Le pénitencier des chattes chaudes

Out on a date "Paula" (Jabie Abercrombie) is sitting in the car while her boyfriend goes into a liquor store for some booze. What she doesn't realize is that he has just robbed the store and killed the clerk. When he tries to escape in the car she subsequently gets caught and is sent to a remote minimum security prison for women. On her first night there she is raped by another one of the prisoners named "Kat" (Tallie Cochrane) who is the leader of her particular cell block. Not long afterward all 4 women in this cell block decide to break out of prison and coerce Paula into going with them. After their escape it appears that each new scenario results in at least one of these ladies removing their blouses for one reason or the other. At least, that's what I considered to be the basic gist of the movie. As far as the actual quality of the film was concerned the script was weak, the acting was bad, the lighting was dismal and the action sequences were equally substandard. On top of that, other than Rene Bond (as the southern prisoner named "Toni") and possibly Janet Newell (as the hippie named "Calico") none of the women were that particularly attractive. In essence, while this may have been standard fare for a drive-in during the mid-70's it doesn't qualify as something anybody should rush out and view. At least I didn't think so. Below average.

Of all the Ed Wood/A.C. Stephen's collaborations,this one is probably the top of the class.,because everything is actually in focus and the sex is a bit more explicit than their earlier films together.The biggest problem this film has is that most of it was shot outdoors,at night,and these guys never had any real money to spend,so most of the lighting looks like it was done with no more than two lights.Three rape scenes(two of them lesbian scenes),Ed Wood in a dual role as a gas station attendant and a sheriff,unwashed hippies that don't look all that unwashed,70's style haircuts on men that I sure as hell never remember having,what more could a sleaze addict ask for,?

No one will mistake "Fugitive Girls" (the most common title for this film) for great cinema. The ultra-low budget, editing errors and continuity blunders alone guarantee that. But taken for what it is - a 1974 exploitation quickie, a drive-in nudie flick about female criminals - this movie really works. With the legendary Edward D. Wood Jr. contributing one of his finest screenplays and also acting in two different roles, the film won't disappear. "Fugitive Girls" is good entertainment!

The acting ranges from passable to good, the dialogue ranges from classic Woodian nonsense to decent, the music often works very well, and technically...well, this aspect doesn't usually manage to impress. Director Stephen Apostolof deserves credit, certainly, for the superb pacing and for bringing out the best in actresses Tallie Cochrane, the '70's adult superstar Rene Bond (now supposedly deceased) and the strangely overlooked but genuinely charismatic Margie Lanier.

Rarely do these no-budget grindhouse flicks deliver like this one does, and not because of overt sex or violence; "Fugitive Girls" succeeds on it's own quirky charm and likability. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a *good* movie, but a great one for it's genre. Despite all of this, "Fugitive Girls" rarely receives extended mention in Ed Wood discussions, probably because it's such an oddity. It isn't family friendly like, say, "Plan 9 From Outer Space", doesn't feature any of his most famous players from his earlier period (like Criswell in "Orgy Of The Dead"), and this film barely qualifies as softcore, much less hardcore (such as "Necromania"). You get the idea.

"Fugitive Girls" is top-shelf exploitation and recommended viewing for Wood cultists, Rene Bond fans, B-cinema specialists and grindhouse followers alike.

(10 stars for genre excellence, not general brilliance)

A friend gave me a copy of this movie (titled FUGITIVE GIRLS) for free, thinking it was some worthless piece of garbage. I watched it, and slowly began to realize it was an unknown classic. Written by the infamous Ed Wood and directed by A.C. Stephens of ORGY OF THE DEAD fame, this tale of wrongful inprisonment and jailbreak is great viewing for exploitation fans. It's filled with cheesy dialogue, cartoonish performances (including an Ed Wood cameo as a cop), and sex. The characters are a treat as well: the "five loose women" the title refers to are an unforgettable bunch of hell-raising ladies. The butch, the nice girl, the redneck, the token black girl, and the meanie. In my favorite scene, the group happens upon a caravan of hippies in the middle of the desert. Let's just say that our favorite leading ladies find a convenient way to ditch their prison uniforms.

A group of five extremely annoying female inmates plot their big prison break. This consists of them walking out of what looks like a rental cabin while someone off camera waves a spotlight around.

Next, they're "on the run", accompanied by "on the run" music. About now, we realize we're deep into Writer Ed Wood Jr. Territory. Thankfully, there's nothing whatsoever to be taken seriously.

The dialogue clunks along like a tin-can robot in anvil shoes. Of course, there's the obligatory nudity and hideous 1970's sensuality!

The best part is when the convicts stumble upon a commune of naked, performance artist-type hippies. Don't let their organic diets fool you! These hippies are into violence, man! Soon, the groovy tables are turned and the desperate women have some new, freaky threads!

EXTRA POINTS FOR: #1- The pursuing trio of plum idjit hillbillies! #2- The women's sexual assault on a male motorist! #3- The beatdown administered to the world's smallest biker gang! #4- The abuse-of-the-disabled home invasion sequence!

Yes, Rene Bond is in this film. All of her. If the likes of Roger Corman had directed it, it could have been a schlock masterwork...