''Satan's School for Girls'' is a 1973 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

David Lowell Rich David Lowell Rich (August 31, 1920 – October 21, 2001) was an American film director and producer. He directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987. He was born in New York City. He began directing on a regular basis in 1 ...

, and produced by

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

under its production company Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The film premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

on September 19, 1973. 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 Pamela Franklin (born 3 February 1950) is a British former actress. She is best known for her role as Sandy in the film '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969), for which she won a NBR Award and received a BAFTA Award nomination. Franklin m ...

) find her

hanged Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

in the living room. The police rule her death as an unmotivated

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, 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). Under the assumed name of Elizabeth Morgan, she enrolls at the college, where she is welcomed by her classmates Roberta Lockhart (

Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948), known professionally as Kate Jackson, is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King i ...

), 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 ...

). Elizabeth notes several strange occurrences, but postpones further investigation. Debbie has an outburst in class. The feared headmistress, Mrs. Jessica Williams (

Jo Van Fleet Jo Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Birth of C ...

), 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 startled by a man with a straight razor, 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 Lloyd Wolfe Bochner (July 29, 1924 – October 29, 2005) was a Canadian film, TV and voice actor. He appeared in many Canadian and Hollywood productions between the 1950s and 1990s, including the films '' Point Blank'' (1967), '' The Detecti ...

) 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 Roy Thinnes (; born April 6, 1938) is an American former television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC 1967–68 television series ''The Invaders''. He starred in th ...

) 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, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

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 supernaturally survives the fire and is shown outdoors, then mysteriously disappears, leaving only a patch of charred grass where he stood.

Cast

as Elizabeth Sayers/Elizabeth Morgan *

as Roberta Lockhart *

as Professor Delacroix * Jamie Smith Jackson as Debbie Jones *

as Dr. Joseph Clampett *

Jo Van Fleet Jo Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Birth of C ...

as Mrs. Jessica Williams *

as Jody Keller * Terry Lumley as Martha Sayers * Gwynne Gilford as Lucy Dembrow

Remake

A Satan's School for Girls (2000 film)">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 American religious horror films

Plot

Cast

Remake

See also

References

External links