Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Willard Huyck/Gloria Katz
Starring: Marianna Hill, Michael Greer, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano
From: V/M Productions/International Cine Film Corp.
Yep, this is the sort of movie that has a blind... art dealer?!
Last night on Shudder I saw two of the three movies that played during Elvira's 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special. Yes, Cassandra Peterson has played the character for 4 full decades now; she struck gold with a gimmick that worked perfectly for her and has entertained many with its campy charm for so many years. Also, if you haven't heard it was made public a few days ago that since the early 2000's she had a romantic relationship w/ a woman. The first film was the OG The House on Haunted Hill, something I've watched a few times so it did not need a revisit. This does mean that tomorrow's review will be of 1960's The City of the Dead; there is more that I could say about Messiah of Evil.
Then again, if you asked me to explain the plot... how can you explain something you don't understand? It has a surreal dream sort of logic and that is not something which is always appealing to my logical tastes. Ostensibly it is about a young woman who goes to a California town to search for her missing father—it's actually more complicated than that. This includes: bizarre paintings from her father that included escalators (?!), long rambling conversations, the Donner Party, an Albino who is supposed to be creepy because he's an Albino-that hasn't aged well-a blind art dealer, blood moons, what appears to be a rotting corpse version of Hitler, and a non-sequitor opening involving a young man who apparently was played by... WALTER HILL. That raised my eyebrows when I discovered this fact after the movie.
Many people loving this is understandable; it is effective at creating an unsettling languid mood. Of course, many others will think like me and note that besides the plot being as loose as a goose, there are many dull stretches as the pace is like molasses. Be that as it may, even if by accident it was successful at creating some sort of mood; plus, there are two genuine well-done suspense sequences. It took a long while after I first heard of this movie to realize it was written/directed by Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz, best known for their screenplays for the likes of American Graffiti & Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom... although to me they will be best known-at least by me-for giving us HOWARD THE DUCK on screen.
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