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A young French model (Penny Irving), resident in London having just completed a controversial photo shoot for a men's magazine, is approached at a party by a charismatic oddball calling himself Mark E. Desade (geddit?) whose dating techniques are strange, to say the least. He invites her to meet his parents, and she foolishly agrees - turns out the old couple (he's blind and senile, she's a sadistic retired prison warder) are running their own private prison in the middle of nowhere with the aim of punishing 'immoral' behaviour with beatings, solitary confinement, humiliations and compulsory Bible lessons. A couple of equally deranged guards are on hand to guide these wayward young things back onto the straight and narrow, along with several menacing rats. Don't ask. HOUSE OF WHIPCORD poured napalm on troubled waters with its original release in 1974, when the hang-'em-and-flog-'em brigade were at their most vocal and the likes of Mary Whitehouse and Lord Longford ("Lord Porn", according to Private Eye magazine) were keeping a beady eye on the increasing amount of sex, violence and bad language on television and in the movies. Pete Walker's bleak and disturbing take on vigilante justice gets the flesh crawling and the nerves jangling like precious few British horror flicks before or since, offering little comfort to the viewer as a series of ghastly coincidences, shocking deaths and unexpected twists take us ever closer to the resolutely downbeat ending. Ironically (hopefully) dedicated to the vocal minority who find sentencing too soft and the law largely impotent, WHIPCORD isn't for everyone - the faint of heart should steer well clear - but offers an upsetting glimpse into the heart of darkness for the curious. Ann Michelle and Penny Irving are surprisingly good in their dramatic roles, but the film is stolen by Barbara Markham, Patrick Barr and Sheila Keith, chewing the scenery as the governess, the helpless judge and the most zealous warden respectively. Ray Brooks (the voice of MR BENN) has a few good scenes as Michelle's sex-mad boyfriend.

This movie could have been typical 70's exploitation porn but director Peter Walker turns it around and makes it a grimy desadean attack on the ruling classes. The scene in which the blind judge continues making a solemn speech well after the prisoners have all left the room is worthy of Bunuel. It's all a bit heavy handed and obvious and it seems as though this movie should have been more shocking for it too really work but the bizzare grimy sepia tone of the whole thing really makes it much better than anyone could have expected.

HOUSE OF WHIPCORD

Aspect ratio: 1.75:1

Sound format: Mono

A French exchange student (Penny Irving) is lured to an old house in the English countryside where she's incarcerated by a senile old judge (Patrick Barr) and his crazy wife (Barbara Markham), who seek to punish impure young women for 'crimes against morality'.

This was British director Pete Walker's first collaboration with legendary exploitation scriptwriter David McGillivray (HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN, SATAN'S SLAVE, etc.), spawned from a pre-determined ad campaign showing a screaming, half-naked starlet framed by a hangman's noose. The result is a minor classic in which part-time nude model Irving is lured into captivity by her creepy new boyfriend (Robert Tayman, from VAMPIRE CIRCUS) and imprisoned by Barr and Markham. Unwilling to take her predicament lying down, Irving plots escape with her fellow inmates and suffers all manner of indignities at the hands of cruel warder Sheila Keith and her equally depraved second-in-command (Dorothy Gordon).

Cleverly written and cheaply produced in response to an upsurge of activity by the UK's Christian Right in the wake of several controversial film releases - most notably A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, STRAW DOGS, THE DEVILS (all 1971) and LAST TANGO IN Paris (1972) - "Whipcord" opens with a now-famous dedication "...to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment...." Though contemporary critics railed against the threadbare production values and softcore nudity, it's apparent that much of their outrage was prompted by Walker's brazen challenge to the Christian moralists, whose over-zealous rhetoric has always enjoyed a disproportionate measure of representation in the British media.

