Redemption Revisited
In 2023 it will be thirty years since Redemption’s first releases appeared on the shelves and introduced the UK, and in 1997 the US, to the works of Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, Dario Argento, Bruno Mattei, and many others along with, at the time, virtually unknown and to many people, bizarre sounding genres like Exploitation, Sexploitation, Nunsploitation, WIP (Women in Prison), Naziploitation, horror and the cryptic sounding Giallo film.
Redemption was launched with just enough funds to license five films, Mask of Satan, Lisa and the Devil, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Killer Nun and Salon Kitty.There was no money for advertising or marketing and if those five films failed to sell then that was it, Game Over. I had already created the Redemption logo and a design style for the sleeves and had intended to use stills from the films to illustrate them but when the stills arrived from the producers, the images sent were often poor or in some cases non-existent. So I decided to create my own visual interpretations of the films and to use those images to reinforce and drive the identity of the Redemption brand.
I chose to use black and white photography because, combined with red and white type, it looked cool and stood out from all of the other videos on the shelf. I combined this with The Redeemer magazine which I had launched in 1992 the year before Redemption hit the shelves, to create what was at the time a unique visual style that mixed blood, fashion, and the gothic into a horror aesthetic that was Redemption.
Luckily for me it worked and those five titles sold really well and Redemption grew from there.
So now, nearly thirty years later I thought that it would be interesting to revisit some of the images we have created around the company over the years. This is a very random selection and has been determined primarily by what pictures were readily available. A lot of the earlier images need scanning and a lot more, created before digital, are on transparency and so also need scanning. These will be the subject of second online exhibition next year.
The 100 images in Redemption Revisited were, except for numbers 68 to 71 which I created for Skin Two magazine in the mid eighties, taken being 1992 and 2014 and while not all specifically used on Redemption products were created with the specific aim of promoting Redemption in one way or another. I have not included any images from our productions, the Black Mass club or the Satanic Sluts as they are worthy of their own exhibition.
Finally, we are considering publishing a History of Redemption book to celebrate our 30th and would be very interested to hear your thoughts on whether you would be interested in it? You are after all the people who made Redemption and have kept the company going and without you there would be no Redemption…
Nigel Wingrove
Salvation Films
No 1.
No 2.
No 3.
These were taken to accompany a feature on Redemption for Penthouse magazine around 2004. I don’t know why I chose spiders as a theme but the end result, which wasn’t intentional. was that the pictures had a silent movie vamp feel to them which seems to work.
- Photography by GMK.
- Modelled by Three members of the Satanic Sluts.
No 4.
No 5.
No 6.
Between 2013 and 2014 I had my own section in Bizarre magazine in which I would agree on a theme and then write and illustrate it. However, at that stage in Bizarre’s magazines’ life, it had no money so I came to an arrangement with a new US-based online channel who paid for the shoot on condition it was filmed for broadcast later. Essentially I wanted to have some fun outside of Redemption but saw this as a way of indirectly getting press for the company and for potentially building up to getting our own Redemption channel again (Redemption TV was live from 2005 – 2007).
While this worked well there were two problems that we had, one that my stylists for the shoots really struggled to get clothes from fashion companies because they didn’t want to be associated with Bizarre magazine. The second problem was that Bizarre magazine itself was struggling with a falling circulation, loss of advertising and warnings from key retailers about its content which meant the ever-present threat that retailers like WH Smiths could pull it from their shelves immediately if there was a complaint. This meant for me that I had to constantly tone things down, something I hate doing, nevertheless they were a lot of fun to do and creatively let me explore a lot of ideas I’d been wanting to do.
These 5 pictures were on the theme of abnormality and beauty.
- Photography Chris Bell
- Models Chloe-Jasmine, Joanna
- Stylist Olga Starky
- Make-up Silvia Saccinto
- Image Editing David Palser
No 9.
Another shot for Bizarre magazine, this time on the colour white and was a reference to the Ku Klux Klan which was referenced in the article. Bizarre were worried that it could cause offence so I reworked the picture and linked it the Spanish inquisition instead though it still wasn’t published.
- Photography : Chris Bell
- Image Editing : David Palser
No 10.
Another shot for Bizarre magazine and another shot for the feature on the colour white. This a reference to the fairly tale character Snow White.
- Photography Chris Bell
- Image Editing David Palser
- Model CJ
- Stylist Olga Starky
- Make-up Silvia Saccinto
No 11.
No 12.
No 13.
No 14.
No 15.
No 16.
Another feature for Bizarre, this time on the theme of civil unrest, revolution and riot. I really enjoyed this shoot and everything came together well, including the two models who really got into in the end!
- Photography Chris Bell
- Models Georgia, Lily
- Stylist Olga Starky
- Make-up Silvia Saccinto
- Image Editing David Palser
No 21.
No 22.
No 23.
This was the second shoot that I did for Bizarre and this time I had chosen the theme of sweets and food in children’s literature for my theme, partly because I found the subject interesting and visually because it took me outside of my comfort zone in terms of colours and presentation.
