Red-Barracuda A young woman is sent to a nunnery by her domineering father in 15th century southern Italy, while there she is subject and witness to many atrocities. She later flees and becomes the lover of the leader of an invading Muslim army and with his muscle underpinning her; she enacts grisly revenge on those who have wronged her.Flavia the Heretic is one of the prime examples of the sub-genre known as nunsploitation. Along with The Devils (1971), it combines some serious drama along with gruesome exploitative material. Although it could be argued that in both of these films the nasty scenes are pretty necessary in reflecting the grimness of their respective stories. Both films look at the dubious actions of the church in the middle ages but Flavia more specifically has a feminist outlook as well and considers the role of women at that time. Consequently, this is an unusually serious minded bit of nunsploitation. It is considerably helped in this regard by a standout turn from the always impressive Florinda Bolkan in the lead role. She essays the emotional story arc of Flavia quite expertly and certainly elevates the drama of the story. This is a very interesting central female character of a type you don't see very often leading a movie, especially in a film of this type.In regards to the more visceral aspects, there were a few very grim scenes of torture and graphic excess, including a borderline unwatchable castration of a horse and a gruesome climax. Some of the horrible scenes have a definite overall point though, such as a sequence where a rich and decadent duke rapes a servant girl in a pig sty. It's a scene that illustrates the way that women were treated like animals by the ruling classes who were at liberty to act as they saw fit. On the whole, Flavia the Heretic is an Italian genre film with a more art-house sensibility than was typical. It provides both vicarious thrills and something to actually think about. And that's not a bad achievement really.

ghoule-582-207091 Flavia the Heretic is hailed by some as one of the best nunsploitation - a dubious sub genre at best - efforts out there.Sadly, the story and characters it unfolds come from nowhere, and go nowhere. Even if we realize that the movie is based in dark medieval-era Spain, there is no real sense of community, no hint of a real society or whatsoever. No one seems to really like to be alive, or simply to exist within the frame of civilization.Nearly every character is mad, violent, misogynistic or just plain dumb. The people in charge are few and most of the time act rashly for no apparent reason, or just don't seem to know what to do. Senseless aggression and torture abound, mostly from male towards female, but also from female on female.The madness the Tarantula cult unleashes on the nuns convent during the beginning of the movie is unbelievable, as is the rage and hatred the main character and the senior nun harbour towards men.I understand being oppressed by a group, class or gender can lead to madness and revenge, but what Flavia the Heretic does is beyond my understanding : how can you betray and condemn to death thousands of your fellow citizens just to have revenge on few? By siding with the invaders, Flavia facilitates the genocide committed on her people, and seems to be very happy with it. Yet, she also despises the invader's attitude towards women, which leads her to be abandoned by the conquerors and captured by vengeful religious fanatics. She dies horribly. That's what you get for living a life filled with hatred.Flavia the Heretic is a beautifully lighted movie, but fails mostly because of a script filled with extremely negative characters. I seriously doubt people hated their lives as much as they seem to do in this movie, even during Dark Medieval Times...

MARIO GAUCI I first read about this "Nunsploitation" effort – considered among the most extreme of its type (infamously featuring a scene in which a naked girl climbs inside the hanging carcass of a cow!) – in the Leslie Halliwell Film Guide, but became even more interested in checking it out in the wake of online reviews for the R1 DVD from Synapse. However, I somehow never got around to acquiring it – chiefly because the print included was English-dubbed…though, in retrospect, that's what the actors are speaking (with leading lady Florinda Bolkan providing her own voice). Then, just last week – coincidentally, on the very same day I acquired an even more obscure entry within the same genre (albeit of a much-filmed source i.e. THE NUN OF MONZA [1969]) – I stumbled upon a copy of FLAVIA itself and, at this stage, I simply could not let the opportunity pass me by. The film's reputation for gory depictions of carnage and torture was not exaggerated but, seeing how these scenes are part and parcel of its unflinching portrayal of the Middle Ages (stunningly shot in earthen tones by Alfio Contini), they do not feel gratuitous or sensationalistic; besides, the whole comes wrapped in an evocatively beautiful soundtrack courtesy of future Oscar-winner Nicola Piovani. Bolkan, able to convey much without the benefit of dialogue, is impressive as ever: she convinces in her character's every facet (including donning a soldier's armor), and this is possibly her signature role. Maria Casares (best-known for playing Death in Jean Cocteau's ORPHEUS [1950]) is animated and uninhibited, despite her time-ravaged looks a' la Alida Valli: for the record, I thought she would be playing the convent's obligatory stern Mother Superior but is actually the one to inspire Flavia towards rebellion. Claudio Cassinelli appears as a Jew befriended by the heroine, whereas Anthony Corlan (later Higgins) – of Hammer's 1972 outing VAMPIRE CIRCUS – is the young leader of the Muslim invaders (none of whom look remotely Arabic!) aiding the heroine in accomplishing her male/Christian-hating campaign…until she rejects marriage and conversion to his own religion. While having undeniably greater significance and scope than most films of its ilk (though the expected hysterical writhing is still present in the form of a wandering sect afflicted by the bite of a tarantula!), plot development is curiously lacking here – which, coupled with the trademark deliberate pacing of the "Euro-Cult" style, makes for an altogether muddled (if never less than interesting) affair. An unexpected touch involves fantasy sequences showing various religious paintings come to life, often as a result of the nuns' (typical) sexual repression. Naturally, we get plenty of nudity and, for violent highlights, anything from numerous beheadings, the castration of a horse(!), rape, sodomy, cannibalism, boiling oil being poured on a girl's naked body, nipple-slashing, impaling and skinning alive is the order of the day! One final thing: viewers of the Synapse edition had regretted the lack of a trailer on that disc; incidentally, a German one has been made available among the extras accompanying the X-Rated Kult R2 DVD of the afore-mentioned THE NUN OF MONZA

HumanoidOfFlesh Flavia(Florinda Bolkan of "Don't Torture a Duckling" fame)is locked away in a convent of carnal desires by her father.Tired of all of the sadism she sees around her(rape of a young woman in a pigsty,sexual cravings,horse castration)Flavia decides to run from the convent with her Jewish friend from the outside,Abraham.The two don't get very far before they are captured and then brought back to be tortured and forced to repent.After punishment she joins up with a band of Muslims called the Tarantulas,who had invaded the convent prior and leads a crusade that turns into nothing short of a bloody battle behind the convent walls."Flavia the Heretic" is a well-directed and fairly notorious piece of Italian nunsploitation.The film is slightly gruesome and sleazy at times.The acting is great and the characters are well-developed.Overall,"Flavia the Heretic" is a genuinely moving and intelligent movie with plenty of nudity and gore.You can't go wrong with it.8 out of 10.