“Maximum Security Has Just Gone To Hell!”
How can you argue with a tagline like that? It’s from the trailer to one of the most outrageous “women in prison” films of the 80’s, called, naturally:
“Women’s Prison Massacre!”
Folks, this is classic “euro-sleaze.”
A group of women are kidnapped by guerrillas and forced to serve as prostitutes for them in a jungle brothel. The sadistic female warden decapitates uncooperative girls – of COURSE she does!
Here is the trailer:
Director Bruno Mattei is known for such classic exploitation as “Hell of the Living Dead” a.k.a. “Night of the Zombies”, as well as “Rats: Night of Terror” – so you know it’s going to be a classic!
This is a classic genre of exploitation film: women in prison, fighting to survive in hellish conditions – and ALWAYS turning the tables on their captives in terrifically entertaining and vengeful ways!
By the way, the US had plenty of these films as well, some of the most entertaining exploitation movies of the 70’s and 80’s!
How can you not love this poster for Pam Grier’s women-in-prison classic “Black Mama White Mama?”
See the best the US has to offer here:
Classic “Euro-Sleaze!”
These films reached their zenith in the wild and wacky days of the 70’s and 80’s, when filmmakers with no budget and lots of cheap Actors routinely offered up lots of nudity and cheap stunts to entertain the masses…and now terrific home video companies are bringing these sexploitation classics back for us to enjoy.
So just what IS “Euro-Sleaze”, anyway?
Well, it’s a lost genre of film from Europe – sleazy and exploitive…
Here are some examples:
As you can see, this genre covered ALL kinds of wacky cinema, some starring very big stars like Richard Burton!
“Bluebeard” is a cheesy and sleazy as “The Sinful Dwarf”, even with big names stars like Raquel Welch, who plays the world’s sexist Nun!
There is so much that is so, so wrong about this film – see the trailer here:
“Euro-sleaze” was different than European exploitation known as “Artsploitation” – films with lots of sex and violence, but presented in an artful, independent film style…
Christina Lindberg was the “Queen Of Artsploitation” – here is a look her work:
The French also had a number of highly erotic thrillers that were a big step above “euro-sleaze”…
Director Jean Rollin made some of the best in the 70’s, check out my list here:
Let me know your favorite euro-sleaze classics!
