Ahhh, women, prison, and film. Three great tastes that taste great together.

The Woman-In-Prison (WIP) genre is nothing new, but it certainly isn’t a genre that many in the mainstream recognize. There aren’t many award winners in the genre’s catalogue, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great movies. And, if you’re willing to mine for gems in the rough, a few exceptional ones. WIP is a perfect example of a cult genre. This isn’t a genre that I am particularly experienced in, but I have seen quite a bit in my exploration of exploitation.

So while doing my review of Prison-A-Go-Go!, which is a fantastic send-up of WIP movies, I decided that readers might be interested in what I consider my Top 5 Women-In-Prison movies. Look to these as a great place to start exploring this under appreciated cult genre. Not all of these titles follow the typical WIP conventions. All they need is to be about “women in prison” to be included on the list.

5. Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS (1975)

Here comes a Nazi prison film of the worst taste. Ilsa is a warden at a Nazi prison and she uses her position to conduct all sorts of cruel and sadistic tortures on the female prisoners. This film is notable for using the same sets as “Hogan’s Heroes” – but not because the film is attempting to be intentionally funny. It is certainly a difficult film to recommend, but if you can get past the over-the-top murder and “medical” experiment scenes, there is some high camp value, mostly from the horrible acting. There is plenty of nudity to go around as well. Ilsa gets around the “excessive violence against women” charge by showing equal distaste for men; males receive their fair share of torture. It’s sick, but it’s that enjoyable kind of sick. If not completely repulsed, you can find more Nazi fun in the three sequels.

4. The Big Doll House (1971)

Jack Hill forgot to tell Pam Grier what he was going for, as she really takes on her role. She takes it almost too seriously – and yet she still comes off as a huge star. She even sings the theme! This is a great example of WIP film because of its overt silliness. There are lesbian guards, feline help on command, mud fights. All the absurdity you could ever want. Really, what more could you ask for? This is the most traditional of the genre on the list, and one of the most influential on all that followed.

3. Brokedown Palace (1999)

Not a traditional genre picture at all. Think along the lines of Midnight Express with two girls, as the plot is pretty much the same. Two college girls take a trip to Bangkok. Things go wrong when they are caught attempting to smuggle drugs outside the country. The two girls get sentenced to very long terms in an unsanitary prison and have to deal with the racism of their inmates. Here we get to see Claire Danes slumming a bit and Kate Beckinsale before her high-profile roles in Pearl Harbor and Underworld. Bill Pullman plays their lawyer about as unconvincingly as he has played most of the roles on his resume, but the performances of the two leads and the supporting prisoner cast is brilliant. It really is a great film on several levels, and it is a shame that it has already been mostly forgotten. The ending is quite moving and it’s certainly worthy of a spot in your rental queue.

2. Chicago (2002)

Can an Academy Award winning film for Best Picture, really be a WIP? Well, why not? It may not be graphic, and it may not have nudity, but it is DOES have a bunch of non-law-abiding women killing their husbands. Hell, they even SING about it in glee. You don’t get much more cold-hearted than Zeta-Jones’ Velma Kelly. Murder motives have never been put to music better than in this film’s rendition of “Cell Block Tango”. As a movie – an adaptation of the popular Broadway musical – it isn’t the best musical out there, nor is it the best film you will ever see. But it is startlingly well edited with great songs, and that makes it worth watching.

1. Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972)

Sequel to the not-quite-as-awesome Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion. This film continues the adventures of Matsu as “Scorpion” in great (and naturally overblown) manga style. Sentenced to prison for unjust reasons and locked deep into its bowels, Matsu takes all manner of punishment and humiliation with superhuman restraint. After being released to the surface one day due to a visit from the warden, she is able to incite a riot. This opportunity does not go unnoticed, but she is able to escape with several other inmates. Matsu slowly and methodically takes vengeance out on her captors and any fellow prisoners that try to stop her. She is the silent warrior, an anti-hero that was obviously one of many influences for Tarantino’s The Bride (Kill Bill).

There are, of course, many more Women-in-Prison films to be discovered. So if you want to discuss the five recommendations given here, or recommend some other good ones, Holla back at me in the DIMP forum. My ears are always open.