Nigel Wingrove (born 26 October 1957) is the founder of the horror film company Salvation Films and the Redemption film label and creator of the online alternative female collective, the Satanic Sluts. He is also a film director and the only director to have had a film banned in the UK on the grounds of blasphemy.
Wingrove founded the film distribution company Redemption Films (now called Salvation Films) in 1992, which was the first UK company to specialise in releasing obscure European films by directors such as Jean Rollin, Jess Franco, Dario Argento and Peter Walker. Redemption's logo features a white, eyeless face, which is of Wingrove's former girlfriend, the actress and scream queen, Eileen Daly.
Separate to his work as managing director of Salvation Films, Wingrove has written and directed a number of low-budget films including Sacred Flesh (2000), "Red Kiss" (2004), Sexcretares (2005), Purple Haze (2005) and three titles; The Black Order Cometh (2006), The Black Masses (2007), and Scandalised (2008), in the Satanic Sluts range. Wingrove's early film work included the short erotic film Visions of Ecstasy (1989), which is an interpretation of the writings of Carmelite nun Saint Teresa of Avila with a soundtrack by Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees and would go on to be banned from distribution on the grounds of blasphemy. Wingrove is currently working on a nunsploitation film, "Sisters of Armageddon", and an Alice in Wonderland inspired title: "Alice in the Underworld" and producing a series of cosplay themed films for Ghoul Girls, a sister film label to the Satanic Sluts.
In 1996, Wingrove challenged the British Board of Film Classification, which had refused to grant a distribution certificate for his short film Visions of Ecstasy on the grounds that it was blasphemous, at the European Court of Human Rights. He claimed that the ban breached Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and was disproportionate. [1] Wingrove's case was supported by the notable figures such as authors Salman Rushdie [2] and Fay Weldon, [3] and film director Derek Jarman, [4] however The Court dismissed the claim and accepted that the criminal law of blasphemy, as it was applied in England, did not infringe the right to freedom of expression under Article 10. In 1994, Wingrove had also contested the BBFC's refusal to grant a certificate to the films Bare Behind Bars , Demoniac (aka Exorcism, 1974) and Sadomania at the Video Appeals Committee, though without success. Visions of Ecstasy was eventually released uncut in 2012, following the 2008 repeal of the UK's blasphemy laws.
Wingrove is also known for his design work, which has a dark erotic style. He has worked on the fetish magazine Skin Two and, from 1992 to 1996, he was involved with the emerging Black Metal band Cradle of Filth, who licensed a number of Wingrove's images for use as their artwork on albums and t-shirts including the infamous "Jesus is a Cunt" design. Wingrove went on to art direct three albums for the band, the last being Dusk... and Her Embrace, though a great many of Wingrove's conceived images can be found in the definitive book on the band, "Gospel of Filth" (Fab Press, 2009), written by Gavin Baddeley.
Wingrove has two books published; "The Art of the Nasty", co-authored with Marc Morris, and "Blood and Dishonour: The Dark, Bloody and Peversely Erotic World of the Satanic Sluts – Satan’s True Sirens". Wingrove has also designed and edited several similarly themed inhouse magazines for Salvation Films, including The Redeemer (1992 - 1995), and the newspaper styled Nihilista (2007-2008) and oversaw the redesign and relaunched of Rule Satannia, a satanic themed magazine linked to the Church of Satan. Wingrove also writes a regular blog, and runs the related quasi arts and politics site "Scum Nation". Wingrove is currently writing his first major reference work, "Strength Through Design – Print Propaganda in the Third Reich" which looks in detail at the magazines and newspapers published by the NSDAP between 1920 and 1945.
Art
Wingrove is currently working on an exhibition of new images inspired by his book, Strength Through Design – Print Propaganda in the Third Reich.
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, typically set on the Indian subcontinent. Rushdie's second novel, Midnight's Children (1981), won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be "the best novel of all winners" on two occasions, marking the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize.
Video nasty is a colloquial term popularised by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the United Kingdom to refer to a number of films, typically low-budget horror or exploitation films, distributed on video cassette that were criticised for their violent content by the press, social commentators, and various religious organisations in the early 1980s. These video releases were not brought before the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) due to a loophole in film classification laws that allowed videos to bypass the review process. The resulting uncensored video releases led to public debate concerning the availability of these films to children due to the unregulated nature of the market.
The Satanic Verses is the fourth novel of British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the Satanic Verses, a group of Quranic verses about three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Al-Uzza, and Manāt. The part of the story that deals with the satanic verses was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.
