Messiah of Evil (1973)

Husband and wife filmmaking duo Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz were classmates and frequently collaborated with George Lucas, writing not only HOWARD THE DUCK but also AMERICAN GRAFFITI and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.

For this project, they also teamed with legendary production designer/art director Jack Fisk, the collaborator of choice for David Lynch, Terrence Malick and Paul Thomas Anderson.

Although MESSIAH OF EVIL seems to have fallen through the cracks of critical acclaim and cult status, this fever dream nightmare follows a young woman in search of her father in a very strange, eerie and unsettling seaside town.

In Fisk’s hands, seemingly simple set pieces — a visit to the supermarket, the gas station or the cinema — become complex booby traps that are electric in their intensity.

Long and short, this movie is good. Real good. If you haven’t seen it, you should rectify that.

“One of the 1970s’ most visually audacious and inventive supernatural tales.” - Mondo Digital