Amazon.com: Director Jack Hill, a protégé of the original schlockmeister, Roger Corman, knew his way around a low budget and a shocking subject. Women-in-prison films were nothing new in 1971, but The Big Doll House had it all--sex, violence, nudity, a sadistic guard, and a sexually frustrated warden--and served it up with an abundance of cheapjack energy and tongue-in-cheek humor. The beauty of Hill's movies lay in the way they could appeal not only to the hordes who would go see them at drive-ins but also to the true trash-cinema fans who could appreciate his offbeat sensibilities. The plot is rather hoary, with a new inmate discovering the corruption of the prison setup, complete with a drugged-out psycho, a cellmate informer, and a guard who delights in torturing the women with poisonous snakes. The girls put their heads together and begin to devise a way out of their tropical hellhole, but not before disrobing several times and having a knock-down, drag-out fight in the muddy rice paddy where they're forced to toil all day. The Big Doll House, like some of Hill's other movies, was shot in the Philippines, with the cast and crew making up plot elements and dialogue in near-guerrilla filmmaking. Though the islands were a cheap place to produce movies in the '70s, the working conditions were boot camp-like. Where The Big Doll House really succeeds is in its mix of titillation and action, a fast-paced combination that makes it one heck of a fun exploitation movie to watch. It's also worth noting that this movie gave the great Pam Grier her first real starring role; she would become a Jack Hill regular before moving on to more substantial roles. --Jerry Renshaw
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - You got catfights, the "hot box," whippings, food fights, electric shocks, ...
At times, you don't know exactly how silly this is supposed to be, and the whole film has a tone of naivety in spite of its run of sex and violence (with drug addiction thrown in for good measure). The ... Read More
Rating: - Ladies in the big house.....
Anyone who likes women in prison films will appreciate this classic.... a lot of death and gore plus eye candy from the various players.... keep in mind the age that the film was made in and you'll enjoy ... Read More
Rating: - Bad acting, silly dialogue, cheap sets, brief but boring nudity = yawn.
I wasn't impressed. The action centers around some barely ok looking 70's female cellmates - six of `em - in a Filipino prison. At first everybody talks about how tough they are then finally some fighting ... Read More
Rating: - Welcome to the Dollhouse
This film is not one of the best Women in prsion movies I have seen but it is good. Pam Grier does bring a big bad quality to it and it gets really good with mud wrestling! I recommend this film if you are into ... Read More
Rating: - This set the WIP standard...
OH YEAH! This is the film which set the standard for the women-in-prison genre. The Big Doll House has everything you could possibly need if you are WIP junkie: cat fights (one even takes place in the mud), group ... Read More
- You got catfights, the "hot box," whippings, food fights, electric shocks, ... 
- Ladies in the big house.....
- Bad acting, silly dialogue, cheap sets, brief but boring nudity = yawn.