Review of The Big Doll House (1971) by Beccca J — 20 Jun 2006

During the 1970s an explosion of drive-in cinemas and grindhouse movie houses led to an increase in production of sleazy exploitation flicks. One of the more "interesting" off-shoots from this period was the Woman In Prison genre, of which B-movie stalwart Jack Hill provided two entries (this and the follow-up The Big Bird Cage). of course this film also set in motion the career of the curvy, charismatic cult actress Pam Grier.

Admittedly the appeal of this film will be somewhat limited, no doubt the majority of people will scoff at the poor acting and laughable plot. However for 70s B-movie aficionados like myself this is a neat little package of tongue-in-cheek dialogue, sleazy action and unintentional humour. From the mud fights to the shower scenes and ridiculous gun battles, this film dishes out more than its fair share of memorable moments. Whilst the content of the film is considerably tamer than some of its European/Asian WIP counterparts, this should prove essential viewing for Hill/Grier/Haig fans alike.