User reviews

This film has been identified in some secondary sources as an alternate title for the one released in US as CAGED WOMEN but they are in fact different, though not *too* different. For the greater part, WIP fans do prefer "the mixture, as before," without innovations, though it helps if there is a plot more coherent than the average Jess Franco production.

In this outing, Laura Gemser is not Emanuelle, doing undercover journalism at a prison, but rather a hard con doing time. Lorraine de Selle is still on staff and still has that hooker underwear she modeled in CAGED WOMEN, and best of all, the haystack hair blonde and skinny teenish brunette are both doing 20-life here too. The blonde looks as if she's eaten a little lasagna since the previous picture. Her opening scene finds her wearing nothing but *tight* kini panties, over which her tummy roll hangs enticingly. Wow! (scene is 'way too short.)

Here, dangerous male cons are temporarily housed in the women's lockup, but they get loose and a riot ensues -- at least when they're not having sex with horny femme cons who haven't seen a man since the Aldo Moro administration. No shower scene in my video copy, which is always a drawback, though it does feature a weird theatrical presentation by the inmates, for the inmates. (And you thought WEEDS was an original idea!) OK of its type.

"Emanuelle in Prison" is rather a variation than a sequel to „Violenza in un carcere femminile": even though Laura Gemser plays the same part as Emanuelle, Gabriele Tinti plays the leader of the criminals now, without any connection to „Violenza..." where he played the doctor. Anyhow, Emanuelle performs a theater play at prison in such a boring manner that inmates throw rotten tomatoes at her. Nevertheless, she still seems somewhat too popular to the guards. They are trying to humiliate Emanuelle, but their efforts fail, she's got nerves of steel and experience from the previous flick. The situation at the prison changes radically when armed male prisoners attack the guards and take control. The prison is besieged, and it's time to kill... Nothing special for the genre, in fact a bit lackluster, but the haunting soundtrack by Luigi Ceccarelli deserves mentioning; it reminded me stylistically (not quality-wise) a bit of Keith Emerson's compositions for Argento's „Inferno".

I thought that Emanuelle In Prison was a good exploitation horror. It is about a woman called Emmanuelle who is a reporter, she manages to expose a corrupt official,and she is sent to prison on charges. what she does not know is that in the prison, the inmates are humiliated and tortured by the prison staff. one of the prison staff Albina who runs the prison. makes an enemy out of Emanuelle. Emanuelle and Albina start to fight each other with knives. There is a lot of blood in the movie as well as Strong Violence, Female Nudity and Lesbianism. I think that there is a very sleazy feel to the film. Which made it a good film to be able to watch.

Every once in a while there are films that come along and enlighten us. For some it was ET for others it was Gone With the Wind and for me it was Women's Prison Massacre! I Felt moved just by picking up the box at the video store. This movie has everything sleaze, torture, sex, rape, throat ripping, violence, forced suicide, more sleaze, more sex, more torture, and more bullet hits then Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs put together. When the credits rolled tears fell from my eyes. Bravo! Bravo! I love this movie!!

"Emanuelle" (Laura Gemser) is a journalist who has been setup and sent to prison by "District Attorney Robinson" (Jacques Stany) because she was getting too close to exposing his corruption. Yet even in prison he considers her to be too dangerous and so he conspires with the prison warden named "Colleen" (Lorraine De Selle) to have her killed before she can be released. To do that Colleen turns to the most vicious prisoner there by the name of "Albina" (Ursula Flores). However, as luck would have it 4 extremely violent men are sent to that same prison awaiting execution and they manage to take over the prison. When they do all hell breaks loose and nobody is safe from them. Now rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this movie seemed to have potential but the low budget and over-acting really stood out and greatly weakened the overall effect. Likewise, although it contained quite a bit of nudity there wasn't much passion or eroticism to really make much of an impression either. That said other than the performance of Laura Gemser I didn't see anything that remarkable about this film and I rate it as below average.

As I never really been keen on the exploitation movie genre, then I never had seen the 1983 movie "Blade Violent - I Violenti" (aka "Women's Prison Massacre") from writers Rossella Drudi and Claudio Fragasso before now in 2022. I stumbled upon the movie as I was perusing movies that had Laura Gemser in it, and opted to sit down and watch this 1983 movie.

Sure, I've seen a couple of other exploitation movies throughout the years, but it is not a genre that I really saw much appeal in. And I have to say that the 1983 movie "Blade Violent - I Violenti" is pretty much like the other movies I have seen, so it wasn't a particularly extraordinary or outstanding movie experience.

While the movie was semi-watchable, this is hardly a movie that I will ever be returning to watch a second time, since the storyline just didn't have much of any appeal to me. But I will say that the movie is fair enough for a single viewing, if you don't sit down and expect too much from directors Bruno Mattei and Gilbert Roussel.

The writers are attempting to make a stew with elements of prison drama, crime, lewd exploitation and action, which I suppose was fairly common for the exploitation genre. It works well enough to some extend, I will say that, but you're not in for a Shakespearian movie experience here. Don't be concerned about realism, as it was left at the front gate of the prison.

The acting performances in the movie were mostly fair, though there were some dubious performances here and there, but then again I wasn't really expecting to be witnessing award-winning acting here as I sat down to watch "Blade Violent - I Violenti".

I suppose if you are a fan of the exploitation movie, then "Blade Violent - I Violenti" does have a lot to offer. But for a regular viewer, and not a die-hard fan of the exploitation genre, then I found the movie to be just so-so.

My rating of "Blade Violent - I Violenti" lands on a four out of ten stars.

"Blade Violent - I Violenti," also known as "Women's Prison Massacre," is a grindhouse trash staple that revels in its own sleaze. Directed by Bruno Mattei, this film takes us into the dark and twisted world of a violent women's prison. While it delivers on its promise of absurdity and entertainment, it falls short in terms of quality and coherence.

Emanuelle (Laura Gemser), our fearless protagonist, finds herself incarcerated in a brutal women's prison. Inside, she clashes with the formidable inmate Albina (Ursula Flores), resulting in a series of vicious fights. But the real chaos begins when male death row inmates break into the prison. These convicts unleash a horrifying spree of rape, mutilation, and torture upon the female inmates. The film doesn't shy away from graphic violence, including a sick game of Russian roulette. It's a descent into madness that leaves no one unscathed.

"Blade Violent" embraces its exploitation roots with gusto. The cast includes familiar faces like Gabriele Tinti as the menacing "Crazy Boy" Henderson and Franca Stoppi as the head guard. The film revels in its absurdity, featuring razor blades hidden in unexpected places (yes, even vaginas). The soundtrack adds to the experience, elevating the sleaze factor. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll appreciate the over-the-top antics and gratuitous violence. Just don't expect a coherent plot or well-developed characters.

A Trashy Guilty Pleasure "Blade Violent - I Violenti" isn't for everyone. If you're a connoisseur of grindhouse cinema, dive in and enjoy the madness. It's a guilty pleasure that revels in its own excesses. Just remember to leave your expectations at the prison gates and embrace the chaos.

Reporter Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) has once again landed her pretty ass back in jail, having upset a corrupt attorney with her snooping around. This time around, the pretty prisoner not only experiences pain and suffering at the hands of the prison staff and inmates, but also from four murderous rapists (led by Crazy Boy, played by regular Gemser co-star Gabriele Tinti) who seize control of the establishment and hold everyone inside for ransom.

Given it's very specific title, I couldn't help feel a tad cheated by Violence in a Women's Prison, Bruno Mattei's first foray into the WIP genre: as expected, the film brimmed with nudity and lesbian sex, all set within the confines of a women's correctional facility, but I felt the director short-changed his viewers on the violence front.

With Emanuelle in Prison, Mattei rectifies his mistake, this time giving fans of sleazy Italian exploitation all the gratuitous smut they rightly demand from the genre, PLUS enough blood soaked brutality to satisfy fans of gory splatter.

The first half of the film concentrates on the sex and sleaze, with the predictable but still fun bouts of sapphic frottering between inmates, laughable cat fights, and mild torture dished out by the sadistic guards; the latter part, however, is where things get really mean and trashy, with Crazy Boy and his sex-mad pals acting like kids in a candy store, helping themselves to all the tasty treats they can handle, and killing anyone who gets in their way.

Mattei directs in his usual ham-fisted style, and his cast once again give performances that range from the merely acceptable to the downright disastrous, but when a film features such outrageous moments as the 'razor blade in the cooch' rape scene or the game of 'Russian roulette' that results in Tinti receiving a blood 'n' brains facepack, who gives two hoots about a film's lack of technical merit? Not me, that's who!

Bruno Mattei strikes again! After initiating me into his bad movie universe with HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD, Mattei once again makes me a full-fledged fan of his with BLADE VIOLENT, one of two back-to-back women-in-prison epics starring Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti and Lorraine de Selle.

BLADE VIOLENT starts with an odd montage of stage scenes with three female prisoners describing themselves. It then escalates into an all-out brawl between prisoners, establishing Emanuelle (the sexy Laura Gemser) as the heroine and Albina as the villain. The warden (Lorraine de Selle) and the guards side with Albina on every issue, as she doesn't incite the other inmates to revolt. Emanuelle, it is revealed, was blackmailed for drug possession by a politician and she vows vengeance. Meanwhile, four convicts on their way to death row (led by Gabriele Tinti) are involved in a police chase and are put in the womens' prison for a short period of time. They manage to take the warden and a guard hostage and demand money. And that's the plot in a nutshell. In-between the actual plot are lesbian scenes, sex with the convicts, an arm-wrestling scene between Emanuelle and Albina, a chicken fight with switchblades, a deadly game of Russian roulette, a necrophiliac fantasy, a convict eating the neck of a guard, a SWAT team member videotaping a bloody shootout, and a female inmate putting a razorblade in her vagina so that one of the convicts slices his penis in half when he tries to rape her! AMAZING STUFF!

Laura Gemser, not known for her acting talents, displays some true acting chops here. Unusual, huh? Lorraine de Selle, who was excellent in CANNIBAL FEROX, has nothing to do here. The woman who plays Albina is amazing when she's clenching her teeth and being bitchy (every scene). BLADE VIOLENT is one hell of a movie and is 100% entertaining! One qualm with the film: the Goblin-inspired synthesizer score gets old after a while, but provides for some great sleazy atmosphere in some scenes.

BLADE VIOLENT is on video in the US as WOMENS' PRISON MASSACRE, not CAGED WOMEN. CAGED WOMEN (or VIOLENT IN A WOMENS' PRISON) is a totally different Mattei film with the same cast, shot back-to-back with this one. Both are great, but this one is a bit better. Watch it if you find it, you will never forget it!

Sex, sleaze and violence in a women's prison, made even worse when four male convicts are sent them and manage to break free of the poor security, taking hostages and abusing the female inmates. Set in America but obviously filmed in Europe (Italy) combined with dumb plot lines, bad dubbing and hilarious dialogue ("I'd like to bite your nipples off!", etc) this is no Euro masterpiece. Lots of sex, full frontal nudity plus plenty of violence and gore make this exploitation rather enjoyable for those of us who enjoy such movies. Laura Gemser looks stunning as ever as Emanuelle. One of the film's highlights is a game of Russian Roulette. My favourite movie directed by Bruno Mattei is Zombie Creeping Flesh, something of a guilty pleasure, but Emanuelle in Prison is fairly entertaining, despite being quite bad at times. Good musical score though.

This is in fact part of the "Black Emanuelle" series. Not that the series had any continuity from one film to the next anyway. In this, the last of the series, Emanuelle (Gemser) is wrongfully imprisoned because she was on the brink of exposing criminal activity in the local police department. There is a flashback sequence which explains this. How anyone could watch this film and NOT notice this, saying it is NOT an Emanuelle movie is beyond me. In the opening scene the prison holds a stage play of monologues where each girl tells her name and story. Gemser's character clearly states "My name is Emanuelle, and I am a woman." I sincerely hope that the people who are leaving comments about films on the database have at least SEEN the films they are talking about. Unless of course they're just seeing some edited US video release.

In the short period of only one year, the infamous Italian director Bruno Mattei directed TWO films in the "Black Emanuelle"-series starring Laura Gemser that are both set inside the walls of women's prison. Yet, the 1982 film "Caged Women" differs a lot from this "Women's Prison Massacre", and the latter one doesn't even fully belongs in the entirely on sex revolving Emanuelle-cycle, anyway. "Women's Prison Massacre" is a truly brutal and shocking exploitation effort that seemly only carries the popular "Emanuelle"-label because it's a lot easier to promote the film that way! In case you're hoping to see another truckload of pointless sleaze, you'll be sorely disappointed, but in pretty much every other case, you're more likely to be very surprised by this exciting exploitation adventure! Instead of serving the same old and repetitive dish of whipping lesbian guards and helplessly abused prisoners, Mattei brings a versatile story that mainly revolves on 4 dangerously insane male criminals that take hostage over a female prison where they rape, torture and violate the inmates as well as their corrupt guards. Their main interest is the beautiful reporter Emanuelle, who's an innocent girl among a sick bunch of power-mad inmates. "Women's Prison Massacre" is an outrageous movie that covers pretty much every topic that exploitation fans want to see! Mattei's budget possibilities obviously were rather limited and therefore the film doesn't contain much gore, but it surely suggests a lot of sadism and stages several genuine shock-moments (like the tense Russian roulette-sequence, for example). Lead star Laura Gemser keeps her clothes on throughout the entire film (which must be a personal record for her), but for those who can't do without a minimal amount of nudity, there are multiple other gorgeous-looking actresses that go all the way, like Maria Romano Antonella Giacomini. The prison location works well and the script features many ingenious little ideas, like the razor blade payback (ouch!) and the aforementioned Russian roulette game. The ending comes a bit abrupt, though, and the recent DVD-release contains a lot of fuzzy and seemly ancient editing. This is definitely Bruno Mattei's best film and possibly even the finest "Women-in-Prison" flick ever. Highly recommended to cult fanatics and other sick puppies.

Up until just a few years ago, I wasn't at all familiar with the work of Bruno Mattei (aka Vincent Dawn). Everything I ever heard about him told me he was just about the worlds worst filmmaker. A 3rd rate Lucio Fulco, if you will. But then, one day, I saw Hell Of The Living Dead. Sure, a terrible movie, but entertaining as all hell. Personally, I'd rather watch this than a boring old Fulci or an overrated Romero. Without getting too specific, I'd say Mattei left quite a first impression on me. I've seen several of his films since then, but none of which were half as entertaining as this (ripped-off) Goblin-scored disasterpiece. But recently, all that changed. Because I saw Women's Prison Massacre.

Besides being my new favorite Mattei movie, Women's Prison Massacre would also introduce me to the world of Emanuelle. While not an official entry in the Emnuelle series, at the same time, who cares? Her name is Emanuelle in the movie, so, that's that. Anyway. This time, Emanuelle has found herself behind bars, in a prison run by a sadistic warden and her equally sadistic guards. Plus, there's a rather scary prison bully who has it in for her. And by that, I mean she tries to torture Emanuelle every chance she gets. Taking care of that one shouldn't be a problem, but when the death-row boys show up, that's when the real chaos begins. Not exactly a gore-fest, like the title may suggest. While there's plenty of violence, the true beauty of this one is the schlock. Mainly the ridiculously random one-liners. This movie will really make you think.

