User reviews

It's pretty difficult to fully comprehend the background to this movie, when you contemplate about it. "School of the Holy Beast" is a nunsploitation film but there are as good as no Catholic people in Japan and most of the actresses probably didn't knew what the hell a convent was! The only thing director Norifumi Suzuki knew for certain was that sex movies with nuns were extremely popular in Europe around that time and he saw this as an open opportunity to do the same for the Japanese exploitation-market. Maybe that's why "School of the Holy Beast" isn't anything like those void and trashy Jess Franco movies, but actually a very stylish and reasonably well-scripted film! "School..." doesn't feature the textbook plotting of nuns worshiping the devil and even the lesbian interactions between the young girls aren't the film's main events. This merely is a good old-fashioned tale of revenge, set within the walls of a convent and compellingly criticizing the abuse of Catholic power. Despite obviously enjoying her sexuality in the outside world, young Maya seems determined to become a nun in one of Japan's strictest convents. She never knew her parents but she discovered that her mother also was a nun here who died in mysterious circumstances. As the plot develops, Maya's only interest seems to be unraveling the convent's hypocrite network of sexual perversion, torture and murder in the name of Catholism. She and rebel nun Ishida become good friends who bring men into the convent and encourage other oppressed sisters to stand up for themselves. Don't get too frightened by this rather ambitious-sounding plot, as the film features more than enough sleaze & violence to satisfy even the most demanding exploitation fanatic. The girls get severely whipped, raped by a Raputin look-alike priest, tied up with thorny stems and beaten with bouquets of roses (that's not as pretty as it sounds). Things get even more sadistic when French/Japanese über-nun Nathalie Green shows up, since she immediately implements some of the vilest torture tricks ever, including a bizarrely fascinating ritual to decide whether or not a girl is a witch. "School of the Holy Beast" is astonishingly beautiful to look at, with imaginative cinematography and an excellent use of color shades. The set and costume designs are magnificent, and surprisingly surpassing the quality of most scenery used in European nunsploitation movies! The music is enchanting and the nudity, although plenty of it, is always illustrated with flair and good taste. The young starlets here, especially Yumi Takigawa Emiko Yamauchi, belong to the prettiest and most talented Japanese actresses I ever beheld. This movie now ranks among my favorite nunploitation-efforts, along with "The Devils", "Flavia – The Heretic", "Alucarda" and "Behind Convent Walls". Highly recommended!

When a young woman named Maya(Yumi Takigawa)decides to investigate her mother's death by entering a convent school,she discovers a horrific den of pleasure and sadomasochistic activities.Encounters with a randy archbishop and a lesbian mother superior lead to episodes of torture,which include the poor girl being bound topless by thorny vines and beaten with long-stemmed roses.Norifumi Suzuki's "School of the Holy Beast" is a chock full of sleaze,violence and blasphemy.Still the film is visually stunning and the use of colors is execellent.The script pulls no punches in criticizing the hypocrisy of the Catholic church.The story is interesting,the nudity is expicit and there is plenty of symbolism.Overall,I enjoyed this film very much and you should too,if you are a fan of sleazy nunsploitation sub-genre.9 out of 10.

School of the Holy Beast is a weird concoction of exploitation who's very unusualness makes it worth watching. A girl enjoys her last night of freedom before entering a convent. The convent, of course, turns out to be a hotbed of immorality that de Sade might have scripted. Expect plenty of flagellation, lesbian trysts, and displaying of breasts – all in a style that crosses Hammer Horror with Russ Meyer mammary voyeurism. But throw in a script that plays hard and loose with Christianity in a way that only a foreign country could and it starts to appeal for its sheer audacity. I found the scene of one of the nun's punishment - being tied with rose briers and then whipped with bunches of red roses particularly aesthetically pleasing.

