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It’s hard to believe at first glance that the surreal Lovecraftian horrors of Messiah of Evil are courtesy of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, who wrote both the warm nostalgia bath that is American Graffiti and the absurd comic book antics of Howard the Duck. But there are definite similarities between these films. American Graffiti and Messiah of Evil each capture a particular milieu at the end of an era, whether that’s provincial Modesto before the Beatles and Vietnam, or a beach town being overtaken by an evil cult. And Messiah of Evil and Howard the Duck both concern a cataclysmic threat from another realm.

Messiah of Evil focuses on Arletty (Marianna Hill), a young woman who’s come to Point Dune on the California coast looking for her famous artist father, Joseph Lang (Royal Dano). She soon makes the acquaintance of raffish Thom (Michael Greer), a nomadic...

The 70s - a decade of atmosphere-heavy satanic strangeness that brought renowned classics and underseen gems alike. Unfortunately, many great, genuinely creepy flicks got lost in the mix, though a lot have since developed their rightful cult followings. Others still haven't quite found their audience despite how worthy of impassioned fandom they may be.

One particular film, a little-known piece of atmospheric vampire gold titled Messiah of Evil, hasn't even built up the signs of a cult following, which is an upsetting fact for those who know and treasure it. This surreal, coastal-set tale of the undead isn't merely underrated, it's perhaps the most criminally underseen 70s horror in existence. It's an unshakably creepy exercise in moody horror. An experimental exhibition of just the right weirdness. It's your textbook "town where people are acting strange" eerie terror. Messiah Of Evil should be an inspiration to any horror filmmaker aiming to...

The exploitation films of the ‘70s always offered up the goods to everyone. And by goods I mean a whole lot of sex and violence, and if you were so inclined to notice behind fogged up eyewear, pulpy takes on the relevant social issues of the day. Not all were created equal, of course; they can’t all be clever variants of the form such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, or Foxy Brown. However, they almost all deal with female empowerment and Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) more than checks off all the boxes, squeezing every last drop of pulp from its sci-fi fruit.

Released by Centaur Dimension Pictures in June, Invasion of the Bee Girls Aka Graveyard Tramps (it doesn’t really fit, but is one of the best alternate titles I’ve ever heard) managed to fairly impress critics on its tour of local theatres and drive-ins, including Roger Ebert,...

April's Blu-ray and DVD releases are kicking off in a big way, as we have a lot of great genre releases to get excited for this week. Mike Mendez’s Don’t Kill It arrives on both formats April 4th as well as the cult classic Invasion of the Bee Girls, which makes its HD bow courtesy of Scream Factory. Mill Creek has put together a triple dose of terror with their Psycho Circus Triple Feature Blu-ray set, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is keeping busy with their releases of Ghost of New Orleans, A Room to Die For, and We Go On this Tuesday.

Other notable home entertainment titles arriving this Tuesday include The Evil Within, Tank 432, Don’t Hang Up and the DVD set for Medium: The Complete Series.

Don’t Kill It (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)

When an ancient demon is accidentally unleashed in a...

Scream Factory releases Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) on high-def home media beginning April 4th, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.

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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Invasion of the Bee Girls.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Invasion of the Bee Girls Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on April 9th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States.

The Hudson Horror Show returns to Poughkeepsie, NY, on November 16, and this installment of the event is bringing some truly iconic Kurt Russell films as well as some forgotten gems.

Headlined by Russell's classics Escape From New York and The Thing, this edition of Hudson Horror Show may end up being the best one yet. In addition to those two films, you'll also get Invasion of the Bee Girls and Horror Express as well as a fifth "mystery" film which won't be announced until the day of the show.

The last event completely sold out so if you're interested in attending, we'd recommend you get yourself moving and order your tickets today. Plus, yours truly will be there hosting and handing out goodies!

For more info and to purchase tix, visit the official Hudson Horror Show website, "like" Hudson Horror Show on Facebook and follow Hudson Horror Show on Twitter...

The lineup for Hudson Horror Show 8 has been officially announced and includes 35mm screenings of Escape From New York, The Thing, and more:

“Hudson Horror Show is proud to announce our full lineup for the Hudson Valley’s horror and exploitation film festival, Hudson Horror Show. Hhs #8 will be on Saturday, November 16th 2013, at Silver Cinemas South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Doors open at noon, show starts at 1Pm.

Headliner #1 is the 1981 sci-fi/action classic Escape From New York. John Carpenter directed one of the most amazing genre casts ever featuring Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Lee Van Cleef and of course Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, who we all heard was dead.

Headliner #2 is the 1982 horror/sci-fi thrill ride John Carpenter’S The Thing. Carpenter and Russell teamed up again for one of the scariest films ever made, which boasts the...