Well, this one certainly caught me off guard. The acting/dialogue is is inept to the point of being outlandish. Personally, I've always found a lot of Italian Horrors to be on the dull side. Not this time. Not a dull moment to be had. There's either someone yelling, arguing, killing, or just getting it on. Like I said, Never a dull moment. And if Women's Prison Massacre gives you the Emanuelle-fever, I'd imagine you'd appreciate Joe D'Amato's Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals. If cheesy Italian Horror is what you're after, it couldn't possibly get any better than this one. I was never much of a women in prison kinda guy until Bruno Mattei's Women's Prison Massacre made me a believer. 10/10

"Women's Prison Massacre" is the last of the "Black Emmanuelle" series of films and this time director Joe D'Amato abandons his trademark sleaze for an attempt at an exploitation flick with a plot.

Emmanuelle (Laura Gemser)has gotten a bit too close to exposing a corrupt government official during the course of her investigative journalism, and he has her sent to a vicious women's prison on trumped up charges. 4 dangerous male convicts (including Gemser's real life husband Gabriele Tinti) are transferred there to be held until their trials and manage to create jailbreak mayhem a nasty hostage showdown with police.

I really wanted to like this film, but I just couldn't do it. The plot is a fractured mess, the acting awful and this film is so evasively shot (not enough film or budget for much visual explanation or gore, I guess) that I didn't even know what was supposed to be happening in most of the sleazy scenes (the razor blade castration, horny female convicts ripping one of the guys apart) until I read the DVD liner notes. Also gorgeous Gemser keeps her clothes on the entire time, and the actresses who do disrobe are less than stunning.

3 stars, one for Laura Gemser having a genuine beauty and screen presence that deserves something better than this drivel, one was a whole lot of accidental comedy ("I'll bite your nipples off!" and the blow up doll are the first examples that come to mind), one for Lorraine De Salle sticking it out in a film where she looks extremely uncomfortable in every scene (as if she's ashamed of being in this throwaway, whimpering end to an otherwise fun series).

Well, I won't say I'm a big fan of Italy's Emanuelle rip-off films, but they often make for decent exploitation entertainment, despite usually being crap. I prefer the title 'Emanuelle Escapes from Hell', but this film is also known as 'Emanuelle in Prison' - and as that title suggests, this is basically a 'women in prison' film, with Emanuelle in it. However, the usually rubbish Bruno Mattei has decided to put a slightly different spin on the genre, and rather than having a no-plot film about lesbian guards and women with no clothes on, we have a plot line involving a bunch of criminals that hole in the prison(?), and proceed to rape and molest the inmates. It's still pretty dire, however - the cinematography is good, but the action is your usual sleazy Emanuelle fare, mixed with some classic exploitation-style sleaze for good measure. As you would expect, the film features a performance from Emanuelle herself, Laura Gemser, but in a reversal of form - she keeps her clothes on! There's still plenty of nudity, however (don't worry!), although it would seem that Mattei was more keen to keep the focus on the criminals that have broken in rather than the women in the cells. Still, every exploitation fan has probably pretty much seen this before, and I wouldn't really recommend it to non-Emanuelle fans.

This movie is a hoot. I was lucky enough to just see it on the "big screen" at a revival house and the audience loved laughing at the absurd plot and over the top violence, the brutal sex scenes and some of the worst acting ever. Not to be surprised though - the film is co-written by Claudio Fragasso who wrote and directed one of the greatest bad movies EVER --- Troll 2. This movie has an actor playing a psycho killer named Blade and this guy looks like a thin Bobcat Goldwhait but he overacts more than anyone I have ever seen. I mean, Harpo Marx is subtle compared to this guy. It has to be seen to be believed. Wow!

