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As far as politically incorrect movies are concerned, this one (and the entire "series", for that matter) must rank as one of the MOST incorrect ever. Not a recommendation for all movie viewers, that's for sure. But for some of us, the blunt outrageousness of ILSA, THE WICKED WARDEN with its calculated S&M games filling in for a plot, and the grand, almost operatic, pleasure that actress Dyanne Thorne unapologetically conveys with each terrible torture bit, makes this a jaw dropping, exploitation adventure. WICKED WARDEN is my favorite of the series for a couple of reasons. First of all, Jess Franco, not one of my favorites and not a great one for telling an understandable story, obviously enjoys stringing together horrible moments of torture and violence. His approach, surprisingly effective here, is to provide a context for what's going on - and the context is enough. The prison is Ilsa's own private funhouse; what she does is for her own pleasure, period. Unlike Don Edmons, Franco understands this kind of movie: he starts with Ilsa and filters the punishment down through the ranks. Ilsa's brand of immoral hedonism turns the entire prison into an S&M club where inmates use sex and humiliation as currency. Franco knows how to stage scenes with pins and plastic bags; played low key and with simple means, this stuff gets to you. It seems like the movie is constantly crossing the line and what we're watching is real - which, of course, it's not. But Franco's straight forward, unashamed voyeuristic style transcends the silliness inherent in material like this and gives it a weird kind of weight. Sometimes you can hardly watch what's going on, but you can't take your eyes off of it either. The other element at work here is the GREAT Dyanne Thorne who in my mind is a terrific actress. As big a performance as her Ilsa is (and is in all the movies) there's not a hint of parody. That would be the easy way out for any actress playing such a despicable role. Thorne plays it straight. You believe that Ilsa's life is worth living because of what she does in this prison. Her gestures are grand, but her playing is internal: she shares Ilsa's dark and primal joy with the viewer. That's what makes these movies still sort of difficult today. Ilsa's not kidding, and Dyanne Thorne drives this movie with an unbeatable force. If these movies had been made in the 1940's (Ha!) Thorne would have emerged a big star. Where is she now? Am convinced that an actress who can pull off Ilsa can pull off just about anything. No longer a young woman, I know; but I'll bet she's still a striking figure. Come back, Dyanne, come back. All that said, ILSA THE WICKED WARDEN is worth the effort. It's as guilty a pleasure as you could ever hope to find.

Retitled Ilsa the Wicked Warden and released as the third in the infamous Ilsa exploitation series featuring busty Dyanne Thorne, this movie from prolific director Jess Franco bores despite the excessive sleaze and gratuitous nudity on offer.

In an unspecified South American country, political prisoners are being committed to a maximum security asylum where they are tortured for information by the sadistic warden (guess who?). Whilst being subjected to torture (and, in one scene, rape by violent murderers), the prisoners are filmed by one of the guards who has a profitable sideline selling his specialist movies.

Enter Abbie Phillips, a beautiful young woman (and owner of the wildest 'bush' on the planet) who has had herself committed on purpose in order to search for her sister, an inmate who has mysteriously disappeared. Abbie must endure suffering and degradation at the hands of the inmates and staff before she can eventually discover the truth.

Less violent than previous Ilsa movies, but easily just as sleazy, this film is heavy on the sadism, perversion and nudity—all Franco specialities— and yet somehow it still manages to drag. Franco's awful direction and the overall low standard of acting certainly doesn't help matters; however, if you can endure the dreary parts, there are some priceless moments that make the effort worthwhile.

Lina Romay's performance as Juana, Ilsa's masochistic lesbian bitch, is particularly unforgettable. I guarantee that your jaw will hit the floor during the 'lick my culo' scene (you'll have to watch the film to see what I mean). Also worthy of mention is the scene in which Ilsa kills Abbie's sister with the old 'plastic bag over the head' routine. Nasty.

The shocking finale sees the warden set upon by the inmates, led by Juana who can no longer put up with Ilsa's wicked ways. The long suffering inmates literally tear her to pieces, biting and ripping her with hands and teeth—all the while being filmed by the movie-making guard who gets to deliver his potentially most profitable work so far: a snuff film!

I have seen all of the Ilsa movies several times and this one is by far the best. First, a warning: if you are easily shocked, offended, or disturbed, you won't make it through this (or any other Ilsa)movie. It takes a lot to disturb me, but this movie did the trick. If you love campy women's prison movies, this is also a must-see, though it is darker than most of them.Yes, this is an exploitation flick and does not try to hide this fact, but it has a plot, and characters you care about. A woman's sister is being held in a women's prison, so she goes 'undercover' to try to rescue her. The b*tch in charge of the prison is the most twisted, sick, evil, sadistic warden you will ever find in any women's prison movie--Ilsa, (or Wanda, depending on which version you see) the Wicked Warden. Her idea of a nice relaxing evening is using one of the female inmates for a pincushion, and I am describing the scene tactfully. Others she lobotomizes when they get out of line. The woman's plan to infiltrate the prison and her sister goes horribly awry when she realizes things in there are much, much worse than she could have dreamed of and there is no escape. The movie's ending is a total show-stopper, when Ilsa comes to one of the most fitting, vividly grisly, ugly endings that you will ever see. Not the most pleasant movie to watch--the first time I saw it, I felt sick for not turning it off and continuing to watch the horrible acts being committed. However, I've seen a lot of really bad horror/shock/exploitation films, and this one really stands out amongst the rest, with realistic characters, the courage to have a very downbeat ending, and no glamourization of the violence. The images in this movie will stay with you for a long, long time. For some people, that's a warning, for others, a strong recommendation. You think you've seen it all? You haven't, till you've seen this.

I've never understood the Ilsa films. They are set across different parts of the world, different time periods and the ending of certain films suggest that a sequel simply should not have been possible.

This one goes by about three or four different names which confuses matters even more. Whats even more confusing is just how little entertainment value there is. I know this is an exploitation flick but the previous two had their moments, this is just bafflingly poor.

This is the worst third part of a franchise since Terminator, I mean seriously who thought it'd be a good idea to make that R rated franchise so tame and do cut away deaths? That person needs to be punished with having to watch this Ilsa movie on a loop for 6 continual weeks. That right there is cruel and unusual punishment, but so is this film

There are tens of thousands of DVDs out there for the customer to purchase or rent, but viewers will have to look long and hard before finding a sleazier one than Jess Franco's contribution to the Ilsa saga, "Ilsa the Wicked Warden" (1977). Here, Dyanne Thorne, who thrice before portrayed everyone's favorite buxom blond sadist, plays a buxom redheaded (her natural color...who knew?) sadist who's in charge of a women's mental hospital in some unnamed tropical country. (Though filmed in Portugal, the picture seems to be set somewhere in Central or South America.) Franco, an incredibly prolific, oftentimes slapdash director in many film genres, with over 140 (!) titles to his credit, throws quite a bit into this Ilsa story to guarantee a good time (well, better make that "memorable experience"). Thus, we get to see electroshockings, a human pin cushion, cannibalism, feces eating, shower fights, vaginal cauterization (yikes!), transgendered lesbianism, gang rape, bloody whippings and so on. While the tortures on display are not as hard to take as the ones in Ilsa's first foray, "She Wolf of the SS" (1973), this picture somehow feels...well, "sleazier" is the only word that keeps coming to mind. Ilsa herself, monster that she is, looks absolutely outstanding here, and her just deserts at film's end will long linger sickeningly in the viewer's memory. The DVD that I just watched looks terrific--a first-rate transfer job from the fine folks at Anchor Bay--although the execrable dubbing throughout the film is a significant drawback. I suppose this picture is best recommended for Jess Franco or Ilsa completists only; needless to say, it is NOT the movie to watch with Aunt Petunia! It is as sick and, well, sleazy as can be, but for lots of folks out there...hey, that's entertainment!