The film is deliberately crude and confrontational, with a vulnerable heroine - played as an infuriating wimp by relative newcomer Irving, sporting one of the worst French accents in movie history ("'Ow did zey bring you 'ere?") - struggling to survive against all the odds, while Markham's brutal staff indulge their deepest puritan impulses. Keith is especially good in this regard ("I'm going to make you ashamed of your body, de Vernay. I'm going to see to that... personally!"), manifesting the corrupt zeal of a True Believer with little regard for pity or compassion. The sleaze quotient is high for a British shocker of this vintage, but neither McGillivray's script nor Walker's laidback direction comes close to matching the debauched atrocities which distinguished the 'prison camp' subgenre during the 1970's and early 80s, exemplified by the likes of ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS (1974) in America, BARBED WIRE DOLLS (1975) in mainland Europe, and Asian shockers like BAMBOO HOUSE OF DOLLS (1973), LOST SOULS (1980) and WAR VICTIMS (1983). Still, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD is an effective relic, and it led directly to Walker's next offering, FRIGHTMARE (1974), reuniting him with McGillivray and Keith for one of their finest collaborations to date.

This early 70's classic from Pete Walker is essentially a classic sexploitation exercise wrapped in a horror packaging.

A dark and disturbing piece, this film is set in a creepy and foreboding house where a couple are running an illegal and immoral correction centre. Young females seen by the old school as sluts are lured to the house, imprisoned and eventually flogged and hanged for their sins.

There is no gore on show here; instead the unsettling feeling is delivered by the cold green filtered scenes and the real underlying menace that Walker manages to inject into the film. The plot is pretty good with some nice twists throughout.

Ultimate fear is slightly diminished by the fact that one of the lead characters is familiar for being the narrator of the 70's childrens TV programme, "Mr Benn".

If I had to use a single word to describe this film, that word would likely be "grim". Most of these "women in prison" type movies are kind of a fun time and a guilty pleasure, if you know what I mean. This one's different and actually manages to leave a bit of a depressive feeling in me, not because of extreme physical content or anything (there isn't much of that compared with some other entries in this dubious genre), but because of its sheer, unrelenting drabness and hopelessness.

And you know, this is a very British film. It's not Jesus Franco and the point isn't to titillate with heaps of female flesh on display. This is the country that gave us Mary Whitehouse and plenty of other questionable "moral guardians", and it's that culture that's reflected here. The way it starts with a dedication to those who "eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment" is engenious. Remember all those old movies, the ones about drugs and delinquent youths, for instance, that really turned out to be exploitation? you could get away with a fair bit by claiming that your film was really an educational experience, and if there were some snickers in the audience, they were probably from the sort of louts the thing was intended for in the first place, and they'd learn the truth of the message, oh yes they would! Here we have a movie pushing the boundaries of good taste and revealing the corruption and evil of so-called "moral guardians", while at the same time, it might also be possible to read it as a condemnation of moral lassitude. Ok, so it's clear what side director Pete Walker falls on, I think, and this is doubly true if you've seen the somewhat-more-fun "House of Mortal Sin". But still, the question is there, and it creates an interesting dichotomy within the viewing experience.

It's also a fact that our model character, Anne-Marie, is desperately cute. Maybe she's not all too bright sometimes, and that accent the very-not-french-sounding Penny irving is putting on is hilarious, but you hate to see bad things happen to her and really want her to be ok. The thing that gets her into trouble is so small and harmless, and the punishment so absurdly severe, one can't help but rail at the total injustice. it's all terribly severe, cold, and, like I said, grim. That woman who runs the joint is utterly terrifying in her implacable, self-righteous severity and evil.

So yeah. If you want to have fun, watch "The Big Bird Cage", I guess. But if the idea of a somewhat "different" WIP film; one with something to say and a serious demeanour, give this a try.

