A young French model (Penny Irving), resident in London having just completed a controversial photo shoot for a men's magazine, is approached at a party by a charismatic oddball calling himself Mark E. Desade (geddit?) whose dating techniques are strange, to say the least. He invites her to meet his parents, and she foolishly agrees - turns out the old couple (he's blind and senile, she's a sadistic retired prison warder) are running their own private prison in the middle of nowhere with the aim of punishing 'immoral' behaviour with beatings, solitary confinement, humiliations and compulsory Bible lessons. A couple of equally deranged guards are on hand to guide these wayward young things back onto the straight and narrow, along with several menacing rats. Don't ask. HOUSE OF WHIPCORD poured napalm on troubled waters with its original release in 1974, when the hang-'em-and-flog-'em brigade were at their most vocal and the likes of Mary Whitehouse and Lord Longford ("Lord Porn", according to Private Eye magazine) were keeping a beady eye on the increasing amount of sex, violence and bad language on television and in the movies. Pete Walker's bleak and disturbing take on vigilante justice gets the flesh crawling and the nerves jangling like precious few British horror flicks before or since, offering little comfort to the viewer as a series of ghastly coincidences, shocking deaths and unexpected twists take us ever closer to the resolutely downbeat ending. Ironically (hopefully) dedicated to the vocal minority who find sentencing too soft and the law largely impotent, WHIPCORD isn't for everyone - the faint of heart should steer well clear - but offers an upsetting glimpse into the heart of darkness for the curious. Ann Michelle and Penny Irving are surprisingly good in their dramatic roles, but the film is stolen by Barbara Markham, Patrick Barr and Sheila Keith, chewing the scenery as the governess, the helpless judge and the most zealous warden respectively. Ray Brooks (the voice of MR BENN) has a few good scenes as Michelle's sex-mad boyfriend.
44 Reviews
Dark, grim allegory about justice system
acky20 October 1999
This movie could have been typical 70's exploitation porn but director Peter Walker turns it around and makes it a grimy desadean attack on the ruling classes. The scene in which the blind judge continues making a solemn speech well after the prisoners have all left the room is worthy of Bunuel. It's all a bit heavy handed and obvious and it seems as though this movie should have been more shocking for it too really work but the bizzare grimy sepia tone of the whole thing really makes it much better than anyone could have expected.
Landmark shocker from Pete Walker and co.
Libretio21 February 2005
HOUSE OF WHIPCORD
Aspect ratio: 1.75:1
Sound format: Mono
A French exchange student (Penny Irving) is lured to an old house in the English countryside where she's incarcerated by a senile old judge (Patrick Barr) and his crazy wife (Barbara Markham), who seek to punish impure young women for 'crimes against morality'.
This was British director Pete Walker's first collaboration with legendary exploitation scriptwriter David McGillivray (HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN, SATAN'S SLAVE, etc.), spawned from a pre-determined ad campaign showing a screaming, half-naked starlet framed by a hangman's noose. The result is a minor classic in which part-time nude model Irving is lured into captivity by her creepy new boyfriend (Robert Tayman, from VAMPIRE CIRCUS) and imprisoned by Barr and Markham. Unwilling to take her predicament lying down, Irving plots escape with her fellow inmates and suffers all manner of indignities at the hands of cruel warder Sheila Keith and her equally depraved second-in-command (Dorothy Gordon).
Cleverly written and cheaply produced in response to an upsurge of activity by the UK's Christian Right in the wake of several controversial film releases - most notably A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, STRAW DOGS, THE DEVILS (all 1971) and LAST TANGO IN Paris (1972) - "Whipcord" opens with a now-famous dedication "...to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment...." Though contemporary critics railed against the threadbare production values and softcore nudity, it's apparent that much of their outrage was prompted by Walker's brazen challenge to the Christian moralists, whose over-zealous rhetoric has always enjoyed a disproportionate measure of representation in the British media.
