Nunsploitation is a subgenre of

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s. These films typically involve

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s living in

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Criteria

The main conflict of the story is usually of a religious or sexual nature, such as religious oppression or sexual suppression due to living in

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied ...

. The

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

is another common theme. These films, although often seen as pure exploitation films, often contain criticism against religion in general and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in particular. Indeed, some protagonist dialogue voiced feminist consciousness and rejection of their subordinated social role. Many of these films were made in countries where the

is influential, such as Italy and Spain. One atypical example of the genre, '' Killer Nun'' (''Suor Omicidi''), was set in then present-day Italy (1978).

Background

Nunsploitation, along with

nazisploitation Nazi exploitation (also Nazisploitation) is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves Nazism, Nazis committing sex crimes, often as camp or prison overseers during World War II. Most follow the Women in prison film, wo ...

, is a subgenre that ran a parallel course alongside

women in prison film The women-in-prison film (or WiP film) is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day. Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse, typically by ...

s in the 1970s and 1980s. As with prison films, they are set in isolated, fortress-like convents where the all-female population turns to

lesbianism A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...

and perversity. The element of religious guilt allows for lurid depictions of "mortifying the flesh" such as self-flagellation and painful, masochistic rituals. The mother superior is usually a cruel and corrupt warden-like martinet who enforces strict discipline (more opportunities for whippings and medieval-style punishments) and often lusts after her female charges. An equally sadistic and lecherous priest is often included to add an element of masculine menace to the story. Some segments from the Scandinavian silent film ''

Häxan ''Häxan'' (, ''The Witch''; ''Heksen'' , ''The Witch''; English: ''The Witches''; released in the US in 1968 as ''Witchcraft Through the Ages'') is a 1922 Swedish-Danish silent horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christense ...

'' (1922) may be seen as a precursor for this genre. A recent act of cinematic nunsploitation is in

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...

's ''

Machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

'' (2010), where

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

portrays a gun-toting nun. An even more recent example is

Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral ( ...

's nunsploitation horror film '' St. Agatha'' (2018). Among other examples of European exploitation cinema over the last sixty years, nunsploitation genre movies are discussed in Mendik and Mathij's recent overview volume on this general trend within regional cinema genres, cultures, and audience consumption. Chris Fujiwara penned a detailed piece in American pop culture journal ''Hermenaut'', discussing genre examples, such as ''Killer Nun'' (1978), '' The Nun and the Devil'' (1973) and '' Flavia the Heretic'' (1974).

Historical basis

Some films, such as the

X-rated An X rating is a film rating that indicates that the film contains content that is considered to be suitable only for adults. Films with an X rating may have scenes of graphic violence or explicit sexual acts that may be disturbing or offensive ...

'' The Devils'', based on a book by

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

and directed by

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

, have some basis in fact. Huxley based his original historical account, '' The Devils of Loudun'', on a reported case of mass hysteria and demonic possession that allegedly took place at a French convent in the seventeenth century. Given that the genre was the product of the sixties and seventies, with an occasional contemporary example like the recent '' Sacred Flesh'' (1999), there has been little further resort to possible historical source material, like Aelred of Hexham (1110–1167) and his account of the Nun of Watton, for example. Another example might be the life of sister Benedetta Carlini, a 17th-century Italian

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

nun. Circa 1986, Graciela Daichman collected stories about aberrant medieval religious women, but since that time, there have been few other serious historical attempts to explore what factual basis might exist for the literary depictions that often served as the basis for nunsploitation cinema. In 2010, Craig Monson wrote ''Nuns Behaving Badly'', which dealt with the social and sexual lives of religious women in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Italy, but such work remains rare. However, recent work on the dramaturgy of demonic possession in medieval Europe may be useful to comprehend the social, psychological and behavioural context of such acts.

In Japan

Catholic nun exploitation films have been a subgenre of Japanese exploitation film since at least the early 1970s. Though Christianity was never a dominant religion in Japan, Japan did encounter Christian missionaries. By taking a minority religion as their subject, it has been suggested that these "shockingly perverse and wildly blasphemous" Catholic nun films are "a way of thumbing one's nose at organized religion without attacking the more sacred beliefs of the general society". Some entries in this genre include Norifumi Suzuki's '' School of the Holy Beast'' (1974), Masaru Konuma's '' Cloistered Nun: Runa's Confession'' (1976),

Kōyū Ohara was a Japanese film director known for his popular '' Roman Porno'' films, '' Fairy in a Cage'' (1977) and the ''Pink Tush Girl'' series (1978–1980). One of Nikkatsu's most versatile and prolific directors, filming eight movies in 1979 alone, ...

