Schoolgirls in Chains

Sadly this great often haunting B has all but disappeared and it is all the more unfortunate because it has the components of a immortal cult classic. Schoolgirls In Chains is the truly bizarre story of two brothers who kidnap and keep women locked in the cellar for the retarded brothers childishly sexual games. This very unusual film does beg comparision to Texas Chainsaw Massacre (with themes of cannibalism replaced with incest and necrophilia) and if for no other reason is significant for being one (among DeathDream, Blood and Lace and the later films of Hershell Gordon Lewis) of the darkest drive in films of the early 70s

This bizarre slice of "Drive-In" cinema takes obvious influence from films such as Psycho, and handles the graphic and unsettling themes of incest, rape, torture and necrophilia. The film wallows in its sadistic nature, and it's rather unsurprising that Schoolgirls in Chains has suffered banning in several countries, including the UK (although it's not an official Video Nasty). It has to be said, however, that it really isn't all that good; as while the themes comes across in a way that is as sick and as sleazy as possible; the whole piece is actually rather boring on the whole. If you go into this film expecting something along the lines of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Last House on the Left, you will no doubt come out disappointed; as Donald M. Jones' film is as good as neither notorious film. The plot follows the antics of two deranged brothers who take delight in holding schoolgirls captive by chaining them up in their basement. However, they're not content with merely holding the girls; as the brothers' sick and sadistic nature means that they have to subject the girls to a number of humiliating games.

As you would expect from a film with a title like "Schoolgirls in Chains", the atmosphere is very sleazy; and shots that see the young, innocent girls wearing a collar pretty much sum the film up. Director Donald M. Jones (probably a pseudonym) stays away from making the film overly erotic, however, and it's probably a good thing that Schoolgirls in Chains doesn't depict the actions of its lead characters in a favourable light. Jones' direction is solid, but since this film was made for the drive-in, you can't expect any directorial brilliance - and this film doesn't have any. The acting is similar in that it's nothing to write home about, although both Gary Kent and John Stoglin get to have fun in their absurd roles. Stoglin plays the retarded side of the pair of brothers, but it's Gary Kent who wins most of the plaudits where the acting is concerned for his portrayal of the more subdued side of the pair. The locations are well used, and the house in which most of the film takes place is suitably rural and isolated. Overall, this film isn't bad and will no doubt appeal to exploitation fans; but it's not as great as similar seventies genre efforts such as The Last House on the Left and House on Straw Hill.

Charming little thrust of misogyny concerning two psychotic brothers(one, a drooling, feeble-minded idiot, the other a more literate and functional idiot) who abduct random pretty girls off the interstate and imprison them in a filthy storm-cellar. The purpose for this is that the girls are regularly utilized as props for the brothers' sick, perverse "games". The reclusive mother of the boys, a strict, punctilious old broad, oversees these sadistic activities with loving but cautious approval.

A gleaming example of "only in the 70s" cinema, this lovably tactless little mud-wallow is a treasure-trove of trash-a-plenty. Incest, torture, nekkid gals, rape, and murder...all the requisite bases are covered, and there's even some almost-artful production qualities. Sure, the conceptual nuts-and-bolts of SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS might be hackneyed and unoriginal, but this flick injects some pretty edgy nastiness into those worn-out ideas and shoves them straight up your nose.

Recommended to most, and mandatory for vintage trash-film zealots...7/10

A good entertaining movie with interesting characters It's not a masterpiece but it's worth watching. The thing that spoils it for me is the abysmal soundtrack!

Although this Grindhouse-era sleazer is the genuine article, and features enough griminess and mysogeny to merit its title, the film's relative tameness and tediousness made for a fatiguing watch. As such, this trash is recommended only to genre completists. The women are mixed, from very hot to rather plain, and they seem to be dispatched in order of their overall sexiness. That said, however, there isn't a lot of violence here, with the majority of the encounters relegated to generic harassment and lame-o psychological domineering. The story involves a pair of backwoods brothers, whose mentally ill, incestuous mother has twisted them into dementia. After years of abuse, the brothers eventually find solace in kidnapping young women and keeping them captive in a makeshift cellar, visiting them periodically for faux-childish "playtime," which involves anything from kiddie-style doctor scenarios, unwholesome "hide-and-seek" stuff, with the brother's shooting one girl as she runs away; and miscellaneous intimidation and humiliation. There is a decent amount of nudity, but no more so than your average grindhouse flick. The dialog and scene structures are repetitive, and the story is basically a joke. In the end, this one looks fugly and sounds fugly, and you'll spend the majority of the time just admiring the 70's skin. Been there, done that, friends, and I've seen it done a whole lot better than "Schoolgirls in Chains." Unless you just have to see every entry from the sleazier end of the Grindhouse front, you can pass on this one. ---|--- Was this review helpful?