School of the Holy Beast
| School of the Holy Beast | |
|---|---|
 Poster to School of the Holy Beast | |
| Directed by | Norifumi Suzuki |
| Written by |
Masahiro Kakefuda Norifumi Suzuki |
| Starring |
Yumi Takigawa Fumio Watanabe Emiko Yamauchi |
| Music by | Masao Yagi |
| Distributed by | Toei |
Release date | February 16, 1974 (Japan) |
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
School of the Holy Beast a.k.a. Convent of the Sacred Beast (聖獣学園 Seijū gakuen) is a film in the nunsploitation subgenre of Pinky violence made by Toei Company in 1974.
Plot
A young woman (Yumi Takigawa) becomes a nun at the Sacred Heart Convent to find out what happened to her mother years earlier. She encounters a lesbian mother superior, lecherous archbishops, and uncovers many dark secrets. The convent also practices brutal discipline and encourages masochistic rituals such as self-flagellation. In one scene, two nuns are forced to strip to the waist and whip each other severely with heavy floggers. Later, Takigawa is tortured and whipped by a group of nuns armed with rose-thorns.
Cast
- Yumi Takigawa as Maya Takigawa
- Emiko Yamauchi as Matsuko Ishida
- Yayoi Watanabe as Hisako Kitano
- Yōko Mihara as Sadako Matsumara
- Fumio Watanabe as Priest Kakinuma
Critical appraisal
Praising the work of writer/director Norifumi Suzuki as well as the leading actors, critic Donald Guarisco of Allmovie says, "This Japanese shocker manages to [be] shocking and artistically stunning all at once."[1]
In TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion, Patrick Macias calls the film a "comic adaptation and a blasphemous sermon of high camp and knowing literary intelligence." He continues, "Trashy as it may sound, Suzuki's film is absolutely gorgeous to gaze upon."[2]
Availability
The Cult Epics company released School of the Holy Beast on region-1 DVD on August 30, 2005. The extras on the DVD included the original theatrical trailer, and interviews with lead actress Yumi Takigawa and film critic Risaku Kiridoushi.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Guarisco, Donald. "School of the Holy Beast : Review". Allmovie. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ↑ Macias, Patrick (2001). "School of the Holy Beast". TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion. San Francisco: Cadence Books. p. 182. ISBN 1-56931-681-3.
- ↑ "School of the Holy Beast". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
Sources
- "Le Couvent de la Bête Sacrée" (in French). pinku.cho-yaba.com. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
- Buchanan, Jason. "School of the Holy Beast". Allmovie. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- Guarisco, Donald. "School of the Holy Beast : Review". Allmovie. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- Macias, Patrick (2001). "School of the Holy Beast". TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion. San Francisco: Cadence Books. p. 182. ISBN 1-56931-681-3.
- "School of the Holy Beast (1974)". pinky-violence.com. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- "School of the Holy Beast (review)". www.filmatheist.com. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- Sharp, Jasper (2006-05-03). "School of the Holy Beast (1974)". midnighteye.com. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
- Thompson, Nathaniel (2006). DVD Delirium: The International Guide to Weird and Wonderful Films on DVD; Volume 3. Godalming, England: FAB Press. pp. 460–461. ISBN 1-903254-40-X.
- DVD Review at Frankly Mr Shankly
External links
- School of the Holy Beast on IMDb
- School of the Holy Beast at AllMovie
- School of the Holy Beast at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)