The film is deliberately crude and confrontational, with a vulnerable heroine - played as an infuriating wimp by relative newcomer Irving, sporting one of the worst French accents in movie history ("'Ow did zey bring you 'ere?") - struggling to survive against all the odds, while Markham's brutal staff indulge their deepest puritan impulses. Keith is especially good in this regard ("I'm going to make you ashamed of your body, de Vernay. I'm going to see to that... personally!"), manifesting the corrupt zeal of a True Believer with little regard for pity or compassion. The sleaze quotient is high for a British shocker of this vintage, but neither McGillivray's script nor Walker's laidback direction comes close to matching the debauched atrocities which distinguished the 'prison camp' subgenre during the 1970's and early 80s, exemplified by the likes of ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS (1974) in America, BARBED WIRE DOLLS (1975) in mainland Europe, and Asian shockers like BAMBOO HOUSE OF DOLLS (1973), LOST SOULS (1980) and WAR VICTIMS (1983). Still, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD is an effective relic, and it led directly to Walker's next offering, FRIGHTMARE (1974), reuniting him with McGillivray and Keith for one of their finest collaborations to date.
Aspect ratio: 1.75:1
Sound format: Mono
A French exchange student (Penny Irving) is lured to an old house in the English countryside where she's incarcerated by a senile old judge (Patrick Barr) and his crazy wife (Barbara Markham), who seek to punish impure young women for 'crimes against morality'.
This was British director Pete Walker's first collaboration with legendary exploitation scriptwriter David McGillivray (HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN, SATAN'S SLAVE, etc.), spawned from a pre-determined ad campaign showing a screaming, half-naked starlet framed by a hangman's noose. The result is a minor classic in which part-time nude model Irving is lured into captivity by her creepy new boyfriend (Robert Tayman, from VAMPIRE CIRCUS) and imprisoned by Barr and Markham. Unwilling to take her predicament lying down, Irving plots escape with her fellow inmates and suffers all manner of indignities at the hands of cruel warder Sheila Keith and her equally depraved second-in-command (Dorothy Gordon).
Cleverly written and cheaply produced in response to an upsurge of activity by the UK's Christian Right in the wake of several controversial film releases - most notably A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, STRAW DOGS, THE DEVILS (all 1971) and LAST TANGO IN Paris (1972) - "Whipcord" opens with a now-famous dedication "...to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment...." Though contemporary critics railed against the threadbare production values and softcore nudity, it's apparent that much of their outrage was prompted by Walker's brazen challenge to the Christian moralists, whose over-zealous rhetoric has always enjoyed a disproportionate measure of representation in the British media.
The film is deliberately crude and confrontational, with a vulnerable heroine - played as an infuriating wimp by relative newcomer Irving, sporting one of the worst French accents in movie history ("'Ow did zey bring you 'ere?") - struggling to survive against all the odds, while Markham's brutal staff indulge their deepest puritan impulses. Keith is especially good in this regard ("I'm going to make you ashamed of your body, de Vernay. I'm going to see to that... personally!"), manifesting the corrupt zeal of a True Believer with little regard for pity or compassion. The sleaze quotient is high for a British shocker of this vintage, but neither McGillivray's script nor Walker's laidback direction comes close to matching the debauched atrocities which distinguished the 'prison camp' subgenre during the 1970's and early 80s, exemplified by the likes of ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS (1974) in America, BARBED WIRE DOLLS (1975) in mainland Europe, and Asian shockers like BAMBOO HOUSE OF DOLLS (1973), LOST SOULS (1980) and WAR VICTIMS (1983). Still, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD is an effective relic, and it led directly to Walker's next offering, FRIGHTMARE (1974), reuniting him with McGillivray and Keith for one of their finest collaborations to date.
Bleak, cold, disturbing British sexploitation for the genre enthusiasts only.
Sultan of Horror4 August 2001
This early 70's classic from Pete Walker is essentially a classic sexploitation exercise wrapped in a horror packaging.
