealed
Visual essay on the American Gothic by critic Kat Ellinger
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new and archival writing
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
More to be confirmed!

[s.chivers Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close s.chivers]

Timely news. I streamed this recently and really enjoyed it. Have been looking around for a decent physical release.

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

Really glad I held off from buying the Code Red blu-ray - looks like this should finally be the proper release/resotration this film deserves.

Got my pre-order in, even though (for reasons I won't go into here) I essentially have no money.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

Ugh, not a UHD? I already have the Code Rd disc. And I can't stay away from another Kim Newman commentary. Here's hoping it sells out too quick and UHD is coming...but I'm sure I won't be able to resist.

[killer must kill again Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close killer must kill again]

thank god, I thought we would be stuck with that subpar code red release forever!

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Some more details released.

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/prod...iah-of-evil-le

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

New 2023 restoration from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements of the film from the Academy Film Archive
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Audio commentary by critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower
Archival interview with co-writer-director Willard Huyck by Mike White from the Projection Booth Podcast
What the Blood Moon Brings: Messiah of Evil, A New American Nightmare - A documentary feature which explores Messiah of Evil in the context of American independent cinema of the 70s, as well as examining the film's allegiance to several subgenres of horror film through its underlying themes. Co-directed by Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger; featuring film scholars Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Maitland McDonagh, Guy Adams, Mikel Koven and David Huckvale (2023)
Visual essay on American Gothic and Female Hysteria by critic Kat Ellinger (2023)
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page book featuring writing by Bill Ackerman, Joseph Dwyer, Amanda Reyes, Andy Mashall-Roberts and Larissa Glasser
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings