Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975) Online

I first rented this sick flick in the 80's, and the guy at the video store who recommended it (knowing I was into shock/exploitation movies) told me he'd give me my money back if I wasn't completely offended. Guess who didn't get their money back? . I finally found a copy of the uncut version I first saw--hard to find, unless you have a DVD player-- and yep, it still shocked me just as much. It may have shocked me even more, because I kept thinking, "No WAY could they put a movie like this out today!" I've actually seen all of the Ilsa series and each time I watch one, I think "this is probably the sickest". Then I realize they are all really sick, just in different nasty ways. The first time I watched this, even though I wasn't watching it with anyone else, I felt guilty for not turning it off and returning it to the video store, it was so sick. People have said the violence and acting are unrealistic, but there were parts where I had to remind myself this was a movie (though it was supposedly based on real Nazi experiments...let's not dwell on that) and the women screaming in agony at the top of their lungs were just actresses. There's a few unrealistic scenes- for instance, a woman being boiled to the point where her skin seems to have come off looks almost fine a scene later. Most of it looks a little too real for me-enough so I was feeling sick to my stomach by the big dinner scene, and I didn't even watch it all at once.

First of all, anyone who didn't think this movie was violent or gory, you definitely have seen a cut version. Anyone who thought it was boring or tame obviously didn't see the version I saw with the woman being boiled alive onscreen or the patients with huge, open gaping wounds that had been deliberately infected. As another reviewer said, if you see the right version (or the wrong one, depending on your point of view) there are not 5 minutes that go by without some sort of sex, nudity, violence, or all 3 at the same time. If I ever heard anyone describe this movie as 'sexy', I would get away from them as quickly as possible.

In this debut of the Ilsa (Ilsa herself pronounces it as "Ill-za") series, Dyanne Thorne plays the title role, an extremely sadistic commander of a concentration camp where they perform 'medical research'. The men usually only get castrated (after sleeping with Ilsa and not 'satisfying' her) or beaten. The women have the bad luck to be in a camp where Ilsa is trying to prove her theory that women are naturally stronger and can take more pain than men. Some are taken away to the 'brothel' area, which is no picnic either (one of the scenes that actually made me lose my appetite showed a prisoner after the men are through with her- not a pretty sight) but the *really* unlucky ones are taken to the 'medical' area. One woman makes the huge mistake of not only telling Ilsa she can take whatever she dishes out (Rule #1 in an Ilsa movie-never taunt her with her tough you are) but giving her attitude and talking back (Rule #2, do NOT give Ilsa attitude or talk back, you will probably receive the most disgusting fate of any character in the entire movie) and Ilsa decides to make an example of her, resulting in some of the nastiest, hardest to watch scenes in the movie. I can't describe them in detail or this review probably wouldn't be posted. Ilsa picks one American man, "Wolf" to sleep with her, a so called 'genetic freak' who can satisfy Ilsa, so he gets to keep all his, uh, equipment for the time being. Of course, he has an escape plan...he also provides most of the unintentional comic relief in the movie, as his acting is so amazingly bad, even for an exploitation movie, that he sounds like he is reading from cue cards, a few words at a time: "I-will-make...love-to-you-like...you-have-never-been....made-love-to-before."

As a sidebar, I'd sure like to read Dyanne Thorne's autobiography, if she ever puts one out. Several times during the movie, I wondered if the actress ever told anyone how she was making a living in detail at the time. "Well, today I get paid to go dress up in complete Nazi regalia and pretend to pee on another higher ranking Nazi. Then, after lunch...". She hams it up as Ilsa, and was, let's face it, pretty brave to do this movie.

A warning to others who might consider renting this because they hear it's "campy and fun"- don't rent it for that reason unless you have a really sick sense of humor or a real &*%$ed up idea of fun. Some co-workers of mine unwisely didn't listen to any warnings from people who have watched the entire movie and went to see a midnight screening thinking they were going to see some kind of bad-in-an-Ed-Wood-way B-movie. They made it through maybe 15 minutes tops before walking out in total revulsion. It's not the kind of movie you want to watch over and over because it's so fun. I watch it every once in a while to see if I'm still as easily shocked as I was a few years ago. So far, I am. Why do I own it, if it's so horrible? I guess I have no excuse for that, other than to show it to people who think they've seen it all. If you think you've seen it all, you haven't, until you see the first 3 Ilsa movies.

