Neon Moloch: Ephemeral Celluloid

Much of what can be said about Neon Moloch can be said about so many movies that will never see the light of a projector. Innumerable “offensively cheap and objectively bad” movies lie on either side of their release threshold forever. So too do the “offensively expensive and objectively bad” variety of film. The latter tend to have an obvious cause of death: Misspent funding, spats between actors and directors, or a work print had laid bare the terrible implications of the movie's central ideas. Such drama is the junk food that can make media analysis such an indulgent dessert of a topic.

Neon Moloch, succinctly, disappeared on October 16th in 1982.
Not only was the advance (and only) reel of the film missing, the sets and production materials were gone from their studio storage. Fresh, unknown actors were selected by the director, with all of them working for scale during the film's rushed production. Every one of them seemingly ceased to exist past the film's scheduled showtime. Naturally, the studio’s money was gone as well. Considering where set pieces, scripts, and other materials were stored, all likely outcomes point towards the director as the man behind the greatest disappearing act at the end of the Hollywood Renaissance.

Researching this lost piece of media proved to be a daunting task. Tracking down the production team of a work of art with no credits roll, no proper release, and so many who deny their involvement is like finding every painter from a grand mural upon the back of an abandoned building. It is a game of supposition to understand this anonymous director, obsessed as they were with hiding the involvement of all involved with their film. A string of continuing attempts to actively obscure the film's existence dogged my every step, making the pursuit of such knowledge a self-destructing and often self-destructive path.

At last, thirty eight years later, works in the private collection of a few individuals and a handful of the film's cast and crew can provide answers about this enduring mystery. The most complete of these materials is the soundtrack: Selections from the film's score discovered in tape storage by a deeply religious, amateur archivist. It feels like the treasure at the end of this adventure, but its existence teases at even more information behind untold layers of obscurity.

- A. Salvard, Film Historian

This album serves as the most complete aggregation of evidence towards Neon Moloch's content at the time of publishing. Oftentimes by calling attention to the things that were buried, hidden, or “sleeper” projects, more of the people involved will step forward to claim credit or infamy for their work. It is my sincere hope that we might learn more about it in the coming years. If you had a hand in the film's production, please reach out. There are still many things that I and the cloister's sisters are dying to know.

- Mother Dessicant