You'd be forgiven for thinking a Japanese nunsploit flick helmed by snazzmeister Norifumi Suzuki would be cheap schlock with shower scenes to pad out the running time. No, this is a well made film as much concerned with inverting and subverting religious imagery as it is with aesthetics and sensuality. Certain set-pieces stand out as a testament to that: a nun flagellated in slow motion with roses, rose petals falling all over her bloodied body, a procession of nuns holding candles walking through the convent's corridors, a church interior photographed like a Mario Bava set, a priest falling dead in the shape of an inverted cross, stabbed with one no less.

Although School of the Holy Beast is definitely blasphemous in the imagery it employs and the way those who preach God's word are portrayed (a convent hiding vice and corruption the perfect hiding ground), it's never outrageous enough to shock because everything is done with a sense of artful style that will have all but the most fundamendalist of christians accepting it for what it is. There are a couple of false notes, like the 'witch trial' scene where a nun suspected to be a witch is forcefed salt water then forced to sit upon an image of Christ; if she pees, she's a witch. The method is so medieval that it's hard to picture taking place in the contemporary world the movie is set. Overall the film is enjoyable, mildly violent and sleazy, with perhaps a dash of religious angst that comes out as juvenile, but in good taste and a worthwhile watch.

This is the most extreme example of "Nunsploitation" I have yet watched, one that will surely offend religious purists; even so, its no-holds-barred attitude actually characterized much of Japanese cinema at the time – evoking memories, in particular, of both Yasuzo Masumura's BLIND BEAST (1969) and Toshio Matsumoto's FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES (1969). Incidentally, I was not familiar with director Suzuki's work – but his stylized, and remarkably confident, approach here is very effective (even if the presentation itself was slightly marred by intermittent combing). Japanese nuns are certainly an unorthodox sight: thankfully, they are given well-rounded characters (the heroine is also quite lovely) though it is sometimes hard to tell one girl from the other! The episodic nature of the plot and its novel (thus most interesting) aspects – the mystery tied with the convent surrounding the heroine's ancestry, the presence of a Rasputin-like hedonistic priest (whose eventual come-uppance arrives by divine/spiritual intervention, no less!) and the belated introduction of a white-robed villainess (getting her just desserts in violent fashion after being involved in a bell-tower fight with the heroine!) – render the film a bit of a muddle (especially in its dash to tie things up towards the end) yet it proves consistently absorbing, even invigorating, fare. Of course, it would not be a "Nunsploitationer" without moments of violence (the most harrowing – and blasphemous – tortures see the heroine being wrapped in a hawthorn bush and a 'witch' ferreted out by Inquisition-like methods) and rampant eroticism (involving both heterosexual and lesbian couplings…but, then, even the heroine's induction ceremony is carried out with her completely in the buff!). There is unexpected (and slightly misplaced) slapstick, too, in the scene where a couple of men are clandestinely introduced into the convent dressed-up as nuns so as to aid the heroine in extricating her revenge plan – which has them raping the stern (but obviously frustrated) Vice Abbess, responsible for the girl's mother's demise at child-birth, in her sleep!

Norifumi Suzuki's "School of the Holy Beast" is a masterpiece in it's own right. This film about a girls journey into depravity is one of the most erotic films I have ever seen. With each new scene, it gets more beautiful, like an exotic, poisonous flower opening to reveal it's center. Filled with breathtaking color and endless mystery, this is the first film i have seen featuring the amazing actress Yumi Takigawa. She plays her part of Maya with a delicate and subtle perfection rarely seen in this genre of film. Maya is a modern Japanese woman, who enters the "Sacred Heart", a convent shrouded in lies, hypocrisy and sexual power games. It seems as if everyone has something to hide. This film seems to be a direct attack on the Catholic church. The beginning of the film is a bit deceptive, as we are led to believe that there will not be much in the way of a real story here. But when we find out the reason why the beautiful Maya has entered this place, the tension begins to mount. To hear certain people referring to these films as trash, and exploitation, saddens me greatly, as it is so undeserved here. This film is top-notch in every way. The camera work, the editing, the beautiful, dreamlike cinematography, is far superior to anything coming out of Hollywood these days. Sadly, this style of film making is a thing of the past. We are fortunate however, with the advent of DVD technology, that these little-known 1970's masterpieces are again available. One of the classiest, and most elegant Japanese "pink" films ever made. I give this one the highest rating.

