Blu-ray Reveiw: DELINQUENT SCHOOLGIRLS (1975)

DELINQUENT SCHOOLGIRLS

Directed by:  Greg Corarito

Distributed by:  VCI Entertainment / MVD Entertainment

 The 1970's was such an interesting decade for entertainment.  You had so many different genres that were popular within those ten years.   Think of music that was popular.  You had Southern Rock, Funk, R&B, and the outbreak of Disco toward the end.   Movies were the same way.  You had some of the greatest horror films of all time, think TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and the EXORCIST, but then mixed in with these serious films was the Exploitation boom.   

  Exploitation films came on fast in the 1970's, and  really only lasted for that decade, with a few outliers here and there.  One of the most notable exploitation sub-genres was the Nazisploitation films.   Think films like the ILSA series, SS EXPERIEMTN LOVE CAMP,  and SALON KITTY just to name a few.  Nunsploitation films were also huge in the 1970's, with films such as BEHIND CONVENT WALLS,  THE DEVILS,  ALUCARDA, and SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST.  The most popular exploitation films, though, was probably the Women in prison films.  There were films in this sub-genre way before the 1970's and lasted well into the 1980's, but they were definitely at the height of their popularity in the 1970's with such films as THE BIG BIRD CAGE,  THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, and CAGED HEAT among countless other titles.  

  This brings us to our subject for review today, Greg Corarito's 1975 exploitation feature, DELINQUENT SCHOOLGIRLS, a.k.a. CARNAL MADNESS.    While definitely an exploitation film, this one doesn't really fit into any sub-genre of exploitation films.   It's definitely a unique one, although it contains all the tropes of your typical exploitation film. 

 Here is the basic plot synopsis of the film, from the VCI Entertainment website:

Our protagonists in this K-Mart budgeted cinematic carrion are escapees from an insane asylum! One is an ex-baseball player turned rapist, another is gay, and the ringleader is a low-rent impressionist. When they stumble upon an all-girls school, antisocial behavior with these siliconed “students” ensues, but with a twist – the busty babes know karate!

  As I mentioned before, this is a very unique exploitation film, that doesn't fall into any certain sub-genre.   There is no doubt by watching it that it is an exploitation film, though, as there is really no substance to the film whatsoever.  The films is basically an excuse for the 3 escaped insane asylum members to torment beautiful women in some sadistic ways.   What's interesting about this film, though, is that it is more "comedic" than most exploitation films of this time.   I put "comedic" in quotations because it is supposed to be comedic, but really misses it's mark there in my opinion.    One of the escaped asylum patients is a comedian, specializing in impressions.  Although if his regular comedy routine is as bad as his impressions are, I don't want to hear it!   His impressions are laughably bad.  Instead of the producers hiring an actual impressionist, they must have just hired an actor and told him he is going to do impressions in this film.  They are laughable in the wrong way for sure!

  Another weird thing about this film, is that in some scenes where they are terrorizing the women, the women like it, or end up liking it at some point.    In one scene, after all the violence and raping is done, the three escaped patients and the women they just abused are all sitting around a table drinking, laughing, and playing cards!   

  I've seen some weird exploitation films in my lifetime, but this ranks up there among the weirdest for me!   It's a strange movie for sure, but an interesting one, and is a time capsule into the strange cinema of the 70's.  

 DELINQUENT SCHOOLGIRLS is available now from VCI Entertainment and contains the following Special Features:

• *  Two original theatrical trailers for Delinquent Schoolgirls.
• *  Archival Commentary track by Bob Minor, Actor and Stuntman, with psychotronic expert, Elijah Drenner.
• *  Video Featurette 'Psychotronica: Dive into Cult Cinema'.
• *  2-Sided Coverwrap.

CLICK HERE TO purchase the Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment

CLICK HERE TO purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment