Crash Course: Heresy!

It only makes sense that during the peak years of exploitation cinema, filmmakers would set their sights on nuns. In their widely recognizable habits as symbols of devotion, chastity, and conformity, nuns make a particularly intriguing device for the lustful hedonism that the genre thrives on. Not-so-subtle statements about sexual repression and abuse of power within the church are also present in much of nunsploitation, such that even the most salacious of these films often have an unexpected heft.

Starting with Ken Russell’s polarizing masterpiece that catalyzed the nunsploitation boom and finishing on a giallo-ish tale based on a true story, this crash course will discuss the roots of nunsploitation and three outliers of the genre.

Films:

9/10: THE DEVILS (1971, 111 min)

9/17: FLAVIA THE HERETIC (1974, 101 min)

9/24: KILLER NUN (1979, 90 min)

This Crash Course will be taught by Hollywood Theatre staffer Betsy Kniffin.  

MMU Crash Course classes offer a low-intensity way to explore a filmmaker or genre, in a friendly environment shared with fellow film lovers. Unlike our MMU seminars, Crash Courses offer a more casual approach. There’s no formal lecture or discussion, but films are curated and presented by staff experts.

Enrollment is limited to 18 students.

Questions? Email us at education@moviemadness.org