First off, understand my rating of Ilsa. Ilsa by general movie standards is not a good movie. If you were to put it up against any of the so called "classic" movies, it would not stand up. But those who search out Ilsa She Wolf of THe SS or any of the others in the series aren't doing so because they want to see a tense, well acted, well directed movie.

Ilsa is first and foremost an exploitation film and, realizing that, I have to say it is in the upper echelons of its field because it wallows in filth and does so unapologetically. It boils down to this. If you search out a Euro Trash film, be it an Italian Giallo or English 70's horror, you desire it to be as sleazy and un politically correct as possible but also you want the movie to have some semblance of a plot, be it ever tiny. Ilsa scores big on all these points. There is wall to wall nudity, all female. Gratitutious torture scenes that are more ridiculous than offensive, (I mean every time Ilsa drags a prisoner down for torture they are completely naked as they are being tortured). And all most everyone of the female cast members at some point is completely naked. Let's be honest, It ain't Shakespeare, nor does it pretend to be.

Of note is the lead actress Dyanne Thorne. Apparently Ms. Thorne had lofty ambitions of being a serious actress at one point in her career but the fickle finger of fate lead her to Ilsa fame. In her mid 40's, Ms. Thorne is competent enough not to look like an amateur on screen. She has a several nude scenes throughout the movie and anyone who watches Ilsa will no doubt remember her more for her large breasts than her acting ability.

Ilsa She Wolf of the SS is a noteworthy entry into the world of exploitation films and should be the starting point for anyone who journeys into this genre. I rate it as a 10 because it knows what it is and does not pretend to try for anything higher

When this movie first came out in the 70's it was a 42nd street style grindhouse pleaser that would have shocked mainstream audiences; however with the advent of video few will be so shocked today. Ilsa is impossible to take seriously. Sure medical torture was carried out by the Nazis but this movie is not like Men behind the sun, and you will be left questioning the authenticity of Ilsas source. Ilsa can be enjoyed as an exercise in bad taste that John Waters would enjoy; torture, Nasty nazis and a range of bad accents, though Joe DeBlascos SFX makeup is pretty good.The camerawork is good giving it a gritty feel, and the sets (used by Hogans heros!) are impressive. Ilsa will neither exceed nor dissapoint as an exploitation flick, and thats my recommendation.

ILSA - SHE WOLF OF THE SS is the first in the "infamous" series of exploitation films featuring buxom ball-breaker, Dyanne Thorne. These films are a classic example of true exploitation cinema and should be checked out by any fan of "extreme" or exploitation films. Short version: Ilsa is the head bitch at a Nazi experimentation camp. She gets her kicks by torturing the male and female prisoners in all kinds of interesting ways. Overall, SHE WOLF is pretty tame in the gore department, compared to what is out there today. I'm sure if you saw this when it first came out in '75, it was probably some really racy stuff...but being from a generation raised on blood-and-guts, the Ilsa films are more laughable than "shocking". I prefer SHE WOLF and the under-rated TIGRESS OF SIBERIA installments over HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS and WICKED WARDEN (those two having more of a sleazy sex overtone, and being very light on the red stuff...) but all are worth a look just to say that you've seen them. Anchor Bay has put out a beautiful box-set that contains SHE WOLF, HAREM KEEPER, and WICKED WARDEN, and if you check the right on-line dealers, you can find it for dirt-cheap. Makes a great collection piece. To my knowledge, TIGRESS OF SIBERIA is not available on DVD at this time (at least not in the States...) which is a shame, because although many other reviewers trash it, I really liked that film. Anyway, if you are an exploit fan these films should already be in your collection. If you are interested in checking out this type of material, these films are as good a start as any. Not for the average movie-goer, but not as over-the-top as they could be nowdays. recommended - 8/10 for Dyanne Thorne's big-ass Nazi titties!!!

I completely see why some people really like this movie (director Quentin Tarantino among those that do).

The movie may have been slightly cringe-worthy when I saw it (mostly the way the director relishes in the dirty art he has created), but in retrospect is fluff compared to a lot of the movies I've seen since then. Even though this movie is pure, unadulterated carnage and heinous acts throughout the entire course of the film, it had a redeeming quality.It's hard to pinpoint what made this movie so appealing to me. It was a perfect emblem of the pure sleaziness and overall decadent atmosphere of the 70's smut prevalent at this time. Like all grindhouse films, it appeals to the baser senses - filled with excess violence (grizzly and well-done) and sex. And it's shot amazingly well for such a poor film. I expected it to be grainy and imperceptible.