's ''

Sins of Sister Lucia , also known as ''Sister Lucia's Dishonor'', is a 1978 Japanese erotic film directed by Kōyū Ohara and produced and distributed by Nikkatsu as one of the studio's ''Roman Porno'' films. Cast * as Rumiko Ōtaki / Sister Lucia * Rumi Tama as M ...

'' (1978), and '' Wet Rope Confession: Convent Story'' (1979),

Hiroshi Mukai a.k.a. Hiroshi Mukai and was a Japanese film director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter, known for his pioneering work in the ''pink film'' genre. In the realm of ''pink'' cinema, Japanese critics have estimated that Mukai is "the o ...

's '' Nun: Secret'' (1978), Nobuaki Shirai's '' Nun Story: Frustration in Black'' (1980), and

Mamoru Watanabe was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in the ''pink film'' genre. Along with directors Genji Nakamura and Banmei Takahashi, Watanabe was known as one of the "Three Pillars of Pink". Life and career Early lif ...

's '' Rope of Hell: A Nun's Story'' (1981) and '' Electric Bible: Sister Hunting'' (1992). In 1995, big-busted AV idol Mariko Morikawa starred in director

Sachi Hamano a.k.a. ''and'' (born March 19, 1948), is a Japanese film director. She is the most prolific and written-about female ''pink film'' director. Life and career Sachi Hamano was born as Sachiko Suzuki in Tokushima Prefecture on March 19, 1948. Wh ...

's '' Big Tit Monastery'' (巨乳修道院), another Japanese variation on the nunsploitation genre. ''

Chrono Crusade , originally known in Japan (due to a typo) as ''Chrno Crusade'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Moriyama. It was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's ''Monthly Comic Dragon'' from 1998 to 2003 and later in ''Monthly Dr ...

'' billed itself as "nuns with guns".

In other media

Toronto-based stage artist Jamieson Child, directed in 2015 the

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

''Kill Sister, Kill: A Dark New Musical'', as homage to the exploitation genre. The 2019 show ''Watchmen'' featured a female police officer who dresses as a nun to avoid being recognised. Later episodes reveal that the character took her costume inspiration from a fictional in-universe nunsploitation film titled ''Nun With a Motherfucking Gun''.

Examples of nunsploitation films

* ''

Mother Joan of the Angels ''Mother Joan of the Angels'' (, also known as ''The Devil and the Nun'') is a 1961 Polish religious horror art film on demonic possession, directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, based on a novella of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, loosely bas ...

'' (

Jerzy Kawalerowicz Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director, screenwriter and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish pa ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

) * ''

The Lady of Monza ''The Lady of Monza'' (, also known as ''The Awful Story of the Nun of Monza'' and ''The Nun of Monza'') is a 1969 Italian historical drama film directed by Eriprando Visconti. It is loosely based on the real life events of Marianna de Leyva, bette ...

'' (

Eriprando Visconti Eriprando Visconti di Modrone, Visconti di Vimodrone, Modrone, Count of Vico Modrone (September 24, 1932 – May 26, 1995) was an Italian people, Italian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was the nephew of the more famous Luchino ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

) * '' The Devils'' (

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

) * ''The Demons'' (''Les Demons'',

Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013), also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. He worked in many different gen ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

) * '' Story of a Cloistered Nun'' (''Storia di una monaca di clausura'',

Domenico Paolella Domenico Paolella (18 October 1915 – 7 October 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter and journalist. Born in Foggia, between 1933 and 1935 Paolella won several contests for amateur directors; in the same years he started working as a jour ...

, Italy, 1973) * '' The Nun and the Devil'' (

, Italy, 1973) * '' Flavia the Heretic'' (''Flavia, la monaca musulmana'',

Gianfranco Mingozzi Gianfranco Mingozzi (5 April 1932 – 7 October 2009) was an Italian director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Bologna, Mingozzi got a degree in Law, then enrolled at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, graduating in 1 ...

, Italy,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

) * '' School of the Holy Beast'' ( Norifumi Suzuki,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, 1974) * '' Le Scomunicate di San Valentino'' (

Sergio Grieco Sergio Grieco (13 January 1917 – 30 March 1982) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Biography Sergio's father was the Italian Communist Party, Italian Communist Ruggero Grieco. Grieco first started in film in the Soviet Union in 1 ...

