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 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 ...
, typically by
sadistic 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 i ...
.
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 search of persons, 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 frisking, frisk search, but by requiring the p ...
es, group shower scenes,
catfight
Catfight (also girl fight) is a term for an altercation between two females, often characterized as involving scratching, shoving, slapping, choking, punching, kicking, biting, spitting, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding. It can also be used to d ...
s),
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 auto ...
(
lesbianism,
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 ...
,
sexual slavery
Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities. This includes forced labor, reducing a person to a s ...
),
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 oth ...
(
bondage
Bondage may refer to:
Restraints
*Physical restraints
**Bondage (BDSM), use of restraint for erotic stimulation
***Self-bondage, use of restraints on oneself for erotic pleasure
Social and economic practices
*Serfdom, feudal enslavement of peasan ...
, 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
Argosy or The Argosy may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Argosy'' (magazine), an American pulp magazine 1882–1978 and revived 1990–1994, 2004–2006
* ''Argosy'' (UK magazine), three British magazines
* Argosy spaceship in ''Escap ...
'' 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 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'')
* 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'' or a government agent sent to rescue a political prisoner (''Caged Heat 2: Stripped of Freedom'', '' Love Camp 7''). 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'' (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 o ...
'' (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 thei ...
, ''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 ban ...
'' (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'' (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 rele ...
'' (1938), with Jane Bryan, 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 feat ...
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 fir ...
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 t ...
, '''' (also 1950), with Anne Francis
Anne Francis (also known as Anne Lloyd Francis; September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science-fiction film '' Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama se ...
and Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...
, ''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 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 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 ...
, 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 ca ...
'' and '' Three Came Home''.
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, acte ...
's '' 99 Women'', which was a big box office success in the U.S. in 1969. That year '' Love Camp 7'' was also among the first pure 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 ...
s that influenced the women in prison and Nazi exploitation 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 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 organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national clas ...
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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Among them are '' Love Camp 7'' (rejected in 2022) and ''Women in Cellblock 9
''Women in Cellblock 9'' (german: Frauen für Zellenblock 9) is a 1977 Swiss exploitation action film written and directed by Jess Franco and starring Karine Gambier. Its main theme is women in prison.
Plot
The film is set in a South American ju ...
'' (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., Worl ...
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 chi ...
under U.K. law.
American films
Examples of traditional WiP films set in the U.S. include: '' The Concrete Jungle'' (1982), and '' Chained Heat'' (1983) with Linda Blair, 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 ...
and Sybil Danning, ''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 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 ...
'' (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 (Nico ...
'' (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'' (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 influential ...
, 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
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film '' Caged Heat'', befo ...
's '' Caged Heat'' (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 t ...
as the warden. Demme also co-wrote '' The Hot Box'' 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
Cody may refer to:
People
*Cody (given name)
*Cody (surname)
*Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels
Places Canada
*Cody, British Columbia
United States
*Cody, Flo ...
'' (2009) and Steve Balderson's ''Stuck!
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 ...
'' (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
Bruno Mattei (30 July 1931 – 21 May 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. ...
directed ''Women's Prison Massacre
''Women's Prison Massacre'' ( it, Blade Violent) is a 1983 film directed by Bruno Mattei and starring Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti, Carlo De Mejo, Lorraine De Selle, and Franca Stoppi.
Plot
Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is sent to a violent women's ...
'' (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 Nazi exploitation 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'' (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, incu ...
'' (1977) directed by Luigi Batzella, '' Women in Cell Block 7'' (1973) directed by Rino Di Silvestro and '' Nazi Love Camp 27'' (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 and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that engaged in lethal human experimentation a ...
medical camp.
''A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
''A Chinese Torture Chamber Story'' is a 1994 Hong Kong erotic ( Category III) black comedy film produced by Wong Jing and directed by Bosco Lam.
Plot
Siu-bak-choi (lit. "Little Cabbage") is a female servant of the physician Yeung Nai-mou. Yeu ...
'' (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
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
'', a noir drama made by the master of J-horror Nobuo Nakagawa 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 use ...
comics such as ''Prisoner Maria
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
'' and the ''Joshu Sasori'' series, most known by the Meiko Kaji 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 distinc ...
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'' and its sequel '' The Big Bird Cage'', plus '' Women in Cages'', and '' Black Mama White Mama'' (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 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's '' Sadomania'' features scenes such as gladiator fights to the death and prisoners hunted like animals in an alligator-infested swamp.
Related genres
Nunsploitation
The Nunsploitation (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 critic. His influential work in the horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ''giallo'', has led him t ...
thriller '' Suspiria''.
'' Human Experiments'' (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 nati ...
'' (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 Be ...
'' (1973) with 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 ...
, 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 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'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.
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''
Rif ...
(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 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.
See also
* List of LGBT-related films directed by women
This is a list of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-related films that were directed by women. LGBT-themed films directed by women – especially, but not exclusively, lesbian-themed movies – are an important and distinct subset of the ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
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Pdf.
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* Savage, Ann M (2008). "Women film directors and producers". Butler University Libraries. 390. Pdf.
Further reading
* Hughes, Sarah.
Women's TV prison dramas: 10 vital ingredients
" ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
''. Wednesday July 10, 2013.
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