Or as with any other Nunsploitation movie: She'll have nun of that. Works every time like a charm, though I reckon this may only be the third or fourth one of these that I have seen. Still I'll keep believing (pun intended) in finding the ultimate one. This one right here isn't really bad. Most of the time it doesn't make much sense (I guess you have to be nude and show off your breasts for some reason), but it is sort of fun. If you're into bondage that is.

Apart from the already mentioned, that goes way deeper than 50 shades went (at least the movie, haven't read the book yet), this attempt on making a somewhat coherent story is really convoluted and it will be difficult to actually stay with it. Just pray you don't lose yourself. Then again it seems like those who lost themselves are doing mighty fine. Though they didn't expect the main actress to appear (something she didn't expect either, if you were to believe her interview on the disc).

I already wrote more than I thought I would, but somehow the whole thing was intriguing. Especially the innuendo, sometimes explicit (tongue between fingers symbolizing what? Yes exactly that) sometimes not so much. Also the main actress is really beautiful, with clothes, without and even as a nun. Do I have to mention that if you are religious you probably don't want to watch this? Though some would argue, that if you like good movies you'd also avoid it ... fair enough

Nunsploitation is a sub genre more often associated with trashy cheap Italian cinema; but Japan made a few as well, and while the bizarre Wet & Rope was worth seeing - their real masterpiece was this film, School of the Holy Beast. The most popular religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism, so it's rather strange to see Japanese women dressed in habits in a Roman Catholic convent, but even so - that hasn't stopped director Norifumi Suzuki from creating a fine slice of nunsploitation. One of my favourite things about this sub-genre is the fact that the films are often well photographed, and the directors take care with shooting the convent itself, and this is something that is adhered to with this film. There isn't a great deal of plot to speak of, but the central thread follows a beautiful young woman named Maya, who gets bundled off to a convent shortly after having sex with some guy. It soon becomes apparent that, like every other nunsploitation film, not everything at the convent is completely above board - as the nuns themselves are subjected to all manner of sexual punishments.

The attention to detail in the film is stunning, and the director delights in dishing up some stunning shots of the locations and his actresses. Japanese cinema is well known for being stylish, and that is certainly true of this film. There's plenty of sleaze on offer, but it all feels very artful and despite the fact that we're watching things such as whippings, lesbianism and rape, it never feels very shocking and that's because it's all very easy on the eyes. The script doesn't extend well to characters and character development, but it's not all that important and it is good to see that the story does develop past the basic plot layout - which certainly can't be said for every film of this type. Debutant Yumi Takigawa takes the lead role, and does well with it. Admittedly, it's not really because of her acting talent; but she does look good with her top off, and the director obviously knew that as he makes a meal out of scenes that see her half naked and bound with ropes. Overall, this is a fascinating cult film and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys this sort of cinema!

This is a beautifully shot movie and is definitely not a cheaply made porn. It's made to stand up as a legitimate movie and entertainment for adults.

Maya Takigawa (Yumi Takigawa) is enjoying her last day of freedom, having a wild time, because tomorrow, she will be entering a convent. She meets a good looking guy Kenta Aoki (Hayato Tani) and becomes friends with him. He wants to go steady with her but she declines. What's driving her to enter the convent ? 18 years ago her mother was at this convent and committed suicide while being pregnant with her. She aborts early but survives. She's now on a mission to find out why her mother had to die and who is her father. After she enters the convent, it's nonstop erotic violence with nuns beating up each other in name of God with beautiful breastages, and naked bodies shown at every opportunity.

The movie is high quality as it has real story, beautiful "real" actresses who can actually act, and crisp cinematography that's top notch.