A dark and disturbing piece, this film is set in a creepy and foreboding house where a couple are running an illegal and immoral correction centre. Young females seen by the old school as sluts are lured to the house, imprisoned and eventually flogged and hanged for their sins.
There is no gore on show here; instead the unsettling feeling is delivered by the cold green filtered scenes and the real underlying menace that Walker manages to inject into the film. The plot is pretty good with some nice twists throughout.
Ultimate fear is slightly diminished by the fact that one of the lead characters is familiar for being the narrator of the 70's childrens TV programme, "Mr Benn".
A dark and disturbing piece, this film is set in a creepy and foreboding house where a couple are running an illegal and immoral correction centre. Young females seen by the old school as sluts are lured to the house, imprisoned and eventually flogged and hanged for their sins.
There is no gore on show here; instead the unsettling feeling is delivered by the cold green filtered scenes and the real underlying menace that Walker manages to inject into the film. The plot is pretty good with some nice twists throughout.
Ultimate fear is slightly diminished by the fact that one of the lead characters is familiar for being the narrator of the 70's childrens TV programme, "Mr Benn".
something must be done about the lax morals of today
crystallogic13 January 2018
If I had to use a single word to describe this film, that word would likely be "grim". Most of these "women in prison" type movies are kind of a fun time and a guilty pleasure, if you know what I mean. This one's different and actually manages to leave a bit of a depressive feeling in me, not because of extreme physical content or anything (there isn't much of that compared with some other entries in this dubious genre), but because of its sheer, unrelenting drabness and hopelessness.
And you know, this is a very British film. It's not Jesus Franco and the point isn't to titillate with heaps of female flesh on display. This is the country that gave us Mary Whitehouse and plenty of other questionable "moral guardians", and it's that culture that's reflected here. The way it starts with a dedication to those who "eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment" is engenious. Remember all those old movies, the ones about drugs and delinquent youths, for instance, that really turned out to be exploitation? you could get away with a fair bit by claiming that your film was really an educational experience, and if there were some snickers in the audience, they were probably from the sort of louts the thing was intended for in the first place, and they'd learn the truth of the message, oh yes they would! Here we have a movie pushing the boundaries of good taste and revealing the corruption and evil of so-called "moral guardians", while at the same time, it might also be possible to read it as a condemnation of moral lassitude. Ok, so it's clear what side director Pete Walker falls on, I think, and this is doubly true if you've seen the somewhat-more-fun "House of Mortal Sin". But still, the question is there, and it creates an interesting dichotomy within the viewing experience.
It's also a fact that our model character, Anne-Marie, is desperately cute. Maybe she's not all too bright sometimes, and that accent the very-not-french-sounding Penny irving is putting on is hilarious, but you hate to see bad things happen to her and really want her to be ok. The thing that gets her into trouble is so small and harmless, and the punishment so absurdly severe, one can't help but rail at the total injustice. it's all terribly severe, cold, and, like I said, grim. That woman who runs the joint is utterly terrifying in her implacable, self-righteous severity and evil.
So yeah. If you want to have fun, watch "The Big Bird Cage", I guess. But if the idea of a somewhat "different" WIP film; one with something to say and a serious demeanour, give this a try.
And you know, this is a very British film. It's not Jesus Franco and the point isn't to titillate with heaps of female flesh on display. This is the country that gave us Mary Whitehouse and plenty of other questionable "moral guardians", and it's that culture that's reflected here. The way it starts with a dedication to those who "eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment" is engenious. Remember all those old movies, the ones about drugs and delinquent youths, for instance, that really turned out to be exploitation? you could get away with a fair bit by claiming that your film was really an educational experience, and if there were some snickers in the audience, they were probably from the sort of louts the thing was intended for in the first place, and they'd learn the truth of the message, oh yes they would! Here we have a movie pushing the boundaries of good taste and revealing the corruption and evil of so-called "moral guardians", while at the same time, it might also be possible to read it as a condemnation of moral lassitude. Ok, so it's clear what side director Pete Walker falls on, I think, and this is doubly true if you've seen the somewhat-more-fun "House of Mortal Sin". But still, the question is there, and it creates an interesting dichotomy within the viewing experience.