There's an element of immorality felt when watching films like this, but it's a healthy outlet to sublimate impure thoughts. It's sensationalist, yes. Probably no artistic merit either. But it's an appetizer of the 70's Perversia. I do think it's mostly meant to be titillating and gross for the sake of being gross. It's so blatantly in-your-face tasteless and bad that I love it. Stay away from it if you don't have a knack for the depraved.

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS certainly deserves its reputation as a nasty film. Although it is thoroughly cheesy, poorly acted, routinely directed, and extremely camp at times, the film still packs a punch due to its ability to offend and disgust at every turn; the depiction of Nazi atrocities in the name of entertainment is hard to defend (so I'm not even going to try) and this movie pulls no punches with its well executed graphic violence and horrific torture scenes.

Ilsa, played with gusto by chesty blonde Dianne Thorne, is the Kommandant at a concentration camp where she oversees medical research performed on the female prisoners. Meanwhile, she uses the males to try and satisfy her sexual needs (and when they fail, she has them castrated!). It is up to German/American stud Wolfe to lead the prisoners in a revolt against the guards whilst simultaneously gaining Ilsa's trust by rogering her senseless at every opportunity.

This notorious sleaze classic packs so much depravity into its 96 minutes running time (uncut), that lovers of exploitation will have a field day. From the opening scene in which Ilsa's sex slave is dragged back to the camp to be emasculated, to the ending in which the prisoners exact bloody retribution, sex and violence pervades every frame. The effective make-up FX by Joe Blasco are repugnant enough for hardened gore-hounds and fans of the female form will be delighted by the copious amounts of nudity (nearly every woman gets naked at some point in the film!). And lets not forget the scene in which Ilsa pees on the Nazi general...

Thirty years after it was made, Ilsa still has the ability to shock—the mark of a true exploitation classic!

An exploitation classic that is a surprisingly enjoyable film. Ilsa, the Arian commandant of a secret medical facility, sets out to prove to her doubting superiors that women are able to endure greater pain and suffering than men. She does this by torturing the female inmates in increasingly diabolical ways, while trying to break the American 'sexual freak of nature', Wolfe. Cue lots of gratuitous nudity, castration, strangulation, boiling alive, magnificent pre-implant breasts, softcore sex and gang rape, golden showers, and general bloody mayhem. The German accents are hilarious, and the acting barely one step up from Hershael Gordon Lewis and early John Waters. It even has the ubiquitous 'moral message' at the beginning. But unlike so many of these movies, 'Ilsa' manages to avoid descending into tedious repetition half way through, and builds to a brilliantly ludicrous climax in which an entire camp is gunned down by machine gun fire, without a drop of blood being spilt. Brilliant.

Here it is:the nastiest and the most notorious "Ilsa" installment.Dyanne Thorne shines as a Nazi bitch Ilsa.It's a real pleasure to see her naked in several soft core sex scenes.There are also some nasty torture scenes-the film is so beyond any taste that it's impossible not to like it.The most disturbing sequence is definitely the infamous dinner scene.There is a party which includes killing a female prisoner by tying a noose around her neck and placing her on a block of ice.Of course some people may consider this film sickening,but fans of extreme stuff will certainly enjoy this exploitation classic.10 out to 10.Hail Ilsa!

"Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS" is a superior exploitation film from director Don Edmonds. Despite being over 30 years old, the movie still has the ability to shock with its unblinking scenes of torture.

Dyanne Thorne is excellent in the title role as the mature SS officer, Ilsa. Thorne is chillingly ruthless and believable in the movie. In the ageist Hollywood scheme of things, it's refreshing to see an older lady cast in a lead role, particularly one involving some candid scenes.

"Ilsa", despite scenes of gratuitous violence and torture, is a fun and entertaining movie. The score is effective and the production, despite its limited budget, has a polished feel to it.

Gorehounds should find the scenes of bloodshed satisfactory but the violence may appear tame in the age of "August Underground" and "Guinea Pig" excesses. In terms of wartime experimentation, those desiring an insight into history would be best checking out Tun Fei Mou's excellent "Men Behind the Sun".

Leaner and meaner than "Salon Kitty", this is a fast-moving exploitation film that genre fans should enjoy. 9 out of 10.

ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS (1975) is doubtlessly one of the most notorious Exploitation movies of all-time, and for good reasons. There is no doubt that the film is sick and sadistic, and it is understandable that many find it to be despicable. Yet it is also undeniable that this is classic Exploitation stuff and that every hardcore lover of cult-cinema (such as yours truly) kinda has to see it. Along with Tinto Bras' SALON KITTY (1976), director Don Edmonds' film which was produced by the prolific David F. Friedman (who also produced Hershell Gordon Lewis' early gore films) spawned the Nazisploitation (or Nazi-Exploitation) sub-genre (which practically is a sub-sub-genre of the WIP or Women In Prison movie). These films, mostly from the otherwise best Exploitation country Italy, usually managed to be extremely sleazy and brutal, yet very boring at the same time. ILSA is the undisputed classic of the Nazisploitation genre, and certainly the most memorable film of its kind. Whether that is a recommendation lies in the eye of the beholder. While ILSA (and all the other Nazisploitation films) are strongly against the Nazis who are entirely portrayed as evil, it also trivializes this very sensitive topic, which is of course even more questionable since way more Holocaust-survivors were still alive in the 70s. (Then again, the producer's name is Friedman, and I recently saw a documentary about the popularity of Nazi-porno novels in 70s Israel, so who am I to judge...)

The eponymous sadistic female Nazi-villain Ilsa (played by the huge-breasted blonde Dyanne Thorne) is the commander of a Nazi experiment camp. In order to prove that females are better soldiers than men, she conducts gruesome experiments on the female prisoners. She also has sex with the male prisoners, whom she castrates after being disappointed in the can. This changes when the super-potent American prisoner Wolfe is brought to the camp and satisfies her non-stop...

Apart from the idea of Nazi-exploitation as such being questionable, ILSA also has a somewhat anti-feminist message: Even the man-eating villainous bitch gets tamed when she is properly getting... err... satisfied. The film is incredibly perverted and gruesome, and while the violence is often exaggerated to a ridiculous point and hard to be taken seriously it is yet very disturbing. The female cast members, most of which are naked for the majority of their screen time, are beautiful, but the setting and sadistic violence makes that impossible to enjoy. Without getting into detail, I can say that there are plenty of notoriously gruesome sequences, some of them hard to look at even for experienced exploitation fans, others more ridiculous than truly disturbing.

Interestingly, this is a German-American co-production, even though the film was banned in Germany (probably both for the violence and the controversial Nazi-topic). Apart from the countless rip-offs, the movie also spawned two sequels, ILSA: HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS (1976) and ILSA THE TIGRESS OF SIBERIA (1977), as well as the unofficial sort-of-sequel GRETA: HAUS OHNE MÄNNER (aka. ILSA THE WICKED WARDEN, 1977) by the Spanish Exploitation deity Jess Franco.

In a nutshell, ILSA is highly questionable and I can understand everybody who finds it despicable to make such a trashy movie about such a sensitive topic. However, it is a must-see for my fellow Exploitation fans (even though nowhere near as essential as other super-notorious classics such as CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST or MARK OF THE DEVIL in my opinion). Definitely not for the easily offended.

This legendary atrocity was the first in a series of gratuitous bloodbaths starring Dyanne Thorne as the sadistic, mega-breasted Ilsa. In this outing she's the Kommandant of Medical Camp Nine, a coed concentration camp where she sets out to prove that women can stand pain even better than men. This provides an excuse for torture with electric didoes, medically-induced syphilis, worms in open wounds, scalding, whipping, gang-rape, etc. More frightening than the savagely itself is the fact that somebody actually took some pains with this picture. The acting is competent, especially Thorne's, and the production values are good for the budget-–even if the deserted Hogan's Heroes set did serve as the concentration camp. Joe Belasco executed the gory make-ups. Uschi Digard is the naked victim in the compression chamber. Wolfgang Roehm (known in other pictures as William Roehm and Richard Kennedy) appears as a general who even disgusts Ilsa. Some video releases of this charmer toned down the more graphic torture scenes--such as one captive's toes being removed with tin snips in tight, loving close-up. Now, SHE WOLF is available on DVD in its uncensored glory. Producer "Herman Traeger", by the way, is really the infamous David F. Friedman. He reportedly had his name removed after fights with Canadian backers rather than any embarrassment over the subject matter. This is one of his best productions in any case.

Most here are aware of how this one plays out. Experiments are conducted on war camp prisoners, which are all overseen by our lovely Fraulein Doktor (of title fame). This gal has a nasty habit of collecting male "forget me nots". Some collect stamps. Others, genitals. Call her an eccentric.

