Evil Come Evil Go

This film, a weird cross-breed of horror and soft-core porn, is one of the more original low budget flicks from the 70s. Apparently intended for the grindhouse crowd(and coming near the end of that era), this movie mixes sex with religious fanaticism and gore. Sister Sarah Jane drifts cross-country, preaching against the evils of pleasurable sex and men. And how does this fine lady do the Lord's work? By hooking up with men, having sex with them, then stabbing them to death! Sister Sarah takes her message to the streets of downtown Hollywood, where she finds a disciple in naive Penny, a wealthy lesbian who swears to renounce her tendencies and follow Sarah. Together, they conspire to enact Sarah's master plan: Penny lures the men to her house and has sex with them and Sarah kills them. As sick as it sounds, it works. Actress Cleo O'Hara handles her role as Sarah Jane skillfully, going from bible-thumping harpie to slutty pyscho believably. If you're looking for a sick time, check this one out.

Unusual, sex/slasher/comedy, with evangelical theme. In truth the sex is fairly well done, let down only by the low lighting (and frequency), the bloody scenes are also not bad and it really is amusing now and again. Sister Sara is a self styled 'anti- pleasurable sex' evangelist who enlists another to help lure men and then do them in, because they are so evil. This is all made watchable though by decent use of original music and hymn singing(!) sometimes accompanied by tambourine thumping. It is particularly impressive at the start and we see the girls on the street but it looses it's way a little two thirds in when we reckon it's all over but it then steps up a gear and finishes with a flourish. If you think this review is a bit muddled, you should see the film. Fun to be had nonetheless.

Obviously one of those sleazy films of the 1970's that always read better in a synopsis better than they play out in front of the eyes, "Evil Come, Evil Go" however does stay in the mind for a while after viewing. It's sure not the uninteresting sex scenes full of pasty, unshaven, unattractive people doing their best to try and act out something passionate that does it, or the lackluster "Hold the cue card closer, I can't read my lines off of it!" acting style. The film comes across as more of a pseudo-documentary, simply following the Preacherwoman through her motions as she acts the hypocrite, snorting fire and brimstone on those stupid young lovers, then picking up guys in bars and butchering them in a hotel room. Badly shot, badly acted, but yet plays out in a way that keeps one's attention. Go figure that one, huh?

Evil Come, Evil Go has the strongest opening 20 minutes of an exploitation film I've seen for quite some time, with the main character singing a hymn on the way to pick up her first lucky/unlucky victim. When they're laying in bed together the rotten sleazebag berates her for continuing to sing hymns whilst he's "tryin' to give head" to her. Amusingly this ultra prude allows him to go all the way before sticking a knife in his back, ending his reign of wanton lust.

Unfortunately the pace does eventually let up, the numerous fateful sex scenes becoming increasingly dull. Sarah Jane's meeting with a lesbian named Penny does liven things up somewhat, she meekly agrees to assist her puritan rampage which yields several rather tasty murder scenes. The ending is a bit of a let down, but overall I had a fun time with this one and if the premise appeals to you then I imagine you will too. The running time is appropriate given the lack of variety within and prevents things from getting too stagnant. 2 years earlier Walt Davis directed the utterly perverted Sex Psycho, which is a real treat for lovers of cinematic depravity and must have surely been one of the most outrageous films to ever grace a grindhouse at the time.

Sister Sarah is a Bible-thumping evangelist nutcase who dresses like Baby Jane Hudson.

She travels from one rural American ragdump to the next, vociferating the evils of recreational sex. Between her holy-rolling streetcorner castigations, she pacifies crowds with her mellifluous hymns(not only is she the Lord's golden-throated songbird, she also plays the accordion). By night, Sarah frequents bars, intent on luring "sinful" men to their bloody deaths. By-and-by, she takes on a wealthy, brick-ugly lesbian minion...together, these goose-stepping Christian crusaders become a holy force to be reckoned with.

Craggy little exploitation cowplop is too over-the-top to possibly be sincere...I suspect it has tongue lodged firmly in cheek when it's not lodged firmly elsewhere. EVIL COME EVIL GO is neither fish nor fowl...while nothing about it is exactly praiseworthy, it's generally more rounded than the centroid of its kindred contemporaries. And while the film's underpinnings may be of an erotic nature, it certainly won't serve to enhance xerotripsis for most fellows.

4/10