- Photography Chris Bell
- Models Katia and Kimberly
- Stylist Manveer
- Make-up Silvia Saccinto
- Image Editing David Palser.
No 26.
This was originally shot for the cover of the US release of Jean Rollin’s film, Shiver of the Vampire. Taken 1997/98
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Nancy Sorrell.
No 27.
This was originally shot for the cover of the US release of Jean Rollin’s film, Requiem for a Vampire. . Taken 1997/98
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Nancy Sorrell.
No 28.
This picture was part of a series of shots taken to illustrate the Redemption publication, Daughters of Satan. The whole shoot was filmed by BBC 2 for the Book Programme. Taken 1995/6
- Photography Chris Bell
No 29.
This was originally shot for the cover of the US release of Jean Rollin’s film, The Living Dead Girl. Taken 1997/98
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Nancy Sorrell.
No 30.
This was originally shot for the cover of the US release of Jean Rollin’s film, The Rape of the Vampire. Taken 1999/2000
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 31.
This is one of a number of images shot for the Metal Vamps poster set.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 37.
No 38.
No 39.
These are three reworked pictures used to illustrate a feature in Bizarre magazine on the theme of Gangster Bad Girls and Molls. The Suzy Snatch image was originally taken for the cover of What Have They Done to Solange?, the Uzi-Vicious image was part of a fashion shoot for issue one of the Redeemer magazine and Ms Fury was taken for the cover of the Purgatory release, Black Orchid.
No 49.
Kill Your Idols – Taken to illustrate the first issue of Nihilista Newspaper. 2008
No 50.
This was taken for the cover of Bizarre to highlight a six-page feature on Redemption’s imagery.
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- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Nancy Sorrell
No 51.
This was one of only six lesbian inspired images taken for a collection of themed mugs, ‘sapphic sips for naughty nips’. This one is called ‘Eve’ and is based on ‘Adam and Eve’
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- Photography Chris Bell
- Model Rachel Garley
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No 60.
This crazed-looking witch was taken for issue 4 of the Redeemer, which had a ‘witch’ theme.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 61.
This picture was one of a set of images taken to illustrate the Redemption book, ‘Daughters of Satan’.
- Photography Chris Bell
No 62
This was taken for the cover of ‘What Have They Done to Your Daughters?
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 63.
This was taken around 1994, I think as part of a new collection of imagery or in preparation for another calendar.
- Photography Chris Bell
No 64.
This picture was also taken around 1994/1995 and was used for a promotional poster image for the Jezebel label.
- Photography Chris Bell
- Model Vida Garman
No 65.
This was taken around 1994 to illustrate an article in the Redeemer, issue three
- Photography Chris Bell
No 66.
This taken in 1992 to illustrate an article in the Redeemer and also to use in a card set.
- Photography Chris Bell
No 67.
This was also taken in 1992 to illustrate an article in the first issue of the Redeemer and also to use in a card set.
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Michelle
No 72.
No 73.
No 74.
No 75.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Renato Polselli’s Revelation’s of a Psychiatrist in a World of Perverse Sex.
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Vida Garman
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Jean Rollin’s Demoniacs.
- Photography Garrard Martin
These two images, taken in 1996, were intended for the US cover of Ilsa She-Wolf of the SS which we hoped to acquire at this time.
No 76.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Nude for Satan.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 77.
This was shot for the cover of the Jezebel title Complicity.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 78.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Nude Vampire.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 79.
This was shot for the cover of the UK Redemption release of Witchfinder General. Model Heather
- Photography Chris Bell
- Model Heather
No 80.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Devil’s Nightmare.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 81.
No 82.
No 83.
No 84.
Four variations on the Purgatory logo, shot in 1996.
- Photography Salvatore
- Model Rochelle
No 85.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Yellow Teddybears.
- Photography Garrard Martin
- Model Emily
No 86.
This was shot for the cover of the US release of Baba Yaga.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 87.
This is a detail from the cover shot for our book, The Art of the Nasty.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 88.
This is another image shot for the witch issue of the Redeemer magazine, issue 4.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 89.
This was shot around 1999 or 2000 for what was intended to be a sister label to Purgatory, called Carnal. The Carnal label was very short-lived. However, we will re-launching Carnal with this picture as its logo in 2020. The yellow boots were made especially for this outfit.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 94.
This was the cover image for the Redeemer, issue 4 – A ‘Witches Special’.
- Photography Chris Bell
No 95
This was shot for the cover of The Four Dimensions of Greta – a Jezebel release.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 96.
This is one of a number of images shot for the poster set, Metal Vamps.
- Photography Garrard Martin
No 97.
No 98.
No 99.
No 100.
These variations were shot for the cover of the US release of Black Magic Ritles aka The Reincarnation of Isabel.
- Photography Garrard Martin
These were shot in 1992 specifically to illustrate an article on vampires for the first issue of the Redeemer magazine. Pic 100 was also used by Cradle of Filth for the cover of their album the Principle of Evil made Flesh.
- Photography Chris Bell
- Model Michelle