Dyanne Thorne stars in her most infamous role, the titular character, in this downright sleazy and unpleasant exploitation movie, probably the most famous of its kind. It goes without saying that this is adults-only stuff, a catalogue of sickening scenes which are only for the strong of stomach. In my opinion this is far worse than any of the Italian cannibal flicks I've seen, as all of the atrocities are played out with the utmost realism which gives them a real sickening impact.
Amongst the worst things on view are a man being castrated (thankfully the act is hidden), a woman being burnt alive in a tub of boiling water, and another suffering electro-shock therapy. Other characters have their toes cut off and are whipped until they die. All good healthy entertainment of course. Probably the most disturbing thing about the film is the quality of the special effects; for such a low-budget exploitation piece you would expect them to be rubbish but they're rather effective and realistic-looking - fortunately or not, as the case may be. Producer David Friedman (so called "sultan of sleaze") - here producing under an obviously fake name - ensued that he got the best effects man for the job and it shows.
As much a sex film as it is a horror, ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS also contains a never ending parade of naked women, mostly being tortured or humiliated. Not five minutes goes by without some characters either having sex or walking around nude, which is probably why the film has such an enduring success to this day: for its blatant disregard for politically correct values, instead it is happy to wallow in sex and violence just for the exploitation value.
Dyanne Thorne certainly lends an icy beauty to the film and is the best thing in it; the surrounding cast are mainly amateurs so some fun is to be had with the acting. The one thing I did like about this film was the action-packed finale which is done well on a low budget, with shoot-outs and explosions to enjoy. There's also an immensely cheesy throat-slashing to top things off. Sadly, this action fare can make no amends for the disturbing scenes beforehand, which is why I am unable to recommend this movie to anybody - apart from maybe the die-hard gore fans looking for something a little stronger than the usual fare.
Amongst the worst things on view are a man being castrated (thankfully the act is hidden), a woman being burnt alive in a tub of boiling water, and another suffering electro-shock therapy. Other characters have their toes cut off and are whipped until they die. All good healthy entertainment of course. Probably the most disturbing thing about the film is the quality of the special effects; for such a low-budget exploitation piece you would expect them to be rubbish but they're rather effective and realistic-looking - fortunately or not, as the case may be. Producer David Friedman (so called "sultan of sleaze") - here producing under an obviously fake name - ensued that he got the best effects man for the job and it shows.
As much a sex film as it is a horror, ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS also contains a never ending parade of naked women, mostly being tortured or humiliated. Not five minutes goes by without some characters either having sex or walking around nude, which is probably why the film has such an enduring success to this day: for its blatant disregard for politically correct values, instead it is happy to wallow in sex and violence just for the exploitation value.
Dyanne Thorne certainly lends an icy beauty to the film and is the best thing in it; the surrounding cast are mainly amateurs so some fun is to be had with the acting. The one thing I did like about this film was the action-packed finale which is done well on a low budget, with shoot-outs and explosions to enjoy. There's also an immensely cheesy throat-slashing to top things off. Sadly, this action fare can make no amends for the disturbing scenes beforehand, which is why I am unable to recommend this movie to anybody - apart from maybe the die-hard gore fans looking for something a little stronger than the usual fare.