Grim, knowing, literate, uncompromising little dig at the British establishment and even sections of the population and it's tabloids' fascination with moral standards and the nasty little deviant punishments thought appropriate - in particular a good thrashing and if really necessary a good hanging. Hang 'em and flog 'em indeed, especially if they are pretty naked girls. WIP, I suppose this could be described as, but how misleading. No pretty shots of a dozen naked girls being hosed down or lesbian sisters kissing or indulging in cat fights. This is English boarding school style bullying and worse dressed up as 'correction'. A very powerful and dark tale of old and not so old England. Some say this is slow in parts. I didn't notice it let up for a minute. Excellent

Adorable French model Anne Marie (sweetly played by the charming and ravishing Penny Irving) gets only a minor fine for exposing herself in public. Anne Marie meets mysterious, yet charismatic Mark E. Desade (brooding Robert Tayman) at a party. Mark takes Anne Marie to a hellish remote countryside correctional facility for wayward young ladies that's run by his strict mother Ms. Wakehurst (a splendidly stern'n'steely Barbara Markham) and blind, senile Justice Bailey (a marvelously doddery Patrick Barr). Meanwhile, Ann's loyal gal pal Julia (lovely Ann Michelle) and her nice boyfriend Tony (likable Ray Brooks) try to find Anne Marie before it's too late. Director Pete Walker, working from an acrid and bitterly intelligent script by David McGillivray, takes a deceptively trashy run-of-the-mill chicks-in-chains exploitation plot and completely turns said premise on its ear by offering a wickedly barbed and incisive critique of the hypocritical religious ultra-conservative fundamentalist right who use vicious means to enforce the law while serving as self-appointed upholders of the moral majority. Moreover, Walker ably creates a potently grim and unsparingly harsh tone, depicts the brutal violence with admirable tact and restraint, and coaxes uniformly fine acting from a strong cast (Sheila Keith in particular gives a genuinely chilling and outstanding performance as coldly sadistic prison guard Walker). Stanley Myers' spare, spooky score, Peter Jessup's gritty, yet accomplished cinematography and the uncompromisingly bleak ending further enhance the overall sound quality of this supremely unsettling and superior shocker.

HOUSE OF WHIPCORD is a cheap and sleazy women-in-prison flick from that purveyor of low-budget '70s trash, Pete Walker. Amid the dodgy fashions, cheesy dialogue, and masses of big hair, this is actually a pretty effective and frightening shocker that makes fantastic use of its setting, a remote and decrepit old jail. Much of the horror is down to one woman, Sheila Keith, whose prison warder is undoubtedly the best character of her career. Cold, twisted and utterly evil, Keith is the kind of woman who reminds you of your old granny on the outside – but inside she's a twisted psychopath and far more chilling than stock horror villains like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers.

The plot pretty much follows the typical formula for a WIP flick. The young, innocent heroine – here sporting a rubbishy French accent – is betrayed and led to an institution presided over by a barmy judge who sees fit to uphold Britain's laws by incarcerating the people he feels have got away with their crimes. Said judge is played by Patrick Barr, and is obviously mad. Barr gives the film's most sympathetic performance, as his associates exploit both his blindness and weakness to trick him into committing atrocity after atrocity.

Most of the film is set inside the jail as our heroine attempts to escape and is invariably recaptured. These scenes are dotted out with padding showing the investigation into her disappearance, and of course these two plot strands converge at the end. There are some very suspenseful scenes – the girl's escape is perhaps the best – which are combined with more predictable '70s vicious as we witness innocent girls being whipped and hanged by the cruel warders. This being an exploitation movie, there's plenty of nudity from the attractive female cast, although most of it is cast in an ever-so sleazy light. Heroine Penny Irving is the weak link when it comes to her acting, but she's nevertheless a very pretty lead.

Despite the low budget, production values are pretty high and there's plenty of style on hand from director Walker, who delivers exactly what audiences are looking. Fine claustrophobic use is made of the genuine jail setting and effective lighting and camera-work adds to the experience. Most of the cast are very good, from Barbara Markham's dotty governess to Robert Tayman's trickster villain, whose silly name references the Marquis de Sade. Along with Partick Barr, supporting actress Dorothy Gordon is the most experienced of the cast, and her prison warder is an intriguing creation – especially the scene where we see her cuddling a child's toy! The hero is played by Walker staple Ray Brooks, better known today for his role as the killer Joe in EASTENDERS, and he's fun to watch in a dated way. Popular British actress Celia Imrie turns up in a tiny role as a fellow prisoner. All in all this film isn't bad at all, far better than you would expect from the title and genre, and a nice precursor to the (possibly even more terrifying) FRIGHTMARE.