Messiah Of Evil
- Css Darth-Sheol
- Feb 21, 2015
- 4 min read
If there’s one thing I’ll say about Messiah of Evil (AKA “Dead People”) it’s that it doesn’t seem like any other movie to me. When I first saw it I didn't have much firsthand knowledge of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Now that I'm more familiar with his work I can't help but see similarities in the underlying style. There’s little to no cliché in this piece which can be both good and bad depending on the viewer. If you prefer something more familiar then you’re likely to find yourself disinterested due to a lack of being able to relate. If you're tired of the same-ol' same-ol' then this might be a welcome change.
The movie revolves around Arletty, a young woman traveling to a rinky-dink town to find her father who has mysteriously cut off all communications with his family. She is walking into a nightmare.
Taking up in her father's abandoned house, Arletty finds her father's journal and begins reading about his descent into madness; a madness that seems to have affected the whole town diving them to cannibalistic tendencies brought on by a “Dark Stranger” who has come out of the sea.
Arletty's only companions are a trio of strangers who have been shunned by the townsfolk. One of them, Thom, has heard stories about the “blood moon” in this area and has come to research it. He and his two girlfriends quickly find themselves caught up in the nightmare alongside Arletty.
For the most part this is a decent story told in an artistic way. It creates a strong mood and often does feel like a nightmare rather than a narrative though the narrative is not tossed out the window to achieve the dream-like state. However, there are numerous problems that hold it back.
The unfolding of the mysterious madness is intriguing, yet what we’re dealing with remains too ambiguous for too long. Too quick a pace would ruin it, but a little bit more speed in getting to the terror might help some. And some more complete explanations would help a lot.
There is a lot of narration as Arletty recants her story while reading her father’s journal to us. The monologues themselves are well written, even poetic, but it feels like too much after a while. There are other smaller elements such as out-of-focus hallway shots that go on far too long.
Maybe this is supposed to be a part of the dream-like quality, but I really don’t get the beginning of the movie. The primary cause of death of the victims we see initially is slashed throats. Very quickly this becomes a barely remembered fact and doesn’t fit in with the actions of anyone as we come to see more of the effects of the spreading madness.
Another big problem for me is the ending. It makes some attempt to come around full circle but doesn’t do so adequately, nor does it satisfactorily explain what’s going on exactly. The “Dark Stranger” (the one I mentioned from the sea) is talked about as if he’s central to the events yet barely gets a mention elsewhere. After a little reading I learned that this was not the intended ending at all; lack of funds caused the filmmakers to lose control of the project. It makes me wonder what the movie could have been if the true ending had been filmed. This explains why the end feels out of place and incomplete.
Most of the acting is good. Leads Michael Greer and Marianna Hill do particularly good jobs. Elisha Cook, Jr. turns in a memorable cameo. Nobody stands out to me as bad although some are definitely not as good as others. This is a big deal since the terror takes so long to build up; without adequate acting this might be boring to the point of being unwatchable.
MORALITY:
This is a violent movie with plenty of blood, disturbing scenes, and cannibalistic themes.
There are a few sexual suggestions and revealing moments (partial nudity).
There is very little strong language.
SPIRITUALITY:
Some of the characters believe that what is happening in the town is a result of people leaving the ways of God. However, this is the perspective of a character and not an official explanation of what's going on.
Since the concept of the dark stranger never gets explored to its full potential, the notion of a “messiah of evil” is left up to interpretation. From a Cthulhu mythos point of view it could refer to an emissary of an elder god, from a Christian viewpoint it could be demonic. Either way it's bad news for the people of the town as violent madness invades.
While we might not become uncontrollable cannibals, though there seems to be a disturbing number of news stories lately that involve such behavior, when we let darkness invade our lives we can count on death and destruction being the result.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Messiah of Evil is a decent film if you like strong atmosphere and don't mind a lack of action. If the director had been allowed to finish up with what rumors say the plot was supposed to be (with a connection between Thom and the Dark Stranger) it might have really been a good flick. I encourage Lovecraft fans especially to check it out and see if you agree with my assessment that he must have been an influence on the writers.
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