Messiah of Evil is a 1973 American supernatural horror film co-written, co-produced, and co-directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, and starring Marianna Hill, Michael Greer, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano, and Elisha Cook Jr. Its plot follows a woman who travels to a remote coastal town in California to find her missing artist father; upon arrival, she finds herself in the midst of a series of bizarre incidents.

Released theatrically in late 1974, it would later be re-released under a number of alternate titles, including Dead People, Night of the Damned, Return of the Living Dead, and Revenge of the Screaming Dead.

Husband-and-wife team Huyck and Katz would go on to direct and write Howard the Duck. The duo had previously co-written American Graffiti and would later go on to write Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.