Young French model Ann-Marie, living in England, is duped by her new boyfriend Mark E Desade (a bit of name play on the infamous French sadist) into meeting his crazy parents who have a morbid house of "correction" based on their strict religious beliefs. When Hammer horror movies effectively died director Pete Walker pretty much took on the continuation of British horror in the 1970's, this being perhaps his most well know film. It is basically a women in jail flick, I think more exploitation than horror, though there are certainly elements of the latter present. Penny Irving plays Ann-Marie, spending much screen time nude. Robert Tayman plays her creepy boyfriend, he also played the Count in Hammer's excellent Vampire Circus. I will always associate Ray Brooks as the narrator of the kids' TV animated series Mr Ben, seeing him in bed with a half naked woman was quite funny (for me). The star of the movie is undoubtably Sheila Keith as Walker, a very cruel warden at the "clinic". She appeared in several of the director's movies, always giving great performances. Much of the movie was filmed in The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, very local to me. I have visited Littledean Jail, the old building used here, several times as a museum. Well made horror/exploitation that is nasty enough to still shock but at the same time is nowhere near as nasty as some of the similar European movies from this period.

Although advertised as a women-in-prison flick this is more of an attack on the absurdity of capital punishment but the film can also be read as a comment on the generation gap taken to absurd extremes. The people in charge of the prison are all old crones who punish young women who defy their rigid and outdated moral codes. The British are notoriously prudish about sex in their cinema and this film is no different as they cast a French actress to play the one who is imprisoned for being a sexual libertine. Sheila Keith is effective as always as the stern disciplinarian and the prison interiors are palpably dark and dank with a sickly green tint that emits feelings of the sickness within the walls. Unfortunately the pace is slow, much of the film is bogged down by the search for the missing girl, and some dialog scenes go on much too long.

A not-too-bright French girl called Anne-Marie is taken unwittingly by an odd man called Mark E. Dessart to a secret prison in the middle of the countryside. This place is a correctional institute for amoral women, and it's conditions are extremely harsh. Anne-Marie soon discovers to her horror that no inmate actually ever leaves this prison.

This Pete Walker film is not your typical women in prison movie. While it certainly ticks a few boxes associated with WIP fare, it's an altogether more heavy and serious film than others of it's type. It does have nudity and S&M but neither are particularly explicit or detailed. House of Whipcord is much too downbeat in tone to operate as a straight sexploitation flick. On the contrary, it has some strong performances, good writing and capable direction. The setting for the prison itself is agreeably gloomy and is used to good effect. While the film is not afraid to end fairly nihilistically.

Penny Irving isn't especially good in the central role of Anne-Marie, she is just a little too vacuous too much of the time. While Robert Tayman as Mark E. Dessart is at the very least incredibly creepy, although quite how someone who looks like this is a chick-magnet is best left unanswered. Much better are the personnel in the prison, with Sheila Keith a particular stand out. She was terrific in Walker's other 1974 film Frightmare, and here she is extremely impressive again as a scary and sadistic prison guard.

There's no doubt that this is a very solid bit of Brit exploitation. It's very well made all things considered. It's just not quite what some might think it might be with a name like House of Whipcord. There's not much erotica here at all, so be aware of that. But if you appreciate your WIP films with a bit more downbeat grimness then this one could be the answer.

British Terror movie with chills , thills , genuinely upsettling shocks and ghastly set pieces. A young French woman called Ann-Marie Di Verney (Penny Irving) is seduced by a young at a party . Later on , she is lured to an eerie off-the-grid mansion turned illegal prison run by a vicious couple of wardens (Barbara Markham, Sheila Keith) . There are various girls have been locked at the isolated institution for crimes they have allegedly committed . Little does she know, but then things go wrong and she is there to be sentenced by insane Justice Desmond Bailey (Patrick Barr) and punished for her "crimes" , going on a criminal spree . After that , her friend Julia (Ann Michelle) sets out to look for Ann-Marie. Their beautiful bodies defiled by the ultimate immoral atrocity!.Was her act more obscene than theirs...?.Many young girls have entered these gates--none have yet come out!.The story of a strange hobby and its victims, whose only crime was be young and beautiful!...and no escaped...Only young girls may enter and no one leaves... If you like this , have you brain examined ! ..more than a bad dream ! World than you most shocking nightmare ! Dare you see the film that shocked the critics ? Far beyond a nightmare . What terrifying craving made her kill ... and kill..and kill...