Laws prohibiting blasphemy and blasphemous libel in the United Kingdom date back to the medieval times as common law and in some special cases as enacted legislation. The common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were formally abolished in England and Wales in 2008 and Scotland in 2024. Equivalent laws remain in Northern Ireland.
Baise-moi is a 2000 French erotic crime thriller film written and directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi and starring Karen Lancaume and Raffaëla Anderson. It is based on the novel by Despentes, first published in 1993. The film received intense media coverage because of its graphic mix of violence and explicit sex scenes. Consequently, it is sometimes considered an example of the "New French Extremity".
Maria Beatty is a Venezuelan filmmaker who directs, acts, and produces. Her films are often made in black and white and cover various aspects of female sexuality, including BDSM and fetishism. She was inspired by expressionist German cinema, French surrealism, and American film noir.
Steven Severin is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He was also a member of the short-lived band the Glove. He took the name "Severin" from the Leopold von Sacher-Masoch character who is mentioned in the Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs". Severin had earlier considered "Steve Spunker" for his stage name. After the split of Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1996, Severin created his own label RE: and released several instrumental albums via his official website. In the late 2000s and the early 2010s, he regularly performed live in solo, playing music over footage of silent films.
The right to freedom of religion in the United Kingdom is provided for in all three constituent legal systems, by devolved, national, European, and international law and treaty. Four constituent nations compose the United Kingdom, resulting in an inconsistent religious character, and there is no state church for the whole kingdom.
Virgin Witch is a British horror sexploitation film directed by Ray Austin and starring Ann and Vicki Michelle, Patricia Haines and Neil Hallett. A prospective model and her sister join a coven of white wizards.
Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 British short film directed by Nigel Wingrove and starring Louise Downie, Elisha Scott, and Dan Fox. It became the only work to be refused certification by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) on the grounds of blasphemy. The film features sexualised scenes of Saint Teresa of Ávila with the body of Jesus on the cross.
Iran is a constitutional, Islamic theocracy. Its official religion is the doctrine of the Twelver Jaafari School. Iran's law against blasphemy derives from Sharia. Blasphemers are usually charged with "spreading corruption on earth", or mofsed-e-filarz, which can also be applied to criminal or political crimes. The law against blasphemy complements laws against criticizing the Islamic regime, insulting Islam, and publishing materials that deviate from Islamic standards.
Eileen Mary Theresa Daly is an English actress, director, film producer, writer, singer, presenter, songwriter and former adult film performer. She is also a contemporary scream queen, having starred in numerous cult horror films and fronts her own band Eileen and Ben.
The Satanic Verses controversy, also known as the Rushdie Affair, was a controversy sparked by the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. It centered on the novel's references to the Satanic Verses, and came to include a larger debate about censorship and religious violence. It included numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings by perpetrators who supported Islam.
Salvation Group is a UK-based media company, specialising in exploitation film and alternative music. The company's original name and current trading name is Redemption Films. The Salvation Group was dissolved in November 2014.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), previously the British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify all video works released on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and, to a lesser extent, some video games under the Video Recordings Act 1984. The BBFC was also the designated regulator for the UK age-verification scheme, which was abandoned before being implemented.
International Guerrillas is a 1990 spy action film from Pakistan, originally released in the context of the Satanic Verses controversy. The movie portrays Salman Rushdie as its main villain. The film was made in the Urdu language; it also features several musical numbers including songs and dances.
Film censorship in the United Kingdom began with early cinema exhibition becoming subject to the Disorderly Houses Act 1751. The Cinematograph Act 1909 was primarily concerned with introducing annual licensing of premises where films were shown, particularly because of the fire risk of nitrate film. After the Act began to be used by local authorities to control what was shown, the film industry responded by establishing a British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) in 1912, funded by an Incorporated Association of Kinematograph Manufacturers levy.
Islamic teachings and argument have been used to censor opinions and writings throughout history, up to and including the modern era, and thus there are many cases of censorship in Islamic societies. One example is the fatwa against The Satanic Verses, ordering that the author be executed for blasphemy. Depictions of Muhammad have inspired considerable controversy and censorship. Some Islamic societies have religious police, who enforce the application of Islamic Sharia law.
The Blasphemers' Banquet is a film-poem created in 1989 by English poet and playwright Tony Harrison which examines censorship arising from religious issues. It was created in part as a response to the Salman Rushdie controversy surrounding his publication of The Satanic Verses. It was aired by the BBC 1's programme Byline on 31 July 1989.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts-visions-of-redemption-1344278.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/celestial-orgasm-that-went-too-far-1343757.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article3003316.ece