The women in prison film (or WiP film) is a subgenre of

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day. Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to

sexual Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity **Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ** ...

and

physical abuse Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or wo ...

, typically by

sadistic Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

male or female prison wardens, guards and other inmates. The genre also features many films in which imprisoned women engage in

lesbian sex Lesbian sexual practices are sexual activities involving women who have sex with women, regardless of their sexual orientation. A woman who has sex with another woman may identify as a lesbian if she is sexually attracted to women, or bisexual ...

. WiP films are works of fiction intended as

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

. The films of this genre include a mixture of erotic adventures of the women in prison. The flexible format, and the loosening of

film censorship Film censorship is carried out by various countries to differing degrees, sometimes as a result of powerful or relentless lobbying by organizations or individuals. Films that are banned in a particular country change over time. Rating systems A ...

laws in the 1960s, allowed filmmakers to depict more extreme fetishes, such as

voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...

(

strip search A strip search is a practice of searching a person for weapons or other contraband suspected of being hidden on their body or inside their clothing, and not found by performing a frisk search, but by requiring the person to remove some or al ...

es, group shower scenes, catfights),

sexual fantasies A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered aut ...

(

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

ism,

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, sexual slavery),

fetishism A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over ot ...

( bondage, whipping, degradation), and

sadism Sadism may refer to: * Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation * Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...

(beatings, torture, cruelty). Prior to these films, another expression of pornographic women in prison was found in "true adventure" men's magazines such as '' Argosy'' in the 1950s and 1960s, although it is possible that

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...

's novel '' The Nun'' anticipated the genre. Nazis tormenting

damsels in distress The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...

were particularly common in these magazines.

Recurring plot elements

Most women-in-prison films employ the same stock characters and formulaic situations. Characters that are fellow inmates may include a sarcastic prostitute, a manipulative snitch, or an aggressive lesbian. The female criminals are usually hypersexualized and fetishize homosexual relationships. The authority figure of the prison is usually a cruel woman who herself is a variation of the traditional prison lesbian. Common scenes in women in prison films may include: * An innocent girl (or group) being sent to a penitentiary or reform school run by a male or lesbian warden (who may also run an inmate prostitution ring, as in ''

Chained Heat ''Chained Heat'' (alternate title: ''Das Frauenlager'' in West Germany) is a 1983 American-German exploitation film in the women-in-prison genre. It was co-written and directed by Paul Nicholas (as Paul Nicolas) for Jensen Farley Pictures.

'') * A "welcoming" ritual which may include group strip searches, giving up any personal possessions, or showering (all while being watched by sexually deprived female inmates) * Lesbian sex scenes between prisoners and the guards, or the female prisoners being raped (or forced into prostitution) by male guards * Female prisoners being sentenced to hard labor (such as scrubbing floors, chopping coconuts, or digging dirt holes, sometimes while nude) * Having a restrictive/uncomfortable dress code, such as being forced to go barefoot, and/or wearing skimpy, revealing prison uniforms. * Fights between the prisoners (sometimes in the shower or in mud, many times while naked) * Beatings by guards * Suicide or death of a minor character * Female prisoners being sprayed by a firehose for punishment The narrative peaks with some kind of rebellion, which may include a fight, attempted break out, or natural disaster such as a prison fire or earthquake. The story then follows with an uprising or escape sequence in which the villains are killed and the prisoner is freed. Occasionally a new inmate is an undercover reporter investigating corruption as in ''

Bare Behind Bars ''Bare Behind Bars'' (released in Brazil as ''A Prisão'') is a 1980 sexploitation film directed and written by Oswaldo de Oliveira., The film, which was intended as a spoof of the common "women in prison" genre, stars Maria Stella Splendore, ...

'' or a government agent sent to rescue a political prisoner (''Caged Heat 2: Stripped of Freedom'', ''

Love Camp 7 ''Love Camp 7'' is a 1969 American women-in-prison Nazisploitation B-movie directed by Lee Frost (credited as R.L. Frost) and written by Wes Bishop and Bob Cresse, the latter of whom also portrays a sadistic camp commandant. Plot Two American ...

''). Most commonly, the prisoner is reunited with a man (a lover, father, or priest) who guides her to goodness so she can reestablish her life with familial and heterosexual relationships.

History of the genre

In the silent era, only a few films featured women as leading characters in crime dramas. A silent film star who perfected such roles was

Priscilla Dean Priscilla Dean (November 25, 1896 – December 27, 1987) was an American actress popular in silent film as well as in theatre, with a career spanning two decades. Biography She was born on November 25, 1896 in Manhattan, New York City to an activ ...

, most notably in ''

The Wicked Darling ''The Wicked Darling'' is a 1919 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Priscilla Dean, Wellington A. Playter and Lon Chaney as pickpocket "Stoop" Connors. This was the first time Lon Chaney appeared in a Tod Browning ...

'' (1919) and '' Outside the Law'' (1920). But it was not until the 1930s that Hollywood began making movies partially set in women's prisons, such as ''

Up the River ''Up the River'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, and starring Claire Luce, Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. The plot concerns escaped convicts, as well as a female convict. It was the feature film debut role of ...

'' (1930), with

Claire Luce Claire Luce (October 15, 1903 – August 31, 1989) was an American stage and screen actress, dancer and singer. Among her few films were ''Up the River'' (1930), directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in their ...

, ''

Ladies They Talk About ''Ladies They Talk About'' is a 1933 pre-Code American crime drama directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Lyle Talbot. The film is about an attractive woman who is a member of a ba ...

'' (1933), with

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

, ''

Hold Your Man ''Hold Your Man '' is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by an uncredited Sam Wood and starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable, the third of their six films together.Landazuri, Margarit"Hold Your Man" (TCM article)/ref> The scre ...

'' (1933), with

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

, and ''

Girls on Probation ''Girls on Probation'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by William C. McGann and written by Crane Wilbur. The film stars Jane Bryan, Ronald Reagan, Anthony Averill, Sheila Bromley, Henry O'Neill and Elisabeth Risdon. The film was relea ...

'' (1938), with

Jane Bryan Jane Bryan (born Jane O'Brien, June 11, 1918 – April 8, 2009) was an American actress groomed by Warner Bros. to become one of its leading ladies but she chose to retire from acting in 1940 at age 22, after which she became a philanthropist an ...

, but generally, only a small part of the action took place inside the institution. Women-in-prison films developed in the 1930s as melodramas in which young heroines were shown the way to a righteous life by way of the prison. Under the influence of pulp magazines and paperbacks, they became popular

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s during this period. It was not until the 1950s, beginning with the release of '' Caged'' (1950), starring

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

and

Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning four decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary ''Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...

, '' So Young, So Bad'' (also 1950), with Anne Francis and Rita Moreno, ''

Women's Prison This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents.

'' (1955) with

Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...

and

Cleo Moore Cleouna Moore (October 31, 1924Moore, Cleo 1924-1973
.

and, in Great Britain, ''

The Weak and the Wicked ''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and ...

'' (1954), with

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

and

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

, that an entire film was set inside a women's correctional facility. Several films were made about women prisoners interned by the Germans and Japanese during the Second World War such as ''

Two Thousand Women ''Two Thousand Women'' is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a German internment camp in Occupied France which holds British women who have been resident in the country. Three RAF aircrewmen, whose bomber has been shot down, enter the c ...

'' and ''

Three Came Home ''Three Came Home'' is a 1950 American post-war film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the memoirs of the same name by writer Agnes Newton Keith. It depicts Keith's life in North Borneo in the period immediately before the Japanese invasi ...

''. The film that kicked off the genre in a new direction was

Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013) was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. In a career spanning from 1959 to 2013, he wrote, directed, produced, act ...

's ''

99 Women ''99 Women'' (german: Der heiße Tod, translation=The Hot Death) is a 1969 women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Luciana Paluzzi and Herbert Lom. One of the ...