Anyhow, politics between the camp and Berlin come into play along with an American she can't figure out (and the requisite escape plans brewing), but those are mere plot details. No sense boring everyone with gratuitous information on the storyline when there's some juicy bits to discuss.

Torture of many respects abound in this one. Castration, gang rape, bacterial/viral injections, human lobster pots, slow hanging (mit eis schmelzen), nipple 'trodes, the list goes on and on. The production values are pretty fair in this one (the sets being left over from "Hogan's Heroes") and the makeup's not half bad. The acting's a bit over the top in "Ilsa", especially with the doktor's blonde henchwomen, but who can really fault topless floggers? Not I.

Thumbs up for me here. It's only single "X", but still some nasty fun.

Charlie.

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

Aryan Goddess ILSA tortures women for the Third Reich. She runs a medical experiment camp. You know, it's all for the fatherland. Like infecting women with diseases, boiling them alive, putting maggots in their wounds etc. Her valuable research will help Germany. She also has a pet project brewing. Seems ILSA thinks that women can withstand more pain than men. She longs to prove her theory and beats as many women as possible to test it. It's all purely for research of course.

Dyanne Thorne, (ILSA), is what makes this movie happen. She is perfection. Without her as ILSA, this movie would not have been nearly as good. She was ready for anything. Large breasted ILSA runs the camp with an iron fist. Having her naked a lot helped. I think I love her. She has turned me on to jack boots for life.

So ILSA beats a lot of women and looks for the man who will satisfy her from the prisoners. And who finally gives ILSA a run for her money? That's right baby. An American. God Bless the U.S.A. Only he can tame the wild ILSA. That was a great scene.

"ILSA, She Wolf of the SS" is a superior exploitation film. All B-movie fans should see it. Blood, Torture and Breasts aplenty. And then there's ILSA. I salute you.

This is another in the growing list of movies that are deemed shocking, disturbing and controversial that I find are a lot more tame than they are said to be.

For me it started with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". After reading how people had reacted to it back in 1974, I had to see it. Well, it was pretty horrible in my opinion. Not shocking or gory, just silly and maybe a little creepy.

The "Ilsa" series fits into this category. I had read that the series was shocking, and had to check out what all the fuss was.I watched the Ilsa trilogy last night, and while I can see some of the hype about these films was true, yet again I found myself looking for more.

"Ilsa She Wolf of the SS" features Dyanne Thorne as Ilsa, the warden st Medical Camp # 9. The camp is used to conduct "medical research" that is to aid the SS during WW2. Women prisoners are injected with viruses, tortured with electroshock and whipped to test their tolerance for pain. Ilsa also conducts private research, more or less for pleasure purposes.

Some of the violence is a little graphic. We see a fair bit of blood, and in one instance, they are performing surgery on a prisoner's vagina. Maggots are injected with a virus and allowed to eat away at a prisoner's flesh. One of the female prisoners is left a bloody mess after 3 days of torture. In others it is left to your imagination, such as the castration of a male prisoner and the use of an electrified dildo on the female inmates. During a dinner scene, another female prisoner is hanging from a noose and bound at the hands and feet with only a block of ice supporting her.

As for nudity, there is also plenty of that. The prisoners are routinely shown without clothes, and the lovely Miss Thorne also has a fair share of topless shots.

Having said all that, I still felt that it was not quite as shocking as I had anticipated. Not that it is ever pleasant to see people being tortured and raped. With the reputation this film had I guess I expected it to be much worse.

It's a sad statement on today's society when one reacts so calmly to such a movie. To me, I think some of the shock value may have come from the setting and the storyline. A Nazi prison camp, set during WW2. That certainly does bring up all sorts of disturbing and horrifying images.

All in all, while a little less shocking than I was planning for, this was a pretty good film. Anchor Bay did a wonderful job restoring the movie, and put together a nice package along with "Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks" and "The Wicked Warden".

Also check out the audio commentary with Thorne, director Don Edmunds and producer David Freidman. Despite the flack that this movie has received, none of the principal people involved seem to have any regrets. (Despite this, Freidman, along with a lot of the other actors used pseudonyms. Freidman claimed it was as a result of a dispute with the Canadian financiers. Thorne is on record as saying the she has indeed suffered a little career-wise after using her real name on the Ilsa films).