How did such far out, and excellent movie come out from a rather conservative Toho studio ? I can put all the credit squarely on the director Norifumi Suzuki's capable talent. Suzuki is not well known in the west because he himself prefers not to be in the front line, but he is an unmistakable genius of Japanese cinema, and have directed many famous (and some considered masterpieces) of movies and movie series such as "Torrakku Yaro" (Trucker Guy) series starring Bunta Sugawara and "Hibotan Bakuto" (Hibotan Gambler) series starring Junko Fuji. Sugawara and Fuji both became famous after starring in Suzuki's movies. Suzuki's movies are all known to be somewhat eccentric and squarely focused on entertainment value. He is very versatile as he can direct movies of many different genre all with very high quality.

Seijyu Gakuen (Holy Beast School) gets all it's quality and entertainment values from the talent of its director. Beautiful Yumi Takigawa makes her debut in this movie, and she enjoys a long career as a movie and TV actress in the proceeding years.

Movies involving suppressed sexual desires in a convent erupting into violence/rape/bizarre sexual behaviour (y'now,like THE DEVILS) are usually of European origin.But this cracker from Japan is one of the best of it's kind.It has some of the most disturbing yet hauntingly beautiful scenes of blasphemy i've ever seen.It has been screened in English as CONVENT OF THE SACRED BEAST,but i'm not sure how you'd track it down.But if you can,it's well worth seeing.

School of the Holy Beast (1974)

*** (out of 4)

Notorious Japanese nunsploitation film from director Norifumi Suzuki has a simple storyline but borrows heavily from the Euro erotic genre. A rebellious woman enters a convent so she can learn the truth behind her mother's death eighteen years earlier. Her rebel attitude doesn't sit too well with the higher up nuns who aren't afraid to resort to torture by whip. The first half of the film is mostly an erotic movie and I'm not going to lie, Japanese women are quite sexy so the erotic nature of the film worked for me. Japan censorship laws were pretty heavy back in the day so the director comes up with a couple very good scenes to get his point across without having to resort to hardcore scenes, ala Euro flicks. There's an oral sex scene, which isn't shown how you'd expect but it's highly erotic and gets its sexuality across better than most Euro films of this genre. The second half of the film slows down quite a bit as the "mystery" surrounding the mother's death is revealed. The direction is quite strong and the cinematography is excellent.

The Catholic church must be different in Japan - in Japanese Exploitation cinema, that is, of course. Nunsploitation cinema is mainly known as a sub-genre of European Exploitation, but the Japanese also made a bunch of films of the kind, and, unsurprisingly, this "Seijû Gakuen" aka. "School Of The Holy Beast" of 1974 outshines the vast majority of Western Nunsploitation flicks. In no other country's cinema do Exploitation- and Art-house compliment each other like in the Land Of The Rising Sun, and "School Of The Holy Beast" is indeed a good example for this. The film by master director Norifumi Suzuki ("Sex And Fury", "Girl Boss Guerilla",...) features all the trade mark elements of his familiar Pinky Violence genre and Nunsploitation cinema - and all this with a lot of style. As a lover of both Nunsploitation and Japanese Pinky Violence cinema (the latter ranks way higher in my appreciation) I expected an extremely sleazy and highly entertaining flick, and while the film was actually not even quite as sleazy as I had expected, it sure didn't disappoint me. This is not to say that the film doesn't feature a wide range of perversions and sleaze - it does, but the sleaze does not overwhelm the film. As usual for a Pinky flick, the film is immensely stylish, brilliantly photographed, and filled with beautiful Japanese girls in sometimes unpleasant situations.