'', which was a big box office success in the U.S. in 1969. That year ''

'' was also among the first pure

s that influenced the women in prison and

Nazi exploitation Nazi exploitation (also Nazisploitation) is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves Nazis committing sex crimes, often as camp or prison overseers during World War II. Most follow the women in prison formula, only re ...

genres. From 1979 to 1986, Australian Television's hit women's incarceration drama, '' Prisoner: Cell Block H'', ran to 692 episodes. In 1999, the popular TV series '' Bad Girls'' was released on Britain's television network, ITV. ''Bad Girls'' took a turn from the usual prison drama seen before to show a different perspective of women's lives and sexuality in prison. Sociologist

Didi Herman Didi may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Didi" (song), a song by Khaled * Didi, the principal character in '' Didi's Comedy Show'', a German comedy television show * Didi Pickles, mother of Tommy and Dil in the cartoons ''Rugrats'' and ''Al ...

states,"Unlike other mainstream television products that may have lesbian or gay characters within a prevailing context of heteronormativity, 'Bad Girls''represents lesbian sexuality as normal, desirable, and possible." A number of the WiP films remain banned by the

BBFC 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 fi ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Among them are ''

'' (rejected in 2022) and '' Women in Cellblock 9'' (rejected in 2004), on the grounds that they contain substantial scenes of

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

and in the case of the latter an actress who at 16 was under age at the time of production, rendering it

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

under U.K. law.

American films

Examples of traditional WiP films set in the U.S. include: '' The Concrete Jungle'' (1982), and ''

'' (1983) with

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...

Tamara Dobson Tamara Janice Dobson (May 14, 1947 – October 2, 2006) was an American actress and fashion model. Beginning her career in modeling during the late 1960s, Dobson became best known for her title role as government agent Cleopatra "Cleo" Jones the 1 ...

and

Sybil Danning Sybil Danning (born Sybille Johanna Danninger) is an Austrian actress, model, and film producer. She is best known for her frequent appearances in B movies during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Early years and first films Born in Austria, Dannin ...

, ''Cell Block Sisters'' (1995), ''Caged Hearts'' (1995), ''Bad Girls Dormitory'' (1985), ''Under Lock & Key'', ''Caged Fear'' (1991), '' Caged'' (1950), ''

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

'' (1996) with

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

and

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...

, and '' Stranger Inside'' (2001). American tourists are incarcerated overseas in ''Chained Heat 2'' (1993) with

Brigitte Nielsen Brigitte Nielsen (; born Gitte Nielsen; 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She subsequently acted in the 1985 films ''Red Sonja'' and ''Rocky IV'', later retu ...

and ''

Red Heat The practice of using colours to determine the temperature of a piece of (usually) ferrous metal comes from blacksmithing. Long before thermometers were widely available it was necessary to know what state the metal was in for heat treating it an ...

'' (1985) with Linda Blair. Both films are about innocent women who are thrown into foreign prisons and forced to face sadistic guards and brutal rape. Mainstream, non-exploitation prison films dealing with this theme include ''

Bangkok Hilton ''Bangkok Hilton'' is a three-part Australian mini-series made in 1989 by Kennedy Miller Productions and directed by Ken Cameron. The title of the mini-series is the nickname of a fictional Bangkok prison in which the main protagonist (Nicole ...

'' (1989) starring

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and ''

Brokedown Palace ''Brokedown Palace'' is a 1999 American drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman and Lim Kay Tong. It deals with two American friends imprisoned in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling. Its ...

'' (1999) with

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influenti ...

, both which are set in Thailand and are focused on women who are imprisoned for smuggling drugs. Also ''Prison Heat'' (1993 film), set in Turkey, is about four innocent American women who are mistakenly thrown in prison for cocaine possession. Jonathan Demme's ''

Caged Heat ''Caged Heat'', also known as ''Renegade Girls'', is a 1974 women in prison film. It was written and directed by Jonathan Demme (in his directorial debut) for New World Pictures, headed by Roger Corman. The film stars Juanita Brown, Roberta Coll ...

'' (1974) is one of the better known WiP films and has a cult following due to its tongue-in-cheek approach and casting of horror icon

Barbara Steele Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English film actress known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She played th ...

as the warden. Demme also co-wrote ''

The Hot Box ''The Hot Box'' is a 1972 women in prison film from Joe Viola and Jonathan Demme, who had previously made '' Angels Hard as They Come'' (1971) for New World Pictures. It was shot in the Philippines and was originally known as ''The Prescription ...

'' in 1972, which is about female prisoners who break free and start a rebellion against their captors. In recent years, films that parody or pay homage to the classic WiP films of the '70s have emerged such as Cody Jarrett's ''

Sugar Boxx ''Sugar Boxx'' is a 2009 "women-in-prison" film directed by Cody Jarrett. Plot A sexy news reporter goes undercover into a women’s prison to expose a sleazy, seductive warden who is a pimp in a secret prison prostitution ring. Cast * Gene ...

