Dreamlike, poetic example of horror as art

Vince-5

Messiah of Evil (the most common title) is not the kind of zombie movie that most people expect. The zombies are small-town residents slowly turned into the living dead by a supernatural force while remaining functional the whole time. They are able to speak, move, and act as a living person would; their main objective is not to eat the living (although they do), but to wait for the coming of their dark messiah. If this concept turns you off, then you may want to skip this movie.

With that out of the way, the film is a surreal, expressionistic, and highly imaginative piece of avant-garde terror. The above-average cast turns in superb performances, with Michael Greer and Marianna Hill sympathetic as the offbeat leads. The images are amazing: Joy Bang slowly surrounded by zombies in the cinema, the marquee reading KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, Greer roaming the deserted streets, the bleeding citizens of Point Dune staring out at the ocean...I could go on and on. The low budget shows, and the faded, grainy color composition only enhances the phantasmagorical tone. Elisha Cook's recounting of the town's history is incredibly creepy, as is Hill's narration (in both hysteria and cool detachment). Raun McKinnon's sad, plaintive performance of the theme song, "Hold on to Love," is another haunting aspect. An intelligent, chilling modern horror movie that doesn't need buckets of on-screen gore to make it's point.

score /10

Vince-5 1 May 2001

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0134801/