The Warner Archive Collection continues its rollout of fanboy-centric DC Comics properties with the December 11 DVD release of the original 1974 television pilot, Wonder Woman, starring Cathy Lee Crosby; and the much-requested sophomore season of the Alexander Salkind & Ilya Salkind produced Superboy: The Complete Second Season.

Before Lynda Carter took the heroine back to World War 2 for her "New, Original" incarnation in 1975, statuesque tennis pro-turned-performer Cathy Lee Crosby swung the magic lasso in a very different TV incarnation of Wonder Woman. As developed by scribe John D.F. Black (Star Trek, Shaft), and seemingly influenced by her recent turn as a mod, cat-suited crime-fighter in the pages of her DC Comics home, this Amazon Princess was more superspy than superhero. Still, many of the expected wondrous elements from bracelets and lassos to Paradise Island and invisible jets all make an appearance, albeit with a sleek, seventies espionage super-action refit. Three years...

Before Lynda Carter took the heroine back to World War 2 for her “New, Original” incarnation in 1975, statuesque tennis pro-turned-performer Cathy Lee Crosby swung the magic lasso in a very different TV incarnation of Wonder Woman. As developed by scribe John D.F. Black (Star Trek, Shaft), and seemingly influenced by her recent turn as a mod, cat-suited crime-fighter in the pages of her DC Comics home, this Amazon Princess was more superspy than superhero. Still, many of the expected wondrous elements from bracelets and lassos to Paradise Island and invisible jets all make an appearance, albeit with a sleek, seventies espionage super-action refit. Three years before taking up residence on Fantasy Island, Ricardo Montalban plays laconic lothario Abner Smith, who lurks at the top of the conspiracy to make off with ultra-secret code books – leading Agent Prince to discover an Amazon sister-in-exile (Anitra Ford). Following the popular release of its...

Westwood - The master of sensual European cinema golden years have a tint of blue. UCLA just hosted retrospective of Radley Metzger’s films. His most important films are being released on Blu-ray. He’s about to take the director’s chair as he approaches 83.

His masterwork Camille 2000 was just released Blu-ray with an extended version from Cult Epics. The 1969 update of Dumas’ The Lady of the Camellias takes place in an esoteric Italy. The restored high definition transfer gives a detailed look at that magical time. The Party Favors had a chance to chat with Radley Metzger about the release.

Trailer provided by Video Detective

Radley is a true independent filmmaker. He owns the rights to his films instead of selling them off to distributor. He’s not at the mercy of an indifferent studio executive to keep his cinematic legacy available. The first question had to be...

Sun City - What are you going to when it comes time to retire? Do you really have enough money saved up to last you for the rest of your life? Can you hold out till Willard Scott puts you on the Smuckers jar and wishes you a happy 100th? Will you really be enjoying the good life with round the clock sponge baths from young orderlies? Have you done the math to figure out how much it’ll cost for a day at a retirement community in 20 years? Can your 401K hold out?

Odds are the answer is a resounding, “Maybe?”

The golden years require platinum reserves. With talk that Medicare is about to be destroyed, your budget for health insurance is about to go completely out of control. When is the last time Blue Cross hyped individual policies for people hitting 90? Even the most frugal of senior citizens...

Vol.3: Big Bad Mama

Stars: Angie Dickinson, Tom Skeritt, William Shatner, Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee | Written by William W. Norton & Frances Doel | Directed by Steve Carver | Produced by Roger Corman

Directed by Steve Carver (Lone Wolf McQuade, An Eye For An Eye), Big Bad Mama stars Angie Dickinson as Wilma, a gangster’s moll who takes control of her boyfriend’s bootlegging business following his death and becomes involved in a rollercoaster crime spree. Assisting her are two ne’er-do-wells in the form of bank robber Fred Diller (Skerritt) and conman William J. Baxter (Shatner), as well as her uncontrollable but comely daughters, Billy Jean (Sennett) and Polly (Lee).

A strange mix of exploitation movie and female empowerment flick, Big Bad Mama is a fast-paced action packed comedy that walks a fine line between over-the-top acting and plot, and a poignant tale of family love and loyalty. Mixing an abundance of nudity,...

“You finally made it, Frankie! Oscar night! And here you sit, on top of a glass mountain called success. You’re one of the chosen five, and the whole town’s holding its breath to see who won it! It’s been quite a climb, hasn’t it, Frankie? Down at the bottom, scuffling for dimes in those smokers, all the way to the top. Magic Hollywood!” This ripe narration opens the 1966 movie The Oscar, a cynical look at how an Oscar nomination goes to the head of its nominee and the lengths an unscrupulous man will go to win the coveted gold statuette. With an undeserved reputation as one of the lousiest Show-biz soap operas from the 60’s, The Oscar portrays Hollywood as a cesspool where you sell your soul and it’s certainly amusing for its campy dialog and sleazy situations. Sure, The Oscar is brainless tinseltown trash full of shameless clichés,...