'' (2009) and

Steve Balderson Stephen Clark Balderson (born January 19, 1975) is an American film director. Early life Balderson was born in Manhattan, Kansas and raised in nearby Wamego, Kansas until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attended ...

's '' Stuck!'' (2010). Both of these films mimic classic WiP films by including typical WiP film characters, predictable scenes, and similar plots overall.

Italian films

Italian exploitation directors have produced scores of WiP films with far more graphic sex and violence than those produced in the U.S. Bruno Mattei directed '' Women's Prison Massacre'' (1985), ''Caged Women'' (1984), and ''Jail — A Women's Hell'' (2006). Other films include ''Women in Fury'' (1985) and ''Caged Women in Purgatory'' (1991). The

subgenre centers on the same theme of captive women suffering abuses in war-time prison camps. Many of these films were developed in the late 1970s and the early 1980s as the industry continued to grow. Films such as ''SS Experiment Love Camp,'' ''SS Camp 5: Women's Hell'', ''Hell Behind Bars'' and ''Hell Penitentiary'' directed by Sergio Garrone in 1983, ''

Gestapo's Last Orgy ''Gestapo's Last Orgy'' ( it, 'L'ultima orgia del III Reich, lit=Last Orgy of the Third Reich) is an Italian Nazi exploitation film directed and co-written by Cesare Canevari and starring Daniela Poggi. Plot The film begins with a man named C ...

'' (1977) directed by Cesare Canevari, ''Helga, She Wolf of Spilberg'' (1978) and '' Fraulein Devil'' (1977) directed by Patrice Rhomm, ''

SS Hell Camp ''La Bestia in calore'' () is a 1977 Italian exploitation film starring Macha Magall, and directed, written, and edited by Luigi Batzella. Plot A beautiful yet nefarious female SS officer/doctor, Ellen Kratsch (Magall), creates a genetic, incubu ...

'' (1977) directed by Luigi Batzella, ''

Women in Cell Block 7 A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

'' (1973) directed by Rino Di Silvestro and ''

Nazi Love Camp 27 ''Nazi Love Camp 27'' (Italian: ''La svastica nel ventre'') or ''The Swastika on the Belly'' is a 1977 Italian Nazi exploitation film by Italian director Mario Caiano and starring Finnish actress Sirpa Lane. In between brutal depictions of a brot ...

'' (1977) directed by Mario Caiano were partly inspired by the U.S./Canadian '' Ilsa'' series.

Asian films

The abuse of Chinese women in Japanese detention or prisoner-of-war camps during World War II is depicted in a series of Hong Kong films. Prime examples include ''Bamboo House of Dolls'' (1973) with Birte Tove (1945-2016) and ''Great Escape from a Women's Prison''. ''Comfort Women'' (1992) is based on real events. Chinese prostitutes are abducted by Japanese soldiers and used for brutal scientific experiments at the notorious

Unit 731 , short for Manshu Detachment 731 and also known as the Kamo Detachment and Ishii Unit, was a covert Biological warfare, biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that engaged in unethical h ...

medical camp. '' A Chinese Torture Chamber Story'' (1994) and its sequel are based on historical records of China's

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. The topic of sex "is usually considered taboo in traditional Chinese society", which makes the film industry scandalous and frowned upon by many. One of the very early examples of the genre in Japan began with '' Death row Woman'', a noir drama made by the master of

J-horror Japanese horror is horror fiction derived from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horror. Japanese horror tends ...

Nobuo Nakagawa was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by proletarian literature and wrote amateur film reviews to th ...

in 1960, although the plot doesn't focus entirely inside of the prison. After, the women prison films are often made into a series based on popular characters from

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

comics such as '' Prisoner Maria'' and the ''Joshu Sasori'' series, most known by the

Meiko Kaji is a Japanese actress and singer. Since the 1960s, she has appeared in over 100 film and television roles, most prominently in the 1970s with her most famous roles as outlaw characters, best known for her performances in the film series '' Stra ...

films. Many Japanese films include themes of vengeance and retribution with a heroine who take revenge against the drug or prostitution syndicates responsible for her incarceration. In the film '' Female Convict 701: Scorpion,'' the audience "can see a story of Japanese women in captivity, with lots of very life-like scenes" because Japanese directors desire to produce "natural looking stories" to enhance the reality of the situation. Many Japanese films contain these "natural looking stories" because they were based on life events, such as the internment camps.

