''Satan's School for Girls'' is a 1973 American made-for-television

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by David Lowell Rich, and produced by

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...

. The film has been named as one of the most memorable television movies of the 1970s.

Plot

A mysterious person seems to be chasing student Martha Sayers (Terry Lumley), who drives to her sister's lakeside house in Los Angeles. The same day, the police and Martha's sister Elizabeth ( Pamela Franklin) find her hanged in the living room. The police rule her death as an unmotivated

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, but Elizabeth refuses to believe this and investigates further. She decides to visit the exclusive academy that Martha attended, The Salem Academy for Women, despite warnings from Martha's roommate, Lucy Dembrow (

Gwynne Gilford Gloria Gwynne Gilford is an American psychotherapist and former actress. She appeared in several television series in the 1970s and 1980s, including ''A New Kind of Family'', ''The Young Lawyers'' and '' The Waverly Wonders'', and had roles in th ...

). Under the assumed name of Elizabeth Morgan, she enrolls at the college, where she is welcomed by her classmates Roberta Lockhart ( Kate Jackson), Debbie Jones (Jamie Smith Jackson) and Jody Keller (

Cheryl Ladd Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor; July 12, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series ''Charlie's Angels'', whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 to ...

). Elizabeth notes several strange occurrences, but postpones further investigation. Debbie has an outburst in class. The feared headmistress, Mrs. Jessica Williams ( Jo Van Fleet), is worried about the influence of "the new girl". When Lucy commits suicide, Elizabeth resumes her investigation. She becomes intrigued with a painting of Martha in a dungeon-like room. Debbie, who painted it, is terrified of the painting and claims she invented the background, but Elizabeth finds an identical setting in a cellar on campus. When she is accosted by a man with a sharp weapon, Elizabeth flees. The next night, Elizabeth returns to the cellar with Roberta, who is now suspicious as well. They locate a hidden room in which they find the dead body of Debbie, who earlier that evening had tried to leave the campus. Elizabeth suspects that Professor Delacroix ( Lloyd Bochner) is responsible, considering his eccentric and mildly sadistic behavior. Elizabeth bursts into his office, finding him in a deranged state with a gun in his hand. He fears something supernatural is stalking him, and he jumps through the window. After running for some time, he ends up mired in a swamp, where he is beaten with sticks by several students including Jody. Meanwhile, the otherwise popular Dr. Joseph Clampett ( Roy Thinnes) reveals to Williams that he is responsible for all the murders. He orders the headmistress to evacuate the school. Elizabeth and Roberta are unaware of the evacuation. They discover the body of Delacroix, who has been brutally murdered. Elizabeth and Roberta turn to Williams for help, but she has gone insane. When they are unsuccessful in calling the police, Elizabeth and Roberta go to the cellar to find a gun. Instead, they find Clampett leading a Satanic cult. His followers (including Jody) believe that he is

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

incarnate, and Roberta reveals herself as his loyal servant. Elizabeth is able to escape when she sets the school on fire, and she takes Williams with her. However, the other girls stay behind. The entire building is engulfed in flames. Clampett, who is actually supernatural, survives the fire and is shown outdoors, where he mysteriously disappears, leaving only a patch of charred grass where he stood.

Cast

* Pamela Franklin as Elizabeth Sayers/Elizabeth Morgan * Kate Jackson as Roberta Lockhart * Lloyd Bochner as Professor Delacroix * Jamie Smith Jackson as Debbie Jones * Roy Thinnes as Dr. Joseph Clampett * Jo Van Fleet as Mrs. Jessica Williams *

as Jody Keller * Terry Lumley as Martha Sayers *

as Lucy Dembrow

Remake

A remake with the same title was released in 2000 with Kate Jackson appearing again, this time as the headmistress.

References

External links

* {{Aaron Spelling 1973 horror films 1973 television films 1973 films 1973 crime films 1970s mystery films ABC Movie of the Week American crime films American mystery films American supernatural horror films Films about Satanism Films directed by David Lowell Rich Films produced by Aaron Spelling Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal Films set in schools American horror television films 1970s supernatural horror films Films about witchcraft 1970s American films

Plot

Cast

Remake

See also

References

External links