Messiah of Evil 1973

 Husband and wife team Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz wrote and directed this 1973 film about a woman who goes off in search of her missing father in Pointe Dune a tiny beach town in California.  Point Dune is considered an artist colony which can lean toward the unusual but there's more than just weird going on here.  Huyck and Katz are also responsible for writing the screenplays of some better known films such as American Graffitti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Howard The Duck.  Hey, I didn't say they were all good films just better known.  Marianna Hill (High Planes Drifter) plays Arletty the woman looking for her father. 

 In her search, Arletty meets Thom (Michael Greer) and his groupies Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford) who are in a hotel room interviewing a local eccentric named Charlie (Elisha Cook Jr.) who tells them about the 100 year anniversary of the "dark stranger" who will soon be returning.  He tells Arletty that her father is "one of them" now and she will have to kill him.  Everybody in this town is loony I gotta tell you.  I never fully got a handle on what was going on with the story and I think it's made for the viewers to feel that way.  It keeps us off balance and you certainly never see where the story is going until it's too late. 

There's a sense of foreboding present all through the picture with nearly all of the film taking place at night.  In a hint of irony one of the characters goes to see a movie and the theater marque advertises "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" as the film (back when theaters only played one movie) they are featuring.  A little foreshadowing perhaps?  This movie isn't much on the surface and it takes awhile before you even realize this is a zombie movie.  None of the actors do more than an average job except for Michael Greer who is the best part of the film.  Take out the grocery store and the movie theater scenes and this movie doesn't rate very well.  Even with them 2 and a half Bleeding Eyeballs is all I can muster for this one.