Sub-genres

The "jungle prison" subgenre has films set in fictional

Banana republic In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. In 1904, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighboring ...

nations run by corrupt dictators in either South America or Southeast Asia. The majority of these were filmed in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

where production costs are low. Here, a group of nubile prisoners are herded together in a stockade prison camp and used as slave labor, doing tasks such as cutting sugar cane or digging in a quarry. These films usually involve a revolution subplot with political prisoners freed by other inmates in a climactic raid where the villains are killed. Actress

Pam Grier Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star (although, there are some who dispute that claim and believe Cheng Pei-pei actually holds that distin ...

starred in several Filipino jungle films such as

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

's ''

The Big Doll House ''The Big Doll House'' is a 1971 American women-in-prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates through daily life in a gritty, unidentified tropical prison. Late ...

'' and its sequel ''

The Big Bird Cage ''The Big Bird Cage'' is a 1972 American exploitation film of the "women in prison" subgenre. It serves as a non-sequel follow-up to the 1971 film ''The Big Doll House''. The film was written and directed by Jack Hill, and stars Pam Grier, Sid Ha ...

'', plus ''

Women in Cages ''Women in Cages'' is a 1971 women in prison sexploitation film directed by Gerardo de León and starring Jennifer Gan, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, and Pam Grier. Co-produced by Roger Corman, it was prominently featured in the ''Planet Terror'' ...

'', and ''

Black Mama White Mama ''Black Mama White Mama'' (also known as ''Women in Chains'') is a 1973 women in prison film directed by Eddie Romero and starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. The film has elements of blaxploitation. The movie also was released as ''Hot, Hard ...

'' (story co-written by Jonathan Demme). '' Sweet Sugar'' (1972) starred

Phyllis Davis Phyllis Ann Davis (July 17, 1940 – September 27, 2013) was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She co-starred on the 1978–1981 dramatic detective series ''Vega$ as'' Beatrice Travis, office manager and girl Friday for th ...

, ''Caged Heat 2: Stripped of Freedom'' (1994) featured

Jewel Shepard Jewel Shepard (born January 3, 1958) is an American writer, photographer, and actress, best known for her roles in movies such as '' Party Camp'' (1987) and ''Return of the Living Dead'' (1985). Life and career Shepard arrived in California in ...

as an undercover agent. The especially brutal ''Escape from Hell'', a.k.a. ''Escape'' (1979) and its sequel ''Hotel Paradise'' came from Italy.

Jesus Franco Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

's ''

Sadomania ''Sadomania – Hölle der Lust'' is a 1981 German-Spanish women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco, starring Ajita Wilson. It was also released as ''Hellhole Women'', ''Prisoners of the Flesh'' and ''Sadomania: The Hell of Passion''. Plot ...

'' features scenes such as gladiator fights to the death and prisoners hunted like animals in an alligator-infested swamp.

Related genres

Nunsploitation

The

Nunsploitation Nunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s. These films typically involve Christian nuns living in convents during the Middle Ages. Criteria The main conflict of the story is usually of a religio ...

(nun exploitation) subgenre emerged at the same time as the WiP film and is composed of the same basic elements. The stories are set in isolated convents that resemble prisons where sexually-repressed nuns are driven to rampant lesbianism and perversity. The Mother Superior is usually a cruel and corrupt warden-like martinet. The nuns are treated like convicts, with rule-breakers subjected to whippings or Inquisition-style tortures. The added element of religious guilt entails scenes of masochism and self-flagellation.

Mixed-genre prison films

The WiP film has also expanded into other areas and film genres such as horror and science fiction. A notable European horror-hybrid is the 1969 Spanish film, '' The House That Screamed''. A psycho-killer lurks in a house for wayward girls run by a harsh disciplinarian (

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

). This groundbreaking film has influenced many others, particularly the

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...

thriller '' Suspiria''. ''

Human Experiments ''Human Experiments'' (also known as ''Beyond the Gate'') is a 1979 American horror film directed and co-produced by Gregory Goodell. It stars Linda Haynes, Geoffrey Lewis, Ellen Travolta, Aldo Ray, Jackie Coogan and Lurene Tuttle. This fil ...