Rating: 8 out of 10

Here in the UK this is the undisputed "video nasty", this movie is banned still up to this date, and it is very unlikely to be released uncut. However, i remember watching this on VHS, over 20 years ago and it remains the ultimate exploitation movie, the lead actress Dyanne Thorne was stunning with her massive t*ts. This movie has it all, to offend most, some of the torture scenes are the most graphic you are ever likely to see. Forget about tame exploitation movies such as The House of the 1,00 Corpses or the Evil Dead, this is the number 1 exploitation movie. Although it was made on a very small budget, in fact it was shot on the sets of "Hogans Heroes", it looks classy in places, the blood and guts free flowly. This movie was the peak point of the short lived "Naziexplotation" era of the 1970's. Ilsa She Wolf, spawned 2 sequels but neither of which could beat this movie for entertainment.

I had purchased 3 out of the 4 Ilsa movies made. I had heard of it from a book by Joe Bob Briggs. From reading the information about this movie, I became intrigued and decided to collect the whole Ilsa series. I spent $60 to by the set of DVDs (not including "Tigress"). When I watched the first one, it shocked me. Dyanne Thorne was wonderful as the evil, insatiable Ilsa. There were many dynamics to her character which appealed to me. She was strong willed and didn't let anyone stand in her way. She also showed that she had a desire to be loved even though it wasn't too obvious. She reminds me of a female Christopher Lee (another actor that I enjoy). I thought that it was cool that George "Buck" Flower was in it as well. I remembered him as the beggar from "Wishmaster". His character of Binz creeped me out. I thought that the movie was pretty cool.

On the heels of Lilia Cavani's incomparably better "The Night Porter" comes this offensive, well-produced exercise in showy sadism. Dyanne Thorne possesses an undeniable sexiness as the dominatrix head of a Nazi prison camp, delighting in torture and murder as much as kinky sex, but she, as well as everyone else involved in this production, acts in a caricatured style that only makes the exploitation elements of this allegedly fact-based shocker all the more repulsive. The opening note from the producer reeks of shallow ambition trying to mask the rot within–and that's where "Ilsa" ultimately falls–it has nothing to say, nothing to illuminate, and quickly deteriorates into a lurid, masochistic fantasy of excess, with an appeal only to the most prurient desires of underage males. In spite of the dreadful acting and the overall execution that renders the events with all the reality of a Saturday-morning cartoon, Thorne's physical talents and Joe Blasco's makeup effects lend some value to this otherwise despicable film.

Spoilers herein.

Movies touch life in fewer and more unexpected places than you think. Most movies are about other movies or society's dreams rather than the real world. So films that reference major historical events are interesting beasts.

Possibly apart from Vietnam, no war-related event has been more trammeled by films than the holocaust. The Nazi phenomenon was in large measure a result of cinematic twists to history and science. Each film that uses it as a touchstone reinforces the energy that made it powerful.

That makes this my most highly recommended film of the holocaust. Yes, much more than `Schindler.' Sure it is cheesy. Sure it is exaggerated from fact and overly theatrical. Sure, it uses shortcuts: visible breasts are substituted for sex; grimaces for anguish; accents for culture.

Why I recommend it is because it makes the viewer feel superior in just the way it tacitly deplores. The fulcrum is the merger of the American POW icon. American film audiences needed this in various war pictures to help them decide who they were. It culminated in the Steve McQueen character among Brits and Krauts in `Great Escape' which has since become a stereotype.

Here it is slightly adjusted as sexual prowess. Not such a big change.

You should really see this paired with `Auto Focus' which is a similar take with similar real life touchstones, including `Hogan's Heros.' Exploitation is a costly business on both sides.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

As an SS officer during World War II, "Ilsa" (Dyanne Thorne) serves as both a doctor and as the kommandant of a special prison camp in Nazi Germany. In particular the prison camp is allocated a certain number of young women for which Ilsa conducts inhuman medical experiments upon. Along with this the female prisoners are routinely beaten, tortured and raped. There are also a few male prisoners there who are used for manual labor with one specific man named "Wolfe" (Gregory Knoph) who has managed to arouse Ilsa to heights of sexuality she has never known before. But there are dangers associated with this action which are probably best left unmentioned in order to avoid spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it. I will say however that this film is not for a general audience as it is quite brutal and sadistic. Even so Dyanne Thorne put on a very good performance and she essentially carries this movie all by herself. Again, I should warn viewers that this film is not for the squeamish but it pretty much kept my attention and I rate it as slightly above average.

I've always wondered why they never make flicks like this... Oh, how I miss them.

Anyways, Ilsa, the She wolf of the SS is, as many know, a cult classic. It shows the story of ILSA, an evil SS officer and how she tortures women in her SS camp. Its a very simple story.

