Vicious warden Helga (a fierce and fiery portrayal by the scrumptious Malissa Longo) runs the castle penitentiary Stilberg for female political prisoners with an iron fist. Stubborn and recalcitrant new inmate Elisabeth Vogel (a winningly spunky performance by ravishing redhead Patrizia Gori), who's the daughter of a rebel leader, runs afoul of Helga after she finds herself incarcerated in Stilberg. Elisabeth eventually plots to escape from Stilberg in the wake of becoming fed up with being on the receiving end of Helga's endless cruelty and perverse sexual desires.
While the plot certainly has all the right sordid stuff when it comes to on the money entertaining exploitation fare, alas Patrice Rhomm's pedestrian direction lets the trite and meandering narrative plod along at a tediously slow pace and totally bungles the climactic attack on the prison by a band of rebel soldiers. Moreover, this film quite simply doesn't go far enough with its scuzzy premise and hence delivers more sizzle than steak. Fortunately, H.L. Rostaine's low-rent script contains just enough sex, rape, whippings, torture, cat fights, and lesbianism to ensure that this movie passes muster as a decent slice of Eurosleaze schlock. In addition, there's a pleasing plenitude of bare distaff flesh on display. Jacques Marbeuf contributes a spot-on slimy turn as disgusting old lecher Doc. The cruddy dubbing provides a wealth of unintentional laughs: One gal speaks with an overdone Southern drawl while another boasts an annoying Bronx whine. Daniel White's varied score alternates between swinging jazz and thudding prog-rock. A strictly okay time-waster.
While the plot certainly has all the right sordid stuff when it comes to on the money entertaining exploitation fare, alas Patrice Rhomm's pedestrian direction lets the trite and meandering narrative plod along at a tediously slow pace and totally bungles the climactic attack on the prison by a band of rebel soldiers. Moreover, this film quite simply doesn't go far enough with its scuzzy premise and hence delivers more sizzle than steak. Fortunately, H.L. Rostaine's low-rent script contains just enough sex, rape, whippings, torture, cat fights, and lesbianism to ensure that this movie passes muster as a decent slice of Eurosleaze schlock. In addition, there's a pleasing plenitude of bare distaff flesh on display. Jacques Marbeuf contributes a spot-on slimy turn as disgusting old lecher Doc. The cruddy dubbing provides a wealth of unintentional laughs: One gal speaks with an overdone Southern drawl while another boasts an annoying Bronx whine. Daniel White's varied score alternates between swinging jazz and thudding prog-rock. A strictly okay time-waster.