The Student Body (1976)

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The Student Body (on DVD titled Classroom Teasers) is available on DVD from Code Red video. http://codereddvd.bigcartel.com/products This classic from 1976 is the 83 minute version in anamorphic widescreen. Its not the best print, but I am sure this is the best CR could find (and this guy works hard to get decent prints) but this is better than the videotape bootlegs of this drive-in classic. Its your typical T&A flick from the '70s but its very tame by today's standards (like those cheerleader flicks from the same era) but the writing and acting is not bad for its type. Three girls coming from reform school into college for experiments and loads of erotic exploits soon follow. Just glad to have found this on legit DVD after all these years.

As part of an experiment, 3 beautiful female prison inmates named "Carrie" (Jillian Kesner), "Chicago" (Janice Heiden) and "Mitzi" (June Fairchild) are transferred from prison to a college with the stipulation that they undergo an intensive rehabilitation program there. Part of the program involves taking a new experimental drug to inhibit their aggressive natures. What they don't know is that the person in charge of the program, "Dr. Blalock" (Warren Stevens) has accepted a $150,000 bribe to administer the new drug without authorization of any kind. At any rate, rather than reveal the rest of the plot I will just say that this film represents standard drive-in movie fare during a time when the drive-in theaters in America were rapidly losing business. Unable to compete with indoor movie theaters to acquire first-run movies, the drive-ins had to settle for whatever they could get their hands on. This typically involved B-movies and low-budget exploitation films. For what it's worth though, this particular film wasn't too bad all things considered. Even so, I rate it as slightly below average overall.

Three nubile young prison inmates -- fiery Carrie (slinky blonde Jillian Kesner), sassy Chicago (lovely eyeful Janice Heiden), and fragile Mitzi (foxy brunette June Fairchild) -- are chosen for an unorthodox college study on human behavior that's being conducted by shrink Professor Blalock (a solid turn by Warren Stevens). Unbeknownst to the gals, they are really being used as guinea pigs for an experimental drug that causes all of them to become more exceedingly hostile and unstable: Mitzi steals a giant stuffed penguin from a toy store display window, Chicago becomes aggressively libidinous, and Carrie suddenly develops a moral conscience. Ably directed with flair to spare by underrated 70's B-movie master Gus ("Nashville Girl") Trikonis, with a pleasing plenitude of tasty distaff nudity, a smidgen of soft-core sex, several cool set pieces (highlights include a rough'n'tumble catfight in an all-girls juvenile penitentiary, a rowdy pool party, and a smoky back alley high stakes craps game), a tight'n'trim 75 minute running time, profane dialogue, a pertinent central message about the dangers of unethical unregulated drug testing, and a winningly raunchy sense of breezy'n'easy irreverent humor, this flick serves up loads of infectiously trashy grindhouse fun. The three lady leads are hot, sexy and attractive (Fairchild in particular is absolutely adorable), plus they all are pretty capable actresses. This movie further benefits from spirited acting by an enthusiastic supporting cast: Peter Hooten as Blalock's hunky nice guy son Carter, Judith Roberts as the shrewish Ms. Blalock, Vic Jolley as the girls' uptight guardian Vernon, David Ankrum as the nerdy Leroy, and Faith Barnhart as the snippy Sharon. The always reliable Gary Graver's typically proficient cinematography does the trick. The groovy 70's cop show-style disco score by Don Bagley and Steve Michaels likewise hits the funky spot. A hugely entertaining and unjustly overlooked exploitation blast.

I've only actually seen this film because it was part of the 'Dupe Troop Summer' (long story). However, for a low budget, no audience kind of film it has a few bright spots. The scene where one of the girls starts to turn into a penguin and flaps around in a swimming pool is most amusing.