Women’s Prison Massacre, AKA, Emanuelle Escapes from Hell is another Bruno Mattei production, the auteur mastermind behind the incredible, dunder-headed take-no-prisoners Strike Commando.
It was selected on the basis of the boys here at RAM endeavoring to watch every single film ever made with the word “massacre” in the title.
Star Laura Gemser now trumps Eddie Van Halen as our favorite Dutch person of Indonesian descent.
Another entry in the softcore Emanuelle series (next on the docket for us, Emanuelle in Bangkok and Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals), this women-in-prison (WiP) movie filmed in Italy is your standard fare: a cadre of butchy guards, a sadistic prison ringleader “Albina,” and lecherous male inmates brought in from another prison, all unquestionably Italian but laughably going by the names Blaine and Robinson and making several references to life in San Diego. One of them goes by Geronimo as he’s part Navajo (the fact that Geronimo was Apache is beside the point. For a budget of 60 grand it’s unlikely much of it went to research).
Women’s Prison Massacre starts out with a production put on by the inmates (and we’ll resist the temptation to riff on the phrase “captive audience”) whose play isn’t exactly up to the standards of Shaw or Brecht and features dialogue such as:
“You don’t betray the Mantis! Poor fools…haha” and
“My name is Emanuelle. And I’m a woman! I hate this piece of cement and I love all my companions and friends.”
It’s a tough room, not your usual 3pm matinee crowd so the response is thrown tomatoes and rioting:
Instead of our applause, they deserve this! (throws tomatoes)
Take my advice and die!
I’d like to bite your nipples off!
Anyway, there are shower scenes aplenty, guards turning a blind eye to the abuse doled out by Albina and the intelligent, book-educated, cultured one Emanuelle getting the better of her assailants.
For reasons only a corrections officer would be able to understand, a group of male murderers is brought into the prison and that’s when the real fireworks ensue with cops called in to quelle the battle of the sexes crowbar motel melee.
“Listen here you scum. Two good police men are dead because of you! Which gives me a splendid excuse to blow you to hell.”
Couldn’t agree more.
**1/2 (out of 5)
Really Awful Movies 
Like you, I’m a sucker for just about anything with the word Massacre in the title. My favorite at the moment would be Massacre at Central High.
I’m also enjoyed Bruno Mattei from what I’ve seen. But I think that only consists of two low quality but dumb fun movies.
Lastly, I like prison/institution set movies. I love WIP in general. I think my favorite is Caged Women based on the presence of Brigitte Lahaie and Eric Faulk cackling as he hoses down the new arrivals (nude, of course).
All that considered, I can’t believe that I haven’t seen this one. Thanks for the review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
A few years later he did Strike Commando, an absolutely shameless Rambo rip-off. The worst Mattei film by far, is Shocking Dark. It’s set in Venice – but underground… So actual Venice makes an appearance in the last five minutes. What a waste of a stunning locale!
We’re definitely going to add more to this WiP category in months to come…
LikeLike