The cast was fine. You can't expect much from a flick like this. But the Ilsa character portrayed by Dyanne Thorne was fabulous. She was voluptuous, evil, vile and seductive at the same time. She really steals the show. There are a handful of soft core scenes of sex, featuring Ilsa.

Also, this movie does not get you bored. Nope, no way you are getting bored. The movie is filed with gratuitous sex and torture scenes, though they are not even half as graphic as the scenes in many other contemporary 'Video nasties' like the Italian Cannibal films.

If you are an exploitation era fan, you should have already watched it. If you are not and want to be one, please, do yourself a favor and watch this piece of beauty. This naziploitation classic is never to be missed by fans. Ilsa never disappoints.

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS is a surprisingly well-made film, given its garish title and unabashed exploitative intent. For all the gore, nudity, and laughter inducing dialogue, the film features good camera work, quality special effects, and a quick moving plot. It follows the travails of an American soldier sent to a Nazi medical camp run by Ilsa, who is obsessed with proving women's superior capacity to handle pain so that she can go to the front lines.

Ilsa represents Nazispoitation at its finest. Throwing the history book out the window, the film gives us a Nazi concentration camp populated by topless female guards and open lesbians. Just for fun, it adds gory experiments which all seem to require attractive nude women. Is it tasteless? Lords yes! But it's also fun.

What takes this a notch above other exploitation films is that genuine talent was involved. Ilsa has quality cinematography and surprisingly good special effects. (This may be because, as director Don Edmonds points out, many of the people involved were mainstream filmmakers working under pseudonyms for a quick buck.) Although no one would mistake it for Oscar material, Ilsa is a worthwhile film for all exploitation fans.

Dyanne Thorne stars as Ilsa , an evil Nazi warden hell bent on seeking pleasure that no man can fulfill and testing the limits of pain and torture of her female prisoners.

Ilsa is a trilogy of movies , with a fourth movie tacked on and renamed Ilsa.

In the era of exploitation movies in the 70's , the Ilsa series was extremely controversial , yet extremely profitable.

Ilsa is the best of the exploitation/women in prison genre and despite the controversy , Dyanne Thorne gives a tremendous performance and whenever you see her , you can't help but not see anything else in the picture...she commands prescence.

Unfortunately Dyanne's talent has been somewhat wasted over the years, being one of the few actors that let herself be credited by her real name...Hollywood and friends turned their back on her.

Dyanne is a minister and owns a wedding business and whilst , in what rare material available out there , she never disrespects the Ilsa films nor the opportunity they presented at the time...it would be hard not to be disappointed at the future that could have been.

Trivia:

*Producer David Friedman refused to be credited after seeing the final product and has disowned the film entirely.

*Directed by Don Edmonds, he is currently looking to finance another Ilsa film entitled Ilana...

*Ilsa: She wolf of the SS spawned 2 official sequels "Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the oil sheikhs & Ilsa: Tigress of Siberia.

*The Ilsa series is still banned here in Australia

*Notorious horror/exploitation director Jess Franco cast Dyanne Thorne as a sadistic prison warden of a south American clinic for women with sexual disorders..the film was originally title "Greta, the mad butcher" ...Jess later changed it to "Ilsa: The Wicked Warden to cash in on the Ilsa franchise.

*Ilsa: She wolf of the SS takes inspiration from the real life atrocities inflicted by infamous nazi Ilsa Koch.

If you are a fan of Women in Prison films, Naziploitation , Exploitation or just want to see a wicked camp fest...don't forget to check out Ilsa, you won't be disappointed.

... for all (s)exploitation flicks to follow. I can only assume that "Werewolf Women of the SS" - the phony trailer included between films in the Grindhouse double bill - was an homage to this gem. It will be a regret until I pass on that I was not of age to be involved in the making of this one - even a a gopher. To be onset and to hear the direction that must have been given to the actors. Whew! "Now - I need you to scream - really let go and let us hear a guttural scream - like you've felt her just put that flaming pellet in your...." Ha! I am thankful I have, as well as the other films in the "Ilsa" series on DVD - and While Tigress holds a special place in my heart because it was filmed, at least partly, in Canada - This one is my overall favourite. However, unless your date has a great sense of humour and an appreciation of the finer Nazi-Women's Prison Exploitation genre, I suggest you keep this one as a non-date movie.

"Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS" is an true exploitation classic.

