Nunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation cinema that gained popularity in the 1970s. It combines Catholic themes, eroticism, sadism, and horror, usually set in convents where repression, sexual frustration, and mystical madness take center stage. These films were controversial, banned, and sometimes outright blasphemous, but have achieved cult status in the world of sleaze and horror. Here are the 10 best and most notorious nunsploitation films ever made.
1. The Devils (1971) – The ultimate scandal
Ken Russell’s The Devils is the most notorious nunsploitation film of all time and was banned in multiple countries.
The film tells the true story of a priest in 17th-century France accused of witchcraft, while a convent of nuns descends into ecstatic hysteria.
Featuring orgiastic possession scenes, brutal torture, and political subversion, The Devils is both a masterpiece and a holy nightmare.
2. School of the Holy Beast (1974) – The Japanese sleaze variant
This Japanese nunsploitation film pushes the boundaries of sadomasochism and mysticism.
A woman infiltrates a convent to uncover the truth about her mother, encountering ritual punishments, sexual obsessions, and divine vengeance.
With hypnotic cinematography and brutal scenes of self-flagellation and sadism, this is a visually stunning and shocking experience.
3. Killer Nun (1979) – Nuns and murderlust
Starring Anita Ekberg as a drug-addicted, murderous nun, Killer Nun is pure Italian Giallo meets nunsploitation.
When a nun becomes addicted to morphine and starts killing in a hospital, it spirals into sexual madness, bloody murders, and religious perversion.
Campy, gory, and delightfully wrong, this film is pulp entertainment for cult fans.
4. Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977) – Jess Franco’s sleazy masterpiece
Jess Franco, king of European sexploitation, delivers one of the most infamous nunsploitation films ever made.
A young woman is sent to a convent where she is exposed to satanic rituals, sexual corruption, and demonic priests.
Packed with voyeuristic cinematography and taboo-shattering scenes, it’s a cult favorite within the genre.
5. Alucarda (1977) – Satanism and hysteria in a convent
This Mexican horror film mixes nunsploitation with satanic horror and feels like a demonic hallucination.
When two orphaned girls at a convent school encounter dark forces, it unleashes a storm of blood, hysteria, and occult possession.
With its sinister atmosphere, intense visuals, and satanic madness, Alucarda is a unique and unhinged experience.
6. Flavia the Heretic (1974) – Feminist revenge in the convent
Flavia the Heretic is a violent and feminist take on nunsploitation, where Flavia (Florinda Bolkan) avenges her oppressors from the convent.
The film includes brutal torture, sexual repression, and religious hypocrisy, ending in a shocking and bloody climax.
More than just sleaze, it delivers a sharp critique of religious oppression.
7. Behind Convent Walls (1978) – Eroticism and forbidden desires
This film by Walerian Borowczyk focuses on repressed sexual desires within a convent, where nuns secretly engage in sex, masturbation, and secret affairs.
Stylish, artistic, and less focused on pure exploitation, it features plenty of sensual scenes and decadent temptation.
For those seeking nunsploitation with an arthouse touch, this is a perfect pick.
8. The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine (1974) – Witch hunts and perversion
This Italian nunsploitation film combines the Inquisition, religious fanaticism, and sexual hysteria into pure exploitation cinema.
A young woman is imprisoned in a convent where nuns indulge in orgies and satanic rituals.
With crucifixion torture, sadism, and an intense atmosphere, this is an extreme and brutal entry in the genre.
9. Satánico Pandemonium (1975) – The film that inspired Tarantino
This Mexican nunsploitation-horror follows a young nun seduced by the devil, leading to a spiral of lust, murder, and madness.
The film inspired Quentin Tarantino, who honored it with Salma Hayek’s character name in From Dusk Till Dawn.
With bloody revenge, demonic temptation, and religious horror, this is a nunsploitation classic with cult status.
10. Sacred Flesh (2000) – Modern-day sleazy nunsploitation
This British film brings classic nunsploitation tropes into the modern era.
It follows an abbess who experiences visions of holy and demonic figures, leading to an existential crisis full of erotic temptation.
With excessive sex scenes, naked nuns, and hallucinatory imagery, this film keeps the nunsploitation tradition alive in the 21st century.
Conclusion: Nunsploitation is a bizarre and controversial subgenre
These films combine sex, religion, and horror in ways that remain shocking to this day. Some are pure pulp and sleaze, while others offer real social commentary and artistic value.