'' (1979), and '' Hellhole'' (1985) are two examples of a spate of horror films where prisoners are experimented on by mad scientists. ''Werewolf in a Women's Prison'' (2006) draws from the monster-movie genre. ''Caged Heat 3000'' (1995) stars

Lisa Boyle Lisa Doreen Boyle (born August 6, 1964) is an American actress and model most known for her appearances in ''Playboy'' magazine and its various Special Editions. She is also a freelance photographer, shooting content for various publications. ...

(a.k.a. Cassandra Leigh) as an inmate on an asteroid prison. Includes futuristic touches such as electric bra torment and cattle prod-like sticks. ''Star Slammer'', a.k.a. ''

Prison Ship A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nat ...

'' (1986) is one of several low-budget space sagas set in the future. ''Chained Heat 3: Hell Mountain'' (1998) and ''Chained Rage: Slave to Love'' (2002) are both set in a barbaric post-nuclear world where slaves are forced to toil in the mines. ''

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long B ...

'' (1973) with

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

, and

Marta Kristen Marta Kristen is a Norwegian-born American actress. Kristen is best known for her role as Judy Robinson, the oldest child of Professor John Robinson and his wife, Maureen, in the television series ''Lost in Space'' (1965–1968). Her character w ...

and ''Caged in Paradise'' (1989) starring

Irene Cara Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress of Black, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Cara rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film '' Fame'', and f ...

are both set on isolated island penal colonies with no prisons or guards. Inmates are simply stranded there and must fend for themselves. The 1985 Japanese film ''Banished Behind Bars'' has a similar theme.

Janet Perlman Janet Laurie Perlman (born September 19, 1954) is a Canadian animator and children's book author and illustrator whose work includes the short film ''The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin'', which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animat ...

's satirical graphic novel ''Penguins Behind Bars'' is a parody of the women in prison genre. It was later adapted by Perlman as an animated short which aired in the U.S. on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

Prison film producers

In recent years, North American Pictures, the Canadian makers of ''Chained Heat 2'' set up a separate production company in the Czech Republic called Bound Heat Films for creating R-rated, erotic WiP, Nazisploitation, and female slavery films. Many of these star

Rena Riffel Rena Riffel (born March 5, 1969) is an American actress, singer, dancer, model, writer, producer, and director. She is known for her supporting roles in films such as ''Showgirls'', ''Striptease'', and ''Mulholland Drive''. ''Showgirls'' Riffe ...

(from ''Showgirls''). Titles include: ''School of Surrender'', ''Dark Confessions'', ''Stories from Slave Life'', ''No Escape'', ''Caligula's Spawn'', ''Slave Huntress'', and ''Bound Cargo''. While not technically considered

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

the nudity in many of the scenes in these films draws on

fetishes A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over ot ...

as a dramatic element. Bars and Stripes is a video producer that maintains a website entirely devoted to its line of prison-based BDSM fetish films. A stable of recurring "inmates" are listed with mug shots and information. Most of the films are part of a continuing story. Other companies that exclusively produce prison fetish films include: Chain Gang Girls, CagedTushy.com, and SpankCamp.com. Cheryl Dunye is an independent film producer who produced the prison drama ''Stranger Inside (''2001) about a young African American women who purposely misbehaves in juvenile detention to get transferred to the women's prison in an effort to reunite with her imprisoned mother.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *
Pdf.
* * * * * * * Savage, Ann M (2008). "Women film directors and producers". Butler University Libraries. 390. Pdf.

External links

WIP Cinema Guide

Women in Prison section of Prison Flicks

Stuck! official website
* Theprisonfilmproject.com

Blog about WIP films

(via UC Berkeley) {{DEFAULTSORT:Women In Prison Film Film genres Prison sexuality

Recurring plot elements

History of the genre

American films

Italian films

Asian films

Sub-genres

Related genres

Nunsploitation

Mixed-genre prison films

Prison film producers

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading

External links