The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Messiah of Evil
Horror · Mystery · 1975
A young woman searching for her missing artist father finds herself in the strange seaside town of Point Dune, which seems to be under the influence of a mysterious undead cult.
Movie details
Messiah of Evil
“Terror you won't want to remember—in a film you won’t be able to forget.”
1975 Horror · Mystery 1h 30m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.3 / 10
Community rating
A young woman searching for her missing artist father finds herself in the strange seaside town of Point Dune, which seems to be under the influence of a mysterious undead cult.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Messiah of Evil?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Dead & Buried
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After a series of gory murders commited by mobs of townspeople against visiting tourists, the corpses appear to be coming back to life and living normally as locals in the small town.
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One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one...only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening.
Apostle
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In 1905, a man travels to a remote island in search of his missing sister who has been kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult.
The Fog
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A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Us
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Night of the Living Dead
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A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.
Inmate Zero
Horror · 2020
There's a zombie outbreak after a medical trial in an international detention and medical facility on an isolated island. An ex US Special Forces/bodyguard woman inmate and a guard form a team.
Paranormal Activity
Horror · 2007
After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.
The Wretched
Horror · 2019
A rebellious teenage boy, struggling with his parents' imminent divorce, encounters a terrifying evil after his next-door neighbor becomes possessed by an ancient witch that feasts on children.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Willard Huyck · Gloria Katz
Written by
Willard Huyck · Gloria Katz
Marianna Hill
Arletty Lang
Michael Greer
Thom
Joy Bang
Toni
Anitra Ford
Laura
Royal Dano
Joseph Lang
Elisha Cook Jr.
Charlie
Charles Dierkop
Gas Attendant
Court is in session
Put Messiah of Evil on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.