Considering all the obstacles faced in the making of Sinners and Saints (2004), it’s a wonder the flick was ever completed. Filmed off and on over a period of three years, this phantasmagoric horror/kung fu/exploitation hybrid was made on a budget of less than $20,000, with everyone involved pitching in to do all they could to get the movie finished¾be it building sets, creating props, making costumes, or preparing meals. Whatever it took, the small cast and crew were able to pull it off by working a grueling schedule. And they ended up with a film that is unlike any I’ve seen before.

Starring, co-written, and directed by Melantha Blackthorne (better known in the world of independent horror as Countess Bathoria), Sinners and Saints tells the story of Necrotia, the Queen of Hades, and her efforts to quell a rebellion in Hell. Meanwhile, Father Carmichael Drake (Jason Cavalier) and his partner, Sister Jordan Merrick (Liz Faure), are investigating the disappearances of several local teen girls, who it seems have been abducted by a satanic cult to serve as sacrifices. Drake and Merrick are kind of like an ecclesiastical Mulder and Scully, by way of Bruce Lee…that’s right, they "kick arse for the Lord" (that’s for you Peter Jackson fans out there).

Father Drake has been having dreams...very bad dreams, through which Necrotia has been trying to enlist his help. It seems the kidnapped girls and the problems in Hell are connected, and Father Drake, for reasons I’ll leave you to discover, is the only man alive that can aid the Queen of Hades in putting down the rebellion and, dare I say it, save the world.

While the low budget of Sinners and Saints shows from time to time, this is actually one of the best-looking digital video flicks I’ve seen. The cinematography is quite impressive, incorporating many different styles and visual effects. Blackthorne, always ambitious, gives us Vatican satellites in outer space, martial arts wirework, and interesting interpretations of the environs of Hell, not to mention satanic strippers that morph into flesh-eating demons mid lap dance. She also draws upon classical influences such as Dante, Escher, and Bosch to good effect. One might say Countess Bathoria mixes her brows high and low.

As you may have guessed, the whole affair is filtered through a dark and twisted sense of humor. And there’s gore aplenty: heads are lopped off, penises are lopped off, arms are lopped off¾there’s a whole lotta loppin’ goin’ on (that’s for you Jerry Lee Lewis fans out there). One scene features an extremely obnoxious severed head whose tongue is not so much lopped off as ripped out. But it’s all in good fun, as strange as that might sound. (Blackthorne gets extra points for allowing the severed head to say "I wish I was still attached to my dick.")

Robomonkey Productions, Blackthorne and Cavalier’s production company, is a shop specializing in horror, exploitation, and sci-fi. It’s based in Canada, which, as most serious movie buffs know, has a rich tradition of horror films and horror directors, such as Bob Clark’s proto-slasher flick Black Christmas; Jeff Gillen’s Deranged, based on the case of serial killer Ed Gein; and John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps, a fun, modern take on the werewolf legend.

While not for everybody, those who like their horror movies on the warped side will probably enjoy this demented little flick. Whether it’s a topless, kung fu-fighting nun, condemned souls swimming in shit, or a masturbating demon, Sinners and Saints has a little bit of everything an exploitation fan could want, and then some.