Seven Women from Hell (1961)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Expected more

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This movie starts off with women of different nationalities being captured by the Japanese in New Guinea at the start of World War 2 and sent to a concentration camp in the jungle. While there they are forced to do manual labor and are given very little to eat. When an allied air patrol strafes the compound their rations are cut even further. Then, after a guard tries to rape one of them, six of them escape into the jungle. One woman named "Mara Shepherd" (Margia Dean) is caught almost immediately afterward and is crucified in front of the remaining prisoners as a lesson. The remaining five face imminent danger and possible recapture by the Japanese as they try to find safety. Anyway, rather than disclose what happens next and risk spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this is a mediocre film in the "Women in Prison" genre which is watchable enough but isn't quite able to convey the horror and brutality women in this situation surely had to endure. There is no sex, nudity or graphic language and even the violence is toned down to a certain degree. But the acting is sufficient and there are a few attractive women, specifically Patricia Owens (as "Grace Ingram), Yvonne Craig ("Janet Cook") and Pilar Seurat (Mai-Lu Ferguson) to brighten the screen. All things considered then I give this movie a rating of average.

I found this film on a late night Memorial Day WW2 movies marathon. It was vintage female cast film commemorating the atrocities of the Japanese Philipino occupation. The curvy ladies in this film demonstrate all the layers of American society trying to stay free. Richard Loo turns into another villain role. It was fun to see an early Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl in a meatier role filled with drama. The other female cast consists of seasoned stage actresses who do well in portraying worried characters. Cesar Romero is a nice treat to this film in his contribution to move the plot along. The film's surprise ending is a nice treat, but somewhat old and tired.

A group of women from different walks of life were captured by the Janpanese army during WW II and separated from their husbands and boyfriends.All these women soon learned that the Japanese army was very cruel in their treatment of women and expected the gals to bow upon greeting and leaving their presences.All the women tried to escape on many occasions and failed and were punished by beatings and torture methods. There was plenty of action and even some romance was created by veteran actor Cesar Romero who had a great way of charming the ladies.There was even time for humor and you will never guess how this film ends. Enjoy.

This Fox Cinemascope feature bridges the gap between the women in prison flicks of the 1950s and the AIP Women In Cages cycle of the 70s. There's rape, torture, and large breasts straining against tight tops---but only in moderation. Seven women--most of them looking like refugees from, oh, 1961 rather than the wartime Philippines--find themselves at the mercy of the merciless Imperial Japanese Army and endeavour to escape the clutches of the fiendish Orientals, personified best by Richard Loo in the scenery-chewing role of the ruthless sergeant in charge of the prison camp. Cesar Romero shows up for the final reel in what turns out to be a most unsatisying ending. The film looks good thanks to Floyd Crosby's camera work but is let down by a weak script and incredibly poor costuming, make-up, and (in most cases) acting.