, Italy, 1974) * '' Satánico pandemonium'' (

Gilberto Martínez Solares Mario Gilberto Agustin Martinez Solares (January 19, 1906 – January 18, 1997) was a Mexican director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and actor who is considered one of the most prolific filmmakers in Mexican cinema having directed more tha ...

, Mexico,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) * '' Cloistered Nun: Runa's Confession'' ( Masaru Konuma, Japan,

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

) * ''

Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun ''Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun'' () is a 1977 West German-Swiss film directed by Jesús Franco and produced by Erwin Dietrich, loosely based on the ''Letters of a Portuguese Nun'' attributed to Mariana Alcoforado. It starred Susan Hemingway, ...

'' (Jesús Franco,

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, 1976) * ''

Alucarda ''Alucarda'' (Spanish: ''Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas'', or ''Alucarda, the daughter of darkness'') is a 1977 Mexican supernatural horror film directed by Juan López Moctezuma, and starring Tina Romero, Claudio Brook, Susana Kamini, and D ...

'' (''Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas'',

Juan López Moctezuma Juan López Moctezuma (1929 – August 2, 1995) was a Mexicans, Mexican film director and actor. He was born in Mexico City in 1929. During his career he directed five films, all in the genres of supernatural horror and Thriller (genre), suspense: ' ...

, Mexico, 1977) * ''

Sister Emanuelle ''Sister Emanuelle'' (Italian: ''Suor Emanuelle'') is a 1977 exploitation film. It can be classified under both the nunsploitation and sexploitation exploitation film subgenres. It is part of the long running Black Emanuelle series of films starr ...

'' (

Giuseppe Vari Giuseppe Vari (9 March 1924 – 1 October 1993) was an Italian film director, editor and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Segni, Rome, Vari started his career as an editor of films and documentaries, collaborating among others with Fed ...

, Italy,

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

) * '' Killer Nun'' (''Suor Omicida'', Giulio Berruti, Italy,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

) * ''

The Last House on the Beach ''The Last House on the Beach'' (, also known as ''Terror'' and ''The Seventh Woman'') is a 1978 Italian rape and revenge-thriller film directed by Franco Prosperi. The American title refers to Wes Craven's '' The Last House on the Left'', and Al ...

'' (''La settima donna'',

Franco Prosperi Franco Prosperi (2 September 1926 – 17 October 2004) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, active between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. Career Born in Rome, Prosperi began his career as an assistant director with Mario Bava ...

, Italy, 1978) * '' Nun: Secret'' (

, Japan, 1978) * ''

'' (''Sister Lucia's Dishonor'',

, Japan, 1978) * ''

They Call Her Cleopatra Wong ''They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong'' (also known as ''Cleopatra Wong'' and ''Female Big Boss'') is a 1978 Philippine-Singaporean international co-production film directed by Bobby A. Suarez and co-written by Suarez and Romeo N. Galang. It feature ...

'' ( Bobby A. Suarez,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, 1978) * '' Behind Convent Walls'' (''Interno di un convento'',

Walerian Borowczyk Walerian Borowczyk (21 October 1923 – 3 February 2006) was a Polish film director described by film critics as a "genius who also happened to be a pornographer". He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. Borowczyk settled in Paris in 1959. A ...

, Italy, 1978) * '' Malabimba (Andrea Bianchi, 1979) * ''

Images in a Convent ''Images in a Convent'' () is a 1979 sexploitation film by Italian cult filmmaker Joe D'Amato starring Paola Senatore, Marina Hedman and Donald O'Brien. The film belongs to the 'nunsploitation' subgenre. It contains strong scenes of graphic viole ...

'' (

Joe D'Amato Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres (western (genre), westerns, ''Commedia sexy all' ...

, Italy,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

) * ''

The Other Hell ''The Other Hell'' () is a 1981 Italian horror film written and directed by Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso and starring Franca Stoppi and Carlo De Mejo. Plot Sister Cristina is lost in the catacombs under the convent while searching for Sist ...

'' (

Bruno Mattei Bruno Mattei (30 July 1931 – 21 May 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including Women in prison film, women in prison, nunsploitation, Zombie films, zombi ...