It's also a fact that our model character, Anne-Marie, is desperately cute. Maybe she's not all too bright sometimes, and that accent the very-not-french-sounding Penny irving is putting on is hilarious, but you hate to see bad things happen to her and really want her to be ok. The thing that gets her into trouble is so small and harmless, and the punishment so absurdly severe, one can't help but rail at the total injustice. it's all terribly severe, cold, and, like I said, grim. That woman who runs the joint is utterly terrifying in her implacable, self-righteous severity and evil.
So yeah. If you want to have fun, watch "The Big Bird Cage", I guess. But if the idea of a somewhat "different" WIP film; one with something to say and a serious demeanour, give this a try.
Downbeat and gloomy WIP flick
Red-Barracuda9 June 2011
A not-too-bright French girl called Anne-Marie is taken unwittingly by an odd man called Mark E. Dessart to a secret prison in the middle of the countryside. This place is a correctional institute for amoral women, and it's conditions are extremely harsh. Anne-Marie soon discovers to her horror that no inmate actually ever leaves this prison.
This Pete Walker film is not your typical women in prison movie. While it certainly ticks a few boxes associated with WIP fare, it's an altogether more heavy and serious film than others of it's type. It does have nudity and S&M but neither are particularly explicit or detailed. House of Whipcord is much too downbeat in tone to operate as a straight sexploitation flick. On the contrary, it has some strong performances, good writing and capable direction. The setting for the prison itself is agreeably gloomy and is used to good effect. While the film is not afraid to end fairly nihilistically.
Penny Irving isn't especially good in the central role of Anne-Marie, she is just a little too vacuous too much of the time. While Robert Tayman as Mark E. Dessart is at the very least incredibly creepy, although quite how someone who looks like this is a chick-magnet is best left unanswered. Much better are the personnel in the prison, with Sheila Keith a particular stand out. She was terrific in Walker's other 1974 film Frightmare, and here she is extremely impressive again as a scary and sadistic prison guard.
There's no doubt that this is a very solid bit of Brit exploitation. It's very well made all things considered. It's just not quite what some might think it might be with a name like House of Whipcord. There's not much erotica here at all, so be aware of that. But if you appreciate your WIP films with a bit more downbeat grimness then this one could be the answer.
This Pete Walker film is not your typical women in prison movie. While it certainly ticks a few boxes associated with WIP fare, it's an altogether more heavy and serious film than others of it's type. It does have nudity and S&M but neither are particularly explicit or detailed. House of Whipcord is much too downbeat in tone to operate as a straight sexploitation flick. On the contrary, it has some strong performances, good writing and capable direction. The setting for the prison itself is agreeably gloomy and is used to good effect. While the film is not afraid to end fairly nihilistically.
Penny Irving isn't especially good in the central role of Anne-Marie, she is just a little too vacuous too much of the time. While Robert Tayman as Mark E. Dessart is at the very least incredibly creepy, although quite how someone who looks like this is a chick-magnet is best left unanswered. Much better are the personnel in the prison, with Sheila Keith a particular stand out. She was terrific in Walker's other 1974 film Frightmare, and here she is extremely impressive again as a scary and sadistic prison guard.
There's no doubt that this is a very solid bit of Brit exploitation. It's very well made all things considered. It's just not quite what some might think it might be with a name like House of Whipcord. There's not much erotica here at all, so be aware of that. But if you appreciate your WIP films with a bit more downbeat grimness then this one could be the answer.