Scary terror movie with chills , eerie intrigue , nudism , twisted suspense and violent events with shocking scenes . It is far better written and played than you might expect , if the first part with the girls and their boyfriends results to be slow-moving as well as boring, lacking exposition, but when appears the creepy , psychopatic trio living apart from them : Sheila Keith, Barbara Markham and Patrick Barr things get better . It packs a simple and basic formula , with neither deep exploration of characters , no analysis of environment or circumstances , but killings , punishment and tortures without much sense. With "Frightmare" following on "House of Whipcord" , David McGillivray's scriptwriting is undoubtedly having a marked effect on Peter Walker's pictures . Main and support cast provide decent interpretations . Barbara Markham gives a nice acting as the ruthless ruler as well as her faithfully warden Sheila Keith who has the scary habit of going after victims and hanging them , while Patrick Barr as nutty Justice Desmond Bailey is nice. The attractive youngsters Ann Michelle , Penny Irving, Ray Brooks are acceptable and brief apparance from a very young Celia Imrie.

This gory picture was professional and creepily directed by Peter Walker . He was an expert on Terror movies , though he also made other genres and TV series . As Peter Walter directed the following ones : " House of the long shadows , Home before Midnight , The Comeback , Schizo , House of Mortal Sin, House of Whipcord , Frightmare , Tiffany Jones" . Most his films used to settle for routine or run-of-the-mill storylines, however , nowadays teem with demonic life and made in exploitation style . Peter Waker's "Nightmare" filmmaking is on another level , altogether from " Cool it Carol ¡" or "The Flesh and Blood Show" . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable though it tends to leave a highly unpleasant aftertaste .

Although defended as allegory, this film is nothing but shock sexploitation. Young women are held captive and stripped to be whipped. Death by hanging follows for some.

One can see why UK cinema died in the 70's!

One of Britsploitation master Pete Walker's most infamous films, House of Whipcord is a highly disturbing project that may be too unpleasant for casual viewers to enjoy. The plot finds enigmatic writer Mark E. Desade (Robert Tayman) taking a beautiful, slightly dim French model in funky platform shoes (Penny Irving) home to meet Mum. She discovers too late that Mum is the deranged, moralistic Mrs. Wakehurst (Barbara Markham), and that the family mansion is really an unauthorized private prison for girls that Mum considers wicked sluts. What follows isn't as explicit as you might expect, but the proceedings are so horrifyingly cruel and oppressively bleak that it's often hard to watch.

The acting is top-notch all around, especially Sheila Keith as a whip-wielding barbarian guard. Pete Walker slowly wrings every bit of clammy tension out of the unsavory story. For instance, despite an attractive cast, interesting fashions, and potentially gorgeous locales, everything is presented in a damp grayish tone that makes you want to put on a sweater. He keeps things very unpredictable; when you least expect it, you're hit by an oh-my-God twist that leaves the situation even more hopeless. The pace is slow, there's some unobtrusively clever editing to be found, and the color looks appropriately filthy. This babes-behind-bars horror amalgam really is powerful, but don't make Anne-Marie's mistake: Know where you're heading before you set out.

While I appreciate upon its release in 1974 this was considered shocking, nowadays it's just badly made 70's exploitation rubbish made for dirty old men. Cannot make my mind up what is worse, the script or the acting.

I watched this back-to-back with Horror Hospital. It seems Brits in the '70s had a thing for movies in which young people are locked up and punished for the indulgent swinging hippie lifestyles the media loved to portray them all as having.

The movie begins with a tongue in cheek dedication to those who wish for the return of capital and corporal punishment. The movie then gives you a bunch of such people as the bad guys - a retired judge and his underlings who believe the law has become too lax and as such seek to deliver their own brand of ultra-right wing justice, along the lines of flogging and death by hanging for crimes as slight as a model being photographed in the nude.