The film is set in a menacing nuns' convent, at which any disobedience against the strict rules is responded to by draconian punishments. One of the aspiring nuns at the convent is Maya (the ravishing Yumi Takigawa), who comes to the menacing place for very personal reasons... I do not want to give away too much, but I can assure that all my fellow lovers of Japanese Exploitation cinema should be pleased with this highly memorable flick. The stunningly beautiful Yumi Takagiwa makes a great lead, and most of her fellow young nuns are very nice to look at too. The film's cast also includes some regulars of Japanese Exploitation cinema. None other than Fumio Watanbe (the sadistic warden Goda in the first two brilliant "Joshuu Sasori"/"Female Prisoner Scorpion" flicks with Meiko Kaji) plays a sinister priest, and Yoko Mihara, who is known for her roles in many films, such as the first "Sasori" flick, "Joshuu 701-gô: Sasori" (aka. "Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion"), "Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs", "Sex And Fury" or "Girl Boss Guerilla" plays the fanatic vice-abbess. The sadistic punishments are in typical Pinky style, and while there's quite a bit of sleaze and violence overall, these elements alone do not dominate the film. The film is highly atmospheric, the photography and visual style are great and the score is sublime. All things considered "School Of The Holy Beast" is a great little film and a must-see for fans of Japanese Exploitation cinema.

Put quite simply, SotHB is among the best of the genre. Everything you want out of this film is here, and more. Blasphemy, nudity, violence, satanic imagery...all here. Brilliant writing, excellent direction, and well produced. It is, of course, not a blockbuster mega release, but what GOOD exploitation is? Likely falls within (or near) the top 5 genre films of its kind.

But be careful...nunsploitation is a bad habit to get in to.

Oft touted as the first Pink film from Japan, School of the Holy Beast is the tale of a girl Maya (Yumi Takigawa) whom we meet for the first time sharing a lustful moment with her boyfriend, post coitus she tells him she is off to live in a convent, but no explanation is given. In her new role as a novice nun, she soon learns the hard way, the strict and repressive ways of convent life, laid down by the Mother Superior. Those who disobey the strict tenets are dealt with, with impunity. In time we learn the disturbing history of Maya and the reasons for her being there. As she does her own detective work within the convent, she discovers there, a sinister Holy Man who seems to be pulling the strings of terror. This is a stunningly filmed tale of murder, torture, rape, self flaggelation, lesbians, lustful priests all set in the opulent surroundings of a convent. it's a deliciously decadent and erotic film, that Japanese film historian Risaku Kiridoushi describes as the perfect example of Japanese cinema, I'm not really in agreement though as to where its influences lie, to me they hail from Italy, the score the visuals and the themes all seem to come from there, still though that's not a bad thing.

Nunsploitation is as typically European as cultural excellence, Fascism, hairy armpits on women, and football hooliganism. So what the hell did Japanese director Norifumi Suzuki think he was doing when he made School Of The Holy Beast?

Only giving us one of the best and most outrageous examples of the genre, that's what!

Suzuki takes the standard nunsploitation elements (Catholicism, lesbianism, masturbation, repressed sexual desires, violence, hot nuns, shower scenes, blasphemy, rape), adds a murder/mystery plot and ramps up the levels of depravity to bring us a superbly sacrilegious sleaze-fest. And if that wasn't enough, the whole thing is beautifully shot, and accompanied by an excellent haunting soundtrack.

Yumi Takigawa plays Maya, a beautiful young woman who enters a convent in order to find out exactly what happened to her mother, who died when she was born. Whilst there, Maya discovers that the place is a hotbed of lust and violence, with the sisters in charge of the establishment being the most depraved of all, punishing any nuns who fail to obey their strict rules with a variety of painful and degrading tortures.

During the course of events, viewers are treated to such delights as flagellation with rose stems, death by acid bath, mother superior masturbation, gang rape (seemingly played for laughs!!!), priest-on-nun rape, and a witch trial which involves a crucifix and the denial of lavatorial facilities. Only after all of this, does Maya finally solve the mystery of her mother's death, discover the identity of her father, and get to even the score with several nasty nuns.

I give School Of The Holy Beast 7.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 8 for IMDb) and recommend it to all fans of deviant cinema (who should also check out Suzuki's Beautiful Girl Hunter, which I enjoyed even more!).