I saw this one a while ago and was really surprised by it I thought it was gonna be as bad as other Bruno Mattei flicks, but i was wrong. The last entry in the Black Emanuelle series is as good as Emanuelle in America (The best in my opinion) and maybe the best women in prison movie ever made (After Barbed Wire Dolls that is).

The plot is about a gang of murderers who take hostage a women's prison, where they rape and torture the girls as well as the guards. Our favorite female reporter is an innocent inmate who is being charged for a false drug possession.

The movie is very different from the Emanuelle series. For a start, there are very little sex scenes and the movie is hardly erotic. The violence is good and there are a few sleaze touches. The score is horrible (in the best possible way) and the acting is so over the top you'll have a laugh at it.

My only complaint is that Laura Gemser doesn't get naked at all, but still very recommended. 9/10

Women's Prison Massacre transcends the exploitation genre to become a genuinely good film in its own right. Although not for all tastes, those who appreciate this film would be well advised to seek it out.

The film follows reporter Emanuelle (no, not that Emmanuelle)as she is imprisoned on trumped up charges. She finds herself trapped in a hell of violent inmates and corrupt guards and soon has to fight for survival. Things only get worse when a group of male death row inmates shows up.

What separates Women's Prison Massacre from other WIP films is the extremely good filmmaking behind it. Bruno Mattei skillfully constructs a truly grim atmosphere, making excellent use of lighting and shadow, along with a superb soundtrack. Particularly noteworthy is the opening scene, which brings an artsy touch to this genre production. Run out and see it now!

Emanuelle Escapes from Hell (1983)

** (out of 4)

Hack master Mattei directs this women in prison film that has Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) being sent to prison by a corrupt official. Once in prison she battles the warden as well as another inmate but soon things get out of control when four male prisoners take over the prison. Mattei and Gemser made another WIP film the same year as this one and the two movies share a whole lot in common. It appears most of the same cast and crew made both pictures and both remain mildly entertaining entries in the genre. The most shocking thing about this film is that Gemser doesn't take her clothes off, which must be a first in the ten or so films I've watched with her. The film is fairly sleazy but not near the level of a D'Amato or Franco film. The highlight include a rather erotic sequence when the men decide to have their way with the overly willing female prisoners. Gemser is her usual self, although, despite the title, this has very little to do with her Black Emanuelle films. The supporting cast features some good looking women but bad actresses but that's to be expected. Mattei's direction is certainly laughable and the screenplays has giant holes in it but all of this adds to the charm of the low-budget film. The dubbing is also extremely bad but adds a lot of laughs. AKA: Women's Prison Massacre, Emanuelle in Prison and its original title Emanuelle fuga dall'inferno.

My review was written in September 1986 after a screening at UA Twin theater in Manhattan.

"Womens Prison Massacre" (sic) is a substandard Continental exploitation film first released domestically in May 1985. Originally titled "Emanuelle's Escape from Hell", picture was filmed back-to-back in Rome in 1982 with the 1984 release "Caged Women", featuring mainly the same cast.

Laura Gemser is Emanuelle, an undercover reporter in "Caged Women", but here unjustly incarcerated as a result of a frameup by the corrupt district attorney. Lorraine de Selle again plays the beautiful warden, but a low budget provides fewer than a dozen femme prisoners and only a couple of guards.

While Emanuelle and her two lesbian cellmates are warring with a feisty prisoner named Albina, four male prisoners led by Crazy Boy Henderson (Gabriele Tinti, Gemser's real-life husband) are delivered to the coed facility, and immediately take the warden as hostage and start a siege. The d.a. Shows up with lots of police leading to a hokey bloodbath and an unhappy, pointless ending of Emanuelle back in stir.

Though director Gilbert Roussel occasionally provides an interesting composition or lighting effect, the film is the usual mixture of sadism and titillation. Its best element is grotesque huor provided by the overacting, poorly dubbed thesps, especially one of Tinti's henchmen, who resembles comedian Mark Blankfield in rolling his eyes and pulling faces.