Dead People (1973)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Willard Huyck

Writers:

Willard Huyck (writer)
Gloria Katz (writer)

Release Date:

1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

In order to live, they will take you one by one ... and no one will hear you scream!

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Living Dead | Art Studio | Attack | Supermarket

Cast

Michael Greer	...	Thom
Marianna Hill	...	Arletty (as Mariana Hill)
Joy Bang	...	Toni
Anitra Ford	...	Laura
Royal Dano	...	Joseph Long
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Charlie
Charles Dierkop	...	Gas Attendant
Bennie Robinson	...	Albino trucker
Morgan Fisher
Emma Truckman
Dyanne Asimow		(as Dyanne Simon)
Herb Margolis
Alex Michaels
Walter Hill
Laurie Charlap-Hyman

Also Known As:

Messiah of Evil
Revenge of the Screaming Dead
The Second Coming

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R

Company:

International Cine Film Corp.

Trivia:

It has long been rumored that a subplot involving a connection between Thom and the Dark Stranger was cut from the film. Michael Greer (Thom) played the role of the Dark Stranger, there's a scene where Thom tells Arletty of dream he had similar to the legend of the Dark Stranger, and during an interview before the filming star Michael Greer said he would be playing the role of "the devil's son" in Messiah of Evil (Dead People).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The sound towards the end somehow develops a three-second delay from when the characters open their mouths to when we actually hear their voices.

Quotes:

Arletty: [narrating] They're coming here. They're waiting at the edge of the city. They're peering around buildings at night, and they're waiting. They waiting for you! And they'll take you one by one and noone will hear you scream. Noone will hear you SCREAM!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hold On To Love

A Deeply Atmospheric yet Shamefully Forgotten Film

Unsettling... surreal... otherworldly... those are just a few words one can use to describe this picture. Engrossing... unforgettable... a few more. This movie is worth a thousand words only because no one word will suffice.

Messiah of Evil is the story of a woman who goes looking for her father after he mysteriously stops correspondence with her. When she arrives at his seaside home, she finds that the whole town has gone quite batty. She is joined by a far out new-age couple who were curiously attracted to the strange town. Together, the trio find out that the town has become one big, evil, flesh and blood craving, moon worshiping zombie cult.

This movie is filled to the brim with creepy atmosphere, chilling scenes, very strange and memorable characters, and plenty of genuine w.t.f. moments. Watching this film it, at times, felt like it was shot in another dimension. A world of its own creation.

Don't hesitate to seek out this hidden piece of 70s surrealism and fright. Just sit back and let it catch you off guard.