I remember when I first saw Werewolf In A Women’s Prison, it was October 16th, 2007 – Philadelphia, PA at The Terror Film festival, a true b-movie that combines sexploitation and the werewolf subgenre, while overlaying that with WIP (Women in Prison, exploitation films), needless to say a very trashy movie and raucous audience. Strangely the audience was filled with many fraternities from the local area, a movie goer to a male dominated audience for so many reasons, but the title an obvious giveaway. A film filled with cheap fun, sleaze everywhere, sweat drinking moments and oversaturation of T&A, now who brought forth this bizarre creation director Jeff Leroy (Rat Scratch Fever [2011]) who co-wrote the script with Vinnie Bilancio (Dark Realm [2013]). While the movie earned a few awards, namely the “Best B-Movie of the Year” for the B-Movie Film Festival, and then finding distribution a tad more difficult which ultimately occurred in 2008 from ME Films for United States and Cult movies for Germany.

Sarah Ragdale (Victoria De Mare (Aliens vs. Avatars [2011]), an innocent girl is thrown into prison for the murder of her boyfriend Jack (Vinnie Bilancio)  in the fictional country of South American Canpuna, who she claims a werewolf killed him, and bit her. Sarah shows the first signs of the curse and infection since the wound quickly healed all inside the cheapest looking prison in the world, and her urges to feed begin slimmer. The place is run by the customary and cliché sadistic warden Juan (Domiziano Arcangeli, Wrath of the Crows [2013] ) and his bisexual dominatrix side-kick Rita (Jackeline Olivier (Costa Chica [2006]) who use the prison for women becoming sex slaves and their website prisongirlsgonewild.com (not a real site) and the prisoners more than happy to remove their clothes and engage in some softcore behaviors. Soon they exploit Sarah by selling admission to watch her transform and killing, a simple enough to understand plot. At times the movie appears as something from director Jess Franco’s wheelhouse, as well as it mirrors scenes from Reform School Girls (1986), and realizing they, the filmmakers needed to pad the runtime, flick starts almost parody of the WIP market and adds a new inmate to feed to a werewolf. Therefore, introduce prisoners Crystal (Kristen Zaik) and Serina (Berna Roberts (Ugly Sweater Party [2018]), harass Rachel (Eva Derrek Hillside Cannibals [2006]) all to the offense of Sarah who wolf-outs on them leading to more exploitation of overdosing on b-movie sleaze factors. Meanwhile the lesbian suggestions continue to factor out with the WIP references of Angel (Meredith Salenger (Lake Placid [1999]) felt up by Rita, her fetish for a cigs fix.

There’s plenty of gore effects occurring through the sexploitation scene, in  fact, nifty special effects of adult performer star Sindy Lange finds herself torn in half (remember this move pre-dates Bone Tomahawk for a scene like this). Actresses Victoria De Mare and Eva Derrek, carry the film and compelling the roles, but the cheapness of the appearance of the werewolf looks like something bought off the rack at a rundown Halloween store, complete with red glowing eyes. Alas, this movie exists for laughter and groans, awful scenes, terrible lightning and very dreadful CGI work. A simple understanding, if you don’t have the necessary funds to show a good monster then use shadows to hide the beast, allowing the audience imagination to fill in the blank, they know what a werewolf looks like, they need no additional help. The film makes a fun reference to An American Werewolf in London (1981) using the character Jack, it’s amusing, nothing more or less, Victoria clearly having fun during the role and flick.

A brief side note, throughout the is review I used terms such as WIP, and attach the customary actions or cliché reference to the Women in Prison, this is a subgenre in the exploitation film genre, and crosses clearly into sexploitation, which exploded on the scene in the 70s. The stories feature imprisoned women subjected to both physical and sexual abuse, from typical male or female sadistic prison inmates, guards, wardens, and in some cases judges or the legal system, often showing a form lesbian sex or rape. The films fictitious in nature existed long before the #MeToo movement, and reason for them often to bridge the gap between softcore and full pornographic material aimed at the male teenage market. The inclusion of horror just made sense, a confined place, sadistic measure, numerous movies contain element s of WIP. However what does the mean exactly, there’s a checklist:  An innocent girl (or group) being sent to a penitentiary or reform school run by a male or lesbian warden; an unwelcoming ritual (search, shower, etc.) sexual scenes leading to secret human trafficking i.e. sex workers trade; leading to fights, chaos, massacres, clearly one gets the point of these movies.

This movie falls into a place for the fans, first if you’re a dedicated werewolf watcher, then it’s a must, and if you enjoy following Victoria De Mare’s career then an obvious choice. Then the fans of its “so bad it is good” when this movie definitely needs for your attention yes the unintentional laughs exists, a few groans, but a hidden message of werewolves have feeling, they don’t seek to become a sideshow freak and exploited for others enjoyment, but in all seriousness another horror flick filled with blood and T&A.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0815258/

IMDb Rating: 4.5/10

Baron’s Rating: 4.0/10