, Italy,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

) * ''

The True Story of the Nun of Monza ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (Bruno Mattei, Italy, 1980) * ''

Dark Habits ''Dark Habits'' (Spanish: ''Entre Tinieblas'') is a 1983 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Julieta Serrano, Marisa Paredes and Chus Lampreave. The plot follows a cabaret singer who finds refuge in ...

'' (

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...

, Spain,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

) * '' Convent of Sinners'' (Joe D'Amato as Dario Donati, Italy,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

) * ''

Nuns on the Run ''Nuns on the Run'' is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. The film was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor sc ...

'' (Jonathan Lynn, United Kingdom,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

) * '' Electric Bible: Sister Hunting'' (

, Japan,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

) * '' Dark Waters'' ( Mariano Baino, 1994) * '' Sacred Flesh'' (

Nigel Wingrove Nigel Wingrove (born 26 October 1957) is the founder of the horror film company Salvation Films and the Redemption film label and creator of the online alternative female collective, the Satanic Sluts. He is also a film director and the only di ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

) * ''

Virgin Territory ''Virgin Territory'' is a 2007 romantic comedy film directed by David Leland. It was the last film produced by Dino De Laurentiis. The film stars Hayden Christensen, Mischa Barton, Tim Roth, Rosalind Halstead and Kate Groombridge. It is b ...

'' (

David Leland David Leland (20 April 1941 – 24 December 2023) was a British film director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut ''Wish You Were Here'' in 1987. Life and career Leland initially trained as an ac ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

) * '' Bad Habits'' (Dominic Deacon, Australia,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

) * ' (Richard Griffin, 2009) * ''

'' (

, portrayed by

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

) * '' Nude Nuns with Big Guns'' (

Joseph Guzman Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, 2010) * ''

The Little Hours ''The Little Hours'' is a 2017 black comedy film written and directed by Jeff Baena and loosely based on stories from the third day of ''The Decameron'', a 14th-century collection of novellas by Giovanni Boccaccio. It stars an ensemble cast fe ...

'' (

Jeff Baena Jeffrey Lance Baena (; June 29, 1977 – January 3, 2025) was an American screenwriter and film director. His most successful films were 2004's '' I Heart Huckabees'' and 2020's '' Horse Girl'', though his projects to receive the most contempo ...

, 2017) *'' St. Agatha'' (

, 2018) * '' Agnes'' ( Mickey Reece, 2021) * ''

Benedetta Benedetta is a feminine given name of Italian origin, the feminine equivalent of the masculine name Benedetto, a cognate of Benedict. Notable people with the given name include: * Benedetta Barzini (born 1943), Italian actress and model * Benedet ...

'' (

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...

, 2021) * ''

Sister Death ''Sister Death'' () is a 2023 Spanish supernatural horror film directed by Paco Plaza and written by Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Plaza which stars Aria Bedmar. A prequel to the 2017 film '' Verónica'', the plot follows the paranormal experienc ...

'' (Paco Plaza, 2023) * '' Immaculate'' (Michael Mohan, 2024) * ''

The First Omen ''The First Omen'' is a 2024 American supernatural horror film directed by Arkasha Stevenson (in her feature directional debut), who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas from a story by Ben Jacoby. It is a prequel to ''The ...

'' (

Arkasha Stevenson Arkasha Stevenson is an American filmmaker and former journalist. She has directed episodes of ''Legion'' and '' Briarpatch'', as well as the third season of ''Channel Zero''. She made her feature directorial debut with the 2024 horror film '' ...

, 2024)

Notes

Bibliography

*Graciela Daichman: ''Wayward Nuns in Medieval Literature'': Syracuse: Syracuse University Press: 1986: . *Chris Fujiwara
"Convent Erotica"
''Hermenaut'' 12. *Brian Levack: ''The Devil Within: Exorcism and Possession in the Christian West'': New Haven: Yale University Press: 2013. *Ernest Mathijs and Xavier Mendik: ''Alternative Europe: Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945'': London: Wallflower: 2004: . *Craig Monson: ''Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of Music, Magic, Art and Arson in the Convents of Italy'': Chicago: University of Chicago Press: 2010. *''Anticristo: The Bible of Naughty Nun Sinema and Culture'': Guildford: FAB: 2000: . {{film genres Fiction about nuns 1960s in film 1970s in film 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film 2010s in film 2020s in film

Criteria

Background

Historical basis

In Japan

In other media

Examples of nunsploitation films

See also

Notes

Bibliography