Barbed Wire Dolls Blu Ray Review (Full Moon Features)

Barbed Wire Dolls (aKa Frauengefängnis, Woman Caged, & Caged Women) is a 1975 women in prison film directed by Jesus Franco (Blue Rita, Sexy Sisters, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Love Camp, Marquise de Sade, Jack the Ripper, Women in Cellblock 9, Slaves, & Voodoo Passion). It was produced by Swiss sleaze king Erwin C. Dietrich (The Young Seducers, Ilsa the Wicked Warden, The Wild Geese, & Mad Foxes). The score was composed by Walter Baumgartner (Blue Rita, Love Camp, Caged Women, Jack the Ripper, & Rolls-Royce Baby) & Daniel White (Oasis of the Zombies, Zombie Lake, Revenge in the House of Usher, & Women Behind Bars). Aquarius Releasing handled distribution for the film.

Maria da Guerra (played by: Lina Romay from The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, Night of the Assassins, Lorna the Exorcist, & Justine and the Whip) is incarcerated after killing her incestuous Father (played by: director Jesus Franco from Sadist Erotica, Vampire Blues, Hellhole Women, & The Sadist of Notre Dame) who tried to rape her. She is sent to an isolated island prison ran by the sadistic female Warden (played by: Monica Swinn from Female Vampire, The Demoniacs, Golden Jail, & Hitler’s Last Train). She enjoys starving & torturing her prisoners which include Ingrid (Peggy Markoff from Swedish Nympho Slaves, Wicked Women, & Ilsa the Wicked Warden), Rosaria (Beni Cardoso from House of Lost Souls, The Throne of Fire, & Scalps), & Bertha (Martine Stedil from Women Behind Bars, Downtown, & Die Marquise von Sade). She also uses them for her own pleasure & reads Nazi literature for fun. She is surrounded by a bunch of creeps like the prison medical director Dr. Carlos Costa (played by: Paul Muller from Count Dracula, The Arena, Nightmare Castle, Bloody Psycho, & Massacre) who has a secret, Governor Milton Warren (played by: Roger Darton from Captive Women 4, Women Behind Bars, The Panther Squad, & The Girls of the Golden Saloon), & the perverted psychopath Nestor (played by: Eric Falk from Mad Foxes, Caged Women, & Rolls-Royce Baby). Maria is brought into population & instantly gets tortured by electricity after being chained down. Trying to stop all the violence, torture, & sexual harassment a letter is sent to the government about the corrupt prison but the shady Governor intercepts it before anyone else can read it. Maria & her prisoner friends are desperate & they can’t take this suffering anymore so they plan to escape this living hell. Can they make it? or Will they be trapped forever in a much worse situation after being caught? They can only take so much so it’s now or never for the troubled females!!!!

Jesus Franco delivered all the goods for his women in prison film Barbed Wire Dolls. Everything that you would expect from the sub genre is in here plus more! It’s actually sleazier than most of the exploitation & grindhouse favorites with similar tones, it made me feel a little dirty afterwards. Franco doesn’t hold back on this at all & it features lots of graphic full frontal nudity. Jesus Franco & Erwin C. Dietrich made a great team. Also when Uncle Jess used his muse Lina Romay it was usually one of his higher quality efforts. I am impressed how he made such a low budget look bigger than it actually was. The violence & torture will satisfy any horror fan into this familiar concept & subject. Monica Swinn rivals the best demented villains in this, she really brought that Warden character to full evil in Barbed Wire Dolls. Full Moon Features are exposing America to some premium sleaze with this & it’s much appreciated from any cinema lover.

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation & special features on this Full Moon Features disc. This 1080p (1.81:1) transfer comes from a digital master from producer Erwin C. Dietrich’s original negative elements. It’s a huge upgrade over Full Moon’s previous 2015 DVD. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track roars through your speakers & home system. It elevates all the madness involved here plus the score from Walter Baumgartner & Daniel White! It’s also a major improvement over the older releases. It’s the familiar English dub. There’s no English subtitles included. “Audio Interview: Director Peter Strickland on the Films of Jess Franco” is a 24 minute conversation between the director & Chris Alexander. He talks about various things when it comes to Jesus Franco & his films.

He also brings up other directors at some point. They bring up can you call some of these horror rather than just erotica? He talks about the director being an influence on him. He actually cast & used Monica Swinn in his film The Duke of Burgundy. You get the German Theatrical Trailer for Barbed Wire Dolls. Last not least, you get the almost 7 minute “Vintage Franco VHS Trailer Reel” that features The Oasis of the Living Dead, Demoniac, A Virgin Among the Living Dead, The Screaming Dead, Erotikill, & The Invisible Dead from Wizard Video. If you are into the women in prison genre or you are just a fan of Uncle Jess, I highly recommend this sleaze fest! Make sure to support this Full Moon Features disc so we can get more Franco upgraded to high definition. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!