School of the Holy Beast, for me, is one of the greatest achievements in exploitation cinema. Not only did it have an amazingly over top revenge story, but it was shot in a way that Bava and Argento would be proud of. It’s a simple story told in an extraordinary manner. It features everything an exploitation fanatic would look for (nudity, gore, anti-religious undertones/overtones), but in such a way that it works better because it’s a nunsploitation film.

Rating:

We begin with the beautiful Maya as she has a day of fun: watching hockey (it’s still funny to me because that is the last sport I expected to see in a film like this), running around town, meeting up with a man and finally going to bed with said man. This, of course, sets up what’s to come, when he asks if she’ll meet up later and she tells him that she won’t be having fun for a while (Sketchy).

This leads to Maya at a convent. What? Yup, that is why it’s nunsploitation after all. She takes an oath and becomes a a full-on nun. The scene of her kneeling down naked in front of the cross whilest two lines of nuns flank her sides is both disturbing and beautiful at the same time. (You’ll find that most scenes from this film fall under both descriptions at the same time). Almost as soon as she arrives we’re introduced to the trouble-maker of the nunnery who stirs up the sisters every chance she gets. On top of that, there’s a spy loose in the convent, watching the nuns and making sure they’re following the rules. Of course, Maya is the main suspect from the other nuns as she’s the “new nun.”

***SPOILERS***

Nuns punish themselves by whipping, seen in many Catholic-based films, but here they do it topless. Not only that, but if they can’t punish themselves the high-ranked nuns have no problem getting topless and whipping the “criminal” nuns themselves. There’s a scene where two nuns are caught stealing food rations and are forced to whip each other with no tops on. It’s really hot, and really disturbing…all at the same time. Lest we forget, there’s a scene involving Maya, thorn-branches, roses and blood that should be seen by every DP on the planet. Also, the scene involving saltwater, a topless nun, a chair, chains and a metal pot with the image of Jesus on it is not to be missed. I mean, I could go on listing these scenes, but that would spoil half the fun.

This is not to say the film is all about sex. Mostly it is, but the underlying hypocrisy of religion, mostly christianity, abounds in the film. From the sexually depraved nuns, to the sexually depraved lead nuns, to the unholy priest, lies and deceit are laid as bare as the chests of most of the nuns.

But, what about that revenge tale I mentioned earlier? Ah, yes. Well, it seems that Maya’s mother was a nun at the convent, who became pregnant by someone that is blatant who it is, but makes the payoff that much better. After being punished by her own sisters, she can’t take the guilt and hangs herself (another shockingly beautiful shot), and at the same time gives birth to…you guessed it…Maya (Yeah, she just pops right out - take notes Gibson, you failed epically with this idea in Apocolytpo).

***END SPOILERS***

So, now Maya’s hellbent on finding the truth, and getting revenge. She has no problem giving up her own body to do this, and in doing so, leads to one of the most depraved climaxes (so many sex jokes) I’ve ever seen. I also, would like to add, that it is probably one of the most satisfying. You can’t help but feel that she really overcame everything against her, and justice was dealt where it needed be. I recommend anyone with any interest in nunsploitation, exploitation, sexploitation, arthouse films, or Japanese films in general gets a hold of this film, immediately.