Nigel Wingrove founded Redemption Films in 1992 after his film 'Visions of Ecstasy' was banned in 1989/90. He aimed to distribute and market European horror films, introducing the work of Jean Rollin, Jess Franco, and Dario Argento to a mainstream audience.
Redemption also launched Jezebel, a sister label, focusing on European and British sex comedies and erotica from the 1960s and 1970s. Sacrament specialized in contemporary Japanese 'Pink' cinema, while Purgatory championed cutting-edge adult material.
Wingrove diversified Redemption's activities in the mid-2000s with the creation of the Satanic Sluts, an all-girl Internet collective. The group gained notoriety in 2008 during the Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand Sachsgate scandal.
Other projects included designing and publishing the UK satanist magazine Rule Satania, running a monthly nightclub, Black Mass, and launching record labels Triple Silence and Hydra.
However, this period of diversification was marked by the closure of four of Redemption's main UK distributors and forced changes in the US. By 2009, Redemption had to streamline its business and adapt to the industry shift towards VoD and streaming.
In 2010, Salvation Films signed a new distribution deal with 4 Digital in the UK and with Kino Lorber in the US. Redemption exited its previous distributor, ADA, in 2011.
In 2012, Salvation's library of titles was remastered into High Definition and released on Redemption in Blu-ray. The company also started offering its films online and signed the horror title, Humans Versus Zombies.
Nigel Wingrove's short film, Visions of Ecstasy, was finally passed by the BBFC after 23 years, and was released on April 2, 2012. Further projects in development include the relaunching of the Satanic Sluts, the production of the Sci-Fi Nunsploitation feature film 'Sisters of Armageddon', and the publication of a book about Redemption Films in 2013.
