CHAINED HEAT

US, 1983, 93 minutes, Colour.
Linda Blair, John Vernon, Sybil Danning, Tamara Dobson, Stella Stevens, Henry Silva.
Directed by Paul Nicholas.

Chained Heat is an ugly exploitation prison film. Underlying it, there are many valid criticisms of prisons, systems, the oppression of women in prison and their exploitation, the double values of administration and guards. These issues do emerge. However, the texture of the film is sex and violence of a very exploitive kind. This is highlights by the film's focusing on its heroine, Linda Blair being persecuted yet again, who is imprisoned for manslaughter and mixed in with some of the worst women prisoners seen on screen. These include Sybil Danning as a sex-crazed leader and Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones) who leads the black group in the prison. They are involved in drug dealing. Stella Stevens is a sadistic guard, emotionally involved with the sinister Henry Silva and also involved in drug-dealing. John Vernon, in one of the worst-written performances in his career, is a corrupt prison governor involved in drug-dealing and self-pornography. (This latter enables a lot of attractive starlets to be prisoners.)

There is a lot of violence in the cells and outside the cells, riots, rapes and bashings, suicides. There is also an attempt at escape.

An example of exploitation material popular in the '80s which attempts to have some repute by its cast and its seeming attempt to consider social issues.