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Although packaged to resemble a down and dirty exploitation film, DON’T DELIVER US FROM EVIL is actually closer to mainstream filmmaking.

This French flick from 1970, directed by Joel Séria, is loosely based on New Zealand’s infamous Parker/Hulme murder case, which was eventually adapted much more faithfully by Peter Jackson in 1994 as HEAVENLY CREATURES, arguably his best movie.

Two teenage girls, Anne (Jeanne Goupil), and Lore (Catherine Wagener), attend Catholic school in a small French village. The girls are two peas in a pod. They hang together both at school and at home, and seem to have no other friends. The two are hell-bent on rebelling against the Church and conventional morality. There’s no real hint as to why they are the way they are, they just are. Right from the git-go.

Basically plotless, the film simply follows their exploits as dark-haired Anne and blonde Lore first pledge allegiance to Satan, then proceed to do as many naughty things as they can possibly think of and get away with. This includes a wide variety of activities, including setting fires, killing the pet birds of a simple-minded handyman, tattling on a pair of lesbian nuns, and flirting with a sheepherder until he attempts to rape Lore.

All of it culminates with a scene in which the girls lure a stranded motorist to Anne’s room (her parents are conveniently away) and gleefully tease him by stripping to their underwear and dancing provocatively. Horned-out beyond control, the middle-aged man leaps on Lore and attempts to rape her (Here we go again!). Springing to the rescue of her friend, Anne beats the man over the head with a poker, killing him. Enlisting the help of the mentally-challenged Handyman, the girls dispose of the body, but the police are soon on to them. Sharp enough to realize the jig will soon be up, Anne and Lore plan an escape of sorts, and the film serves up an effectively shocking finale.

So what differentiates this consciously outrageous (outrageous back in 1970, in any case, when it was first released) film from typical exploitation fare? Well, it’s mainly a matter of quality — DON’T DELIVER, while decidedly low budget, is well shot and acted, with Jeanne Goupil in particular turning in a terrific performance — remarkable considering the fact that she had no previous acting experience. In other words, there are definitely psychotronic elements here, but they aren’t the whole point.

The film also misses the exploitation mark with its general lack of graphic violence and sex. Even so, it’s hard to imagine it getting past the current MPAA ratings board with anything less than an NC-17. The film never specifies exactly how old Anne and Lore are supposed to be, but they are certainly intended to be underage, perhaps 13 or 14, (Catherine Wagener in particular convincingly looks, and may actually have been, that young), and because of that, the sexual context of some scenes and flashes of nudity are a tad discomfiting even today. Perhaps moreso today, in fact.

Mondo Macabro’s region-free DVD presents the film in anamorphic widescreen, and it looks very good indeed. The original French language mono soundtrack is adequate.

Extras include an interview with director Séria as well as star Jeanne Goupil, who ended up marrying Séria, that naughty Frenchman!

– Garry Messick

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