In the last week, I've watched two other "bad" movies. One was truly bad (Cyclone) and one was a lot of fun (Rawhead Rex). This takes the fun of a "bad" movie but adds a layer of intrigue with ambition and imagination.
For a while, I kept thinking about Messiah of Evil. I grinned when the main character ends up encountering a swarm of meandering undead. But this movie isn't beholden to any single film. There are glimpses of Lynchian encounters and practical creature effects. However, this movie is able to chug along quite successfully because of two main ingredients: editing and dream illogic. I mention both at the same time because they're working in tandem to create an interesting flow. There are many sequences that don't seem concerned if you know, or even if the film knows, whether we're somewhere in dreams or reality.
With that said, as confusing or nonsensical as the story becomes, it still feels like there is a directional coherence going on behind the camera. Even if it doesn't make sense to us, it still feels like Jay Woelfel's vision is being executed as intended. There is a surprising amount of experimentation other "bad" films simply couldn't conceive of. Whether it's a motif of a shattering lightbulb or an abstracting prismatic lens, there are a plethora of ideas here which are genuinely good and intentional.
There's a lot to admire here and I'm glad for letterboxd and some people I follow for putting this on my radar. These types of gems make me glad I pursue the weird and unknown.
In the last week, I've watched two other "bad" movies. One was truly bad (Cyclone) and one was a lot of fun (Rawhead Rex). This takes the fun of a "bad" movie but adds a layer of intrigue with ambition and imagination.
For a while, I kept thinking about Messiah of Evil. I grinned when the main character ends up encountering a swarm of meandering undead. But this movie isn't beholden to any single film. There are glimpses of Lynchian encounters and practical creature effects. However, this movie is able to chug along quite successfully because of two main ingredients: editing and dream illogic. I mention both at the same time because they're working in tandem to create an interesting flow. There are many sequences that don't seem concerned if you know, or even if the film knows, whether we're somewhere in dreams or reality.
With that said, as confusing or nonsensical as the story becomes, it still feels like there is a directional coherence going on behind the camera. Even if it doesn't make sense to us, it still feels like Jay Woelfel's vision is being executed as intended. There is a surprising amount of experimentation other "bad" films simply couldn't conceive of. Whether it's a motif of a shattering lightbulb or an abstracting prismatic lens, there are a plethora of ideas here which are genuinely good and intentional.
There's a lot to admire here and I'm glad for letterboxd and some people I follow for putting this on my radar. These types of gems make me glad I pursue the weird and unknown.