A nasty exploitation movie with disturbing scenes , shocks and creepy characters
ma-cortes23 November 2022
British Terror movie with chills , thills , genuinely upsettling shocks and ghastly set pieces. A young French woman called Ann-Marie Di Verney (Penny Irving) is seduced by a young at a party . Later on , she is lured to an eerie off-the-grid mansion turned illegal prison run by a vicious couple of wardens (Barbara Markham, Sheila Keith) . There are various girls have been locked at the isolated institution for crimes they have allegedly committed . Little does she know, but then things go wrong and she is there to be sentenced by insane Justice Desmond Bailey (Patrick Barr) and punished for her "crimes" , going on a criminal spree . After that , her friend Julia (Ann Michelle) sets out to look for Ann-Marie. Their beautiful bodies defiled by the ultimate immoral atrocity!.Was her act more obscene than theirs...?.Many young girls have entered these gates--none have yet come out!.The story of a strange hobby and its victims, whose only crime was be young and beautiful!...and no escaped...Only young girls may enter and no one leaves... If you like this , have you brain examined ! ..more than a bad dream ! World than you most shocking nightmare ! Dare you see the film that shocked the critics ? Far beyond a nightmare . What terrifying craving made her kill ... and kill..and kill...
Scary terror movie with chills , eerie intrigue , nudism , twisted suspense and violent events with shocking scenes . It is far better written and played than you might expect , if the first part with the girls and their boyfriends results to be slow-moving as well as boring, lacking exposition, but when appears the creepy , psychopatic trio living apart from them : Sheila Keith, Barbara Markham and Patrick Barr things get better . It packs a simple and basic formula , with neither deep exploration of characters , no analysis of environment or circumstances , but killings , punishment and tortures without much sense. With "Frightmare" following on "House of Whipcord" , David McGillivray's scriptwriting is undoubtedly having a marked effect on Peter Walker's pictures . Main and support cast provide decent interpretations . Barbara Markham gives a nice acting as the ruthless ruler as well as her faithfully warden Sheila Keith who has the scary habit of going after victims and hanging them , while Patrick Barr as nutty Justice Desmond Bailey is nice. The attractive youngsters Ann Michelle , Penny Irving, Ray Brooks are acceptable and brief apparance from a very young Celia Imrie.
This gory picture was professional and creepily directed by Peter Walker . He was an expert on Terror movies , though he also made other genres and TV series . As Peter Walter directed the following ones : " House of the long shadows , Home before Midnight , The Comeback , Schizo , House of Mortal Sin, House of Whipcord , Frightmare , Tiffany Jones" . Most his films used to settle for routine or run-of-the-mill storylines, however , nowadays teem with demonic life and made in exploitation style . Peter Waker's "Nightmare" filmmaking is on another level , altogether from " Cool it Carol ¡" or "The Flesh and Blood Show" . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable though it tends to leave a highly unpleasant aftertaste .
Scary terror movie with chills , eerie intrigue , nudism , twisted suspense and violent events with shocking scenes . It is far better written and played than you might expect , if the first part with the girls and their boyfriends results to be slow-moving as well as boring, lacking exposition, but when appears the creepy , psychopatic trio living apart from them : Sheila Keith, Barbara Markham and Patrick Barr things get better . It packs a simple and basic formula , with neither deep exploration of characters , no analysis of environment or circumstances , but killings , punishment and tortures without much sense. With "Frightmare" following on "House of Whipcord" , David McGillivray's scriptwriting is undoubtedly having a marked effect on Peter Walker's pictures . Main and support cast provide decent interpretations . Barbara Markham gives a nice acting as the ruthless ruler as well as her faithfully warden Sheila Keith who has the scary habit of going after victims and hanging them , while Patrick Barr as nutty Justice Desmond Bailey is nice. The attractive youngsters Ann Michelle , Penny Irving, Ray Brooks are acceptable and brief apparance from a very young Celia Imrie.
This gory picture was professional and creepily directed by Peter Walker . He was an expert on Terror movies , though he also made other genres and TV series . As Peter Walter directed the following ones : " House of the long shadows , Home before Midnight , The Comeback , Schizo , House of Mortal Sin, House of Whipcord , Frightmare , Tiffany Jones" . Most his films used to settle for routine or run-of-the-mill storylines, however , nowadays teem with demonic life and made in exploitation style . Peter Waker's "Nightmare" filmmaking is on another level , altogether from " Cool it Carol ¡" or "The Flesh and Blood Show" . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable though it tends to leave a highly unpleasant aftertaste .