**SPOILERS**

Running the dreaded Camp 9, SS Officer Ilsa, (Dyanne Thorne) and partner Dr. Binz, (George 'Buck' Flower) operate under the pretenses of using women prisoners for their own experiments. When American prisoner Wolfe, (Gregory Knoph) arrives at the camp, she takes an instant appeal to him as he manages to please her the way the other prisoners have. Taking an interest in prisoners Anna, (Maria Marx) and Kata, (Nicolle Riddell) to determine whether or not women have a higher threshold for pain than men, she begins to torture them constantly while using him for her own sexual gratification. Finally getting fed up with the living conditions, they decide to make a break for escape with the prisoners still being held at the camp in a way to get away from the sadistic owner.

The News: This is one of the greatest entries in the exploitation genre. This is mostly due to the film's incredibly ability to really use it's exploitation leanings to provide some genuine and excessive sequences. These are mostly from the gruesome torture scenes, including toes being mangled with pliers, an exceptionally bloody double flogging with the fully naked, blood streaked bodies later hung up, a blood-spewing pressure chamber experiment, skin peeling from immersion in boiling water and a maggot infested wound. We also have a very effective blood pumping cut throat and some of the make-up on the disease ridden women, especially the one whose face has been infected with syphilis and which gets more and more rotten as the film goes on and is suitably revolting. Many of the torture scenes are incredibly brutal and manage to get a little unnerving after a while. There's also the grotesque and sickening sight of a barely living, torture ravaged, cruelly mutilated naked woman lying on a trolley, lying completely out in the open showing off every single wound from the experiments, producing a creepy feel. Away from the gore the film, also delivers a few choice moments of exploitative cruelty including an electrified dildo run through the crotch to generate an electronic stimulation and the sequence where a naked woman with a noose around her neck is supported on a block of ice, on a dinner table, which slowly melts away as the Nazi's dine around her. Female nudity is really rampant, not just in the nude inspections of the prisoners and the sex scenes but also during almost all of the experiment and torture sequences. Sparing the victims nothing, their fully nude bodies are continuously on display and generally as much pubic hair, especially blood-soaked pubic hair, as time allows for is splashed across the screen. Thorne gives her all in her sex scenes with much moaning and bucking, but there's also a couple of non-Thorne sequences, including a brief, ever-essential lesbian tryst, where more breasts are on display. That the film in fact opens to a naked Ilsa riding a male prisoner, then showering down and finally partaking in a spot of bloody castration on her hasty sex slave, only goes to reinforce the fact that there's very little that won't be allowed in here, and the film is all the better for it. The general setting of the film, with the very effective sets and furnishings, as the torture chambers are nicely dank and dungeon-like with strategic portraits of Himmler and Hitler on the walls, the Nazi's dining room is splashed-out in very decadent opulence and the whole thing feels very over-the-top and grand, considering the location, to the very fact that it takes place in a concentration camp where hideous experiments, including deliberate infection by all known diseases, are carried out on the prisoners, scream exploitation-made material here. Perhaps the best element here is that the lead, Dyanne Thorne, here looks absolutely perfect for the kind of film. Statuesque, sexy and oh-so-perfectly form, she dominates the movie and literally makes it a far more satisfying experience than it would otherwise have been and is able to ridicule the men and make the women cower. Willing to disrobe whenever the film needs it, she makes her a sexually strong, and yet also sexually complex, character. Ilsa screws the prisoners in the hope of gratification, but punishes them for screwing her as they are inferior to her. Once they have lain with her they must be silenced and punished for doing so. And yet, despite the sadism she shows to her victims, is also very much a subordinate and a masochist when it comes to her own sexual satisfaction. Thorne does bring an extra level to her character's make-up than is the norm in such films. This one also manages some mostly successful action scenes with a few explosions and even an armored car making an appearance during the fun finale, resulting in some really great action scenes. There's just a minor, minor flaw to this. The fun finale has a really big flaw to get over. There's some very clumsy slow motion and the odd very strange gunshot sound, stand out as poor in the sequence. Mainly since it's done during the gunfight is where it really stands out, but it's still a really annoying problem to it. Other than this little flaw, there wasn't a whole lot to dislike to this.

The Final Verdict: Without much to stand in the way of pure trash glory, this one here is one of the best and most entertaining examples of the genre. Highly enjoyable for fans of the Naziploitation genre or exploitation films in genre, while those who can't handle it should ignore it altogether.

Rated UR/NC-17: Continuous Full Male and Female Nudity, strong sex scenes, Extreme Graphic Violence and Language