Femmine infernali

Naked helpless babes trapped on an island where they are brutalized and used by the powers that be. What more could an exploitation fan ask for? It's just a notch above your average babes in prison movie since the characters are believable in their desire to get out. Also, When the setting says tropical island they are not kidding. The island our beauties are stranded on looks about as tropical and steamy as you can get. Not for the squeamish!

A film so good they made it twice (they shot the equally lurid `Hotel Paradise' at the same time), and even released a scratch mix version called `Savage Island' with Linda Blair which wasn't so good. We all know by now that the plot involves a couple of dozen half naked women being terrorised by the brutal guards in a jungle prison camp. It also has a host of titillating titles which translate as `The Torture Camp of the Dear Witches', `The Dear Witches of the Rio Cannibale' `Escapees from the Love Camp' and `Infernal Women', although that was the original. In Britain it was called `Hell Prison' and back in 1980 when I saw it the cover was enough to get me interested, probably a bit too interested. I've seen it twice since and might even buy the DVD one day.

On the cast, everyone seems to know about the late Ajita Wilson, but have you noticed that Christina Lai (Vivien) appears in Moonraker for all of two seconds (credited there as Christina Hui)? So 1979 was a big year for her. All of which set me to thinking who she really was, and what was her real name. Well, she was Miss Italy 1978 (then known as Loren Cristina Mai). Further `research' reveals that Zaira Zoccheddu, who plays `Lucy' was a Miss World contestant in 1974, but she finished nowhere. Don't you just love the internet?

Also Anna Maria Panaro (aka Annamaria Pace) appeared in a couple of `Sword and Sandal' epics in the 60s and then seems to have disappeared until she turned up in an episode of Sex and the City. Here she plays `Marie Antoinette' who pretends to be mad and has an affair with a dog to keep the guards off her case, smart move.

Handsome Serafino Profumo (`Martinez') has a scary list of film credits, though I think the IMDB has missed at least one of those icky Italian Nazi-sex epics of the 70s. And Brazilian born Anthony Steffen did a lot of spaghetti westerns before landing his greatest role here as the alcoholic doctor.

Wow, there's certainly more to this skin-fest than meets the eye. I'm going to write a thesis on this movie. Or maybe start a fan club which is long overdue. Help me out and I guarantee a million hits.

Whoever has the rights should be informed that some of us are crying out for the director's cut. Or maybe we could arrange a 25th anniversary reunion somewhere in Italy.

For my money, this the best WIP flick I've come across. Or at least the most watchable. Being a WIP flick, however, means it's a trashy exorcise in sleazy cinema.

The story...well...gee whiz, there isn't much of one. In an all women prison camp located in the steamiest jungle on earth, guards regularly abuse the poor inmates. They decide to do something about it. Can you guess what? It's a prison movie...it's called "Escape from Hell"...do the math.

It's nice to see lost 'gems' like this can still turn up in the age of the PC movement. The goings on are what would be expected: gang rape by guards, lesbian hook ups by inmates, sadistic wardens, a sympathetic doctor, violent revolt, etc. What made this work for me was the setting, it really seems like a plain nasty place to be stuck. Seeing where they are, it's no wonder guards and inmates alike are hostile toward each other.

As far as the violence goes, it's bloody, but not excessively so. The sex, on the other hand, is really graphic. In several of the encounters it is clear as day that the action is not simulated. One rape scene in particular features a guard obviously performing actual oral sex on an inmate. There are no 'hard-core' shots however, for better or worse.

The picture is really grainy and often so dark as to obstruct the action. Also, the sound is pretty poor with some laughter inducing dubs. But, again, it's about what would be expected.

If one is thinking about watching this, then they should already know what they are getting into. Otherwise, this probably won't be your cup of tea.

6/10

Confusing this because it seems Mr Mulargia made two versions of this with the same cast and given the same title. This one has an alternative title of Hell Prison (UK video) and the other is sometimes known as Hotel Paradiso (and Hell Prison!!). The other film has a notable scene where an inmate is kissing a warden and bites off his tongue, whereas this one has Adjita Wilson suspended spread eagle from a platform and lots of leeches in the swamps. Anyway, to the matter in hand and it's not a pretty sight. Very sweaty, very sleazy jungle set W I P with lots of sex and violence. If, however you feel the outrageous and degrading violence becomes torturous for the viewer during the first half hour just wait for the drawn out and torturous escape through the jungle in the last half hour. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood but despite the presence of Ms Wilson and a spirited performance from Antonio De Teffe as the alcoholic doctor this seemed all rather tedious if graphic standard fare.

Anthony Steffen trades in his Western poncho for a whiskey bottle in this sleazy Italian W.I.P. film. He plays a drunk Doctor in a jungle prison for women only. This leads to all sorts of depravity by the male guards. Everything is as you would expect, with rape, torture, lesbian groping, and of course that old standby implied bestiality. The movie is grainy, dark, and the acting marginal high school caliber. You have to ask yourself this question, why would anyone want to sit through this train wreck of a film? The dubbing alone is so atrocious that lips are moving before and after the over dub, but none of that matters because the intended audience will be totally fixated on the grimy writhing screen images. One other thing, I just hope no snakes or leeches were harmed during filming? - MERK