For a Pete Walker-helmed exploitation shocker, there is actually a lack of nudity or full-on violence; most of the movie shows the plight of the young girl who is abducted and forced to live in the demented Judge's makeshift prison. We never really get to know or care about her or any of the other characters - this is an exploitation movie, after all. But then again, there's barely any exploitation either. The movie is therefore not entertaining and hard to sit through. The performances of the bad guys are certainly chillingly effective, but the same can't be said for those on the side of good. That doesn't leave us with much to work with. Perhaps those tired of the drivel in the '70s papers from moral crusaders like Mary Whitehouse (parodied in this movie as, who else? one of the bad guys) found their point of view nicely summed up in this simple tale, but modern viewers might wonder what the point is.

I recently revisited the UK film 🇬🇧 House of Whipcord (1974) on Tubi. The storyline revolves around an elderly couple operating a fake court and jail system to torment young ladies. The husband/judge remains unaware, while the wife revels in their acts. Their son follows suit until a new girl enters, complicating matters.

Directed by Pete Walker (House of the Long Shadows), the film stars Barbara Markham (Flash Gordon), Patrick Barr (Octopussy), Ray Brooks (The Flesh and Blood Show), and Dorothy Gordon (Goosebumps).

This is an uneven addition to the horror genre. The cinematography has a grainy, grindhouse feel akin to Texas Chainsaw Massacre from this era. Some scenes were shot too dark. The unique and entertaining concept, along with well-executed elderly characters, stands out. However, the torture scenes disappoint and could have been better.

In conclusion, House of Whipcord is an entertaining yet inconsistent horror addition, a must-see for fans but with limited appeal beyond that. I'd score this a 5.5/10 and recommend watching it at least once.

I didn't go into this film with very high expectations because I didn't like Pete Walker's Frightmare very much; but House of Whipcord is a vastly superior film and, to be honest, I'm shocked that this doesn't get mentioned more often! Pete Walker's film is both a sleazy seventies exploitation classic and a striking indictment of the justice system. The film serves as a warning against what would happen if private institutions were given the power to decide what is apt punishment for certain crimes, and the dedication of the film to all those who believe in capital punishment shows Pete Walker's love for controversy. The plot takes place in an old house, which doubles up as a private institution ran by a senile judge, his unforgiving partner; the female warden of the prison and two equally vile female orderlies. They punish girls for crimes committed that weren't, in their eyes, properly punished by the corrupt British courts. We pick the story up when a young French girl is inducted into the institution.

The atmosphere of the film is brilliant; Pete Walker always ensures that the action is sleazy, and yet oddly erotic at the same time. The film is very matriarchal, and it's the female characters that are the protagonists while the men exist in background roles. However, the film isn't feminist; and, in fact, is the exact opposite; as the director ensures that none of the women are portrayed in a favourable light. The film benefits from a handful of great performances; the best of which coming from Barbara Markham, who gives a powerhouse performance in the role of the head of the institution. Frightmare star Sheila Keith, and Dorothy Gordon are the orderlies, while Patrick Barr is brilliantly understated in his role as the ineffective Justice of the prison. Penny Irving is the young French victim at the centre of the story; but her performance is brought down by her ridiculous French accent! The story is another major strong point for this film, as Pete Walker ensures that it always moves well and although you wouldn't expect it from a Euroshock movie like this - he also makes it easy to care about the characters and what happens to them. On the whole, this is a vastly underrated and under seen seventies gem that must be seen by anyone who gets the chance to see it!

A beautiful young French girl named Anne Marie meets an intriguing and dashing man named Mark at a party, she agrees to spend a few days with him to meet his mother, only the house is a reform centre.

It's one of those 1970's horrors that's worth seeing once, but only once, it's not a particularly good film, but it is a pretty decent plot, with a few nice ideas.

It's very much of the exploitation/torture porn genre, there is a horror element too it, but it gets a little lost among the softcore porn vibe.

Barbara Markham does a good job I would argue, she's sweet, she's cute, and of course she's the perfect victim. Patrick Barr and Ray Brooks are both pretty good too. Sheila Keith played these terrifying characters so well.

Penny Irving puts in an interesting showing as Anne Marie, perhaps best known playing the dishy Miss Bakewell in Are you being served?

The Aston Martin is at least with seeing.

5/10.