House of Whipcord
Scarecrow-8828 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Naive, young, gentle-hearted, beautiful French model, Ann-Marie Di Verney(Penny Irving)is drawn to a dark and mysterious "writer", Mark E Desade(Robert Tayman)after meeting him at a party, later(..after a date)agreeing to meet his mother outside of London, despite knowing little about him. Ann-Marie's pal and roommate, Julia(Ann Michelle)doesn't like the idea of leaving with a man she has just met and these worries come to fruition when Mark takes her to an abandoned institution which works as a cover for a hostile prison for "immoral girls not fit for society who must be punished into submission". Mark's mother, Mrs Wakehurst(Barbara Markham)was once a prison governess who lost her job after her aggressive torturous methods towards a French inmate ended in death. The elderly, blind Justice Bailey(Patrick Barr), whose mind is slipping into senility, once holding a prominent position, is now operating as the secret prison judge, having left his wife for Wakehurst after getting her off for her previous misdeeds regarding the murder of the girl(..the penalty being the loss of her license, and the source of her deep rooted, and thriving bitterness and hatred for "loose women"). Their marriage has worsened substantially over the years, and we discover that Mark is their illegitimate son(..there are also disturbing incestual undertones eluded to later on) Forced against her will into an illegal imprisonment, Ann-Marie notices other girls that have met these particular circumstances as well..it seems Mark's job is to lure women to this place so that they can be tried and convicted in some sort of bogus sentencing, a ceremony so ridiculous(..Wakehurst must now inform of her husband of the lines he's supposed to say due to his forgetfulness)it borders on parody. You can only imagine how shocking and surreal such a situation can be. Told not to speak unless spoken to, given very little to eat, and a penalty system for bad behavior(#1:Solitary confinement, #2:A flogging, & #3:Death by hanging), Ann-Marie will have to figure out some way to escape or else face the dire consequences of her current predicament. Working with fellow prisoners who have had enough of their cruel mistreatment at the hands of Wakehurst and her unpleasant guards, Walker(Sheila Keith)and Bates(Dorothy Gordon), Ann-Marie will attempt to break free from the harsh confinements of such a bleak and unfriendly environment. Meanwhile, Julia confides in her lover, Tony(Ray Brooks)regarding Ann-Marie's whereabouts setting out to find her if she can, attempting to discover just who Mark is and his location.
Appropriately grim women-in-prison film throwing a young lamb into a den of wolves. Barbara Markham is quite impressive as the diabolical(..with homicidal tendencies and a yearning to see the pretty deteriorate)warden who hides behind this cloak of morality, wielding her power as if chosen by God to reform those deemed unfit to exist, when in reality she enjoys making girls suffer. The unbridled sadism, buried underneath this cold and calculating execution by the warden and her staff, really has you pitying poor Ann-Marie, who really is a sweet-hearted teenage girl who isn't ashamed of her body. Penny Irving positively glows in the opening scenes, a very vulnerable, somewhat bubbly girl whose modeling career is seen as a blight on society(..Walker obviously wishes to, along with writer David McGillivray, create a film exposing authoritarian types who use their power and code of ethics as a tool to discriminate, as the hypocrites they are)by certain people who really wish to punish and harm because of the thrills that such methods provides. Sheila Keith is particularly memorable as Walker, an obvious lesbian who harbours a lust for Ann-Marie, but hates her at the same time for the type she represents. Through facial movements and specific gestures, Sheila Keith is also able to show her attraction to Ann-Marie, but, at the same time, we see the conflicting repulsion that soon overcomes her. It's a very convincing performance that can elicit chills. The film doesn't actually dwell too much on the whip flogging, although Walker establishes the potency of it's use very well showing whelps and bruises on those victimized. There's a certain hopelessness that permeates throughout Walker's film for Ann-Marie as she is constantly on the verge of escape only to be ensnared right back into the snake pit by unforeseen circumstances. Thanks to cinematographer Peter Jessop's lighting and the miserable aura of the institution setting, Wakehurst's prison is quite a morose and unforgiving place and you can do nothing but feel for those trapped within it's cells. Walker really wishes to keep the indelible image of the hangman's noose in our minds, knowing that this method of execution has been used(..we witness a prisoner sentenced to hanging for attempting to steal a piece of bread, and the failed operation to sneak her away from the death chamber)before and could be Ann-Marie's fate if Wakehurst has anything to say about it. Walker alternates between Ann-Marie's plight and Julia in London growing more concerned about her friend's condition and reasons for not communicating somehow. It's a form of manipulation, of course, allowing the framework to advance regarding Julia being Ann-Marie's only hope(..another form of manipulation is Walker establishing Ann-Marie's potential getaway thanks to a truck driver nearby the Wakehurst estate). Stanley Myers score exceptionally conveys the mood of the film's plot all too well. Robert Tayman has quite a malevolent presence, despite his handsome allure which draws women like Ann-Marie to their doom. Jessop has a way of lighting Tayman that gives off a sinister intent, and you can just sense that this poor girl, under his spell, is like a fly caught in the spider's web. Penny Irving is quite uninhibited in this film, not afraid to show her gorgeous naked body, including a rather uncomfortable disrobing scene where she's forced to remove her clothes by Walker and Bates before being taken to her cell.
Appropriately grim women-in-prison film throwing a young lamb into a den of wolves. Barbara Markham is quite impressive as the diabolical(..with homicidal tendencies and a yearning to see the pretty deteriorate)warden who hides behind this cloak of morality, wielding her power as if chosen by God to reform those deemed unfit to exist, when in reality she enjoys making girls suffer. The unbridled sadism, buried underneath this cold and calculating execution by the warden and her staff, really has you pitying poor Ann-Marie, who really is a sweet-hearted teenage girl who isn't ashamed of her body. Penny Irving positively glows in the opening scenes, a very vulnerable, somewhat bubbly girl whose modeling career is seen as a blight on society(..Walker obviously wishes to, along with writer David McGillivray, create a film exposing authoritarian types who use their power and code of ethics as a tool to discriminate, as the hypocrites they are)by certain people who really wish to punish and harm because of the thrills that such methods provides. Sheila Keith is particularly memorable as Walker, an obvious lesbian who harbours a lust for Ann-Marie, but hates her at the same time for the type she represents. Through facial movements and specific gestures, Sheila Keith is also able to show her attraction to Ann-Marie, but, at the same time, we see the conflicting repulsion that soon overcomes her. It's a very convincing performance that can elicit chills. The film doesn't actually dwell too much on the whip flogging, although Walker establishes the potency of it's use very well showing whelps and bruises on those victimized. There's a certain hopelessness that permeates throughout Walker's film for Ann-Marie as she is constantly on the verge of escape only to be ensnared right back into the snake pit by unforeseen circumstances. Thanks to cinematographer Peter Jessop's lighting and the miserable aura of the institution setting, Wakehurst's prison is quite a morose and unforgiving place and you can do nothing but feel for those trapped within it's cells. Walker really wishes to keep the indelible image of the hangman's noose in our minds, knowing that this method of execution has been used(..we witness a prisoner sentenced to hanging for attempting to steal a piece of bread, and the failed operation to sneak her away from the death chamber)before and could be Ann-Marie's fate if Wakehurst has anything to say about it. Walker alternates between Ann-Marie's plight and Julia in London growing more concerned about her friend's condition and reasons for not communicating somehow. It's a form of manipulation, of course, allowing the framework to advance regarding Julia being Ann-Marie's only hope(..another form of manipulation is Walker establishing Ann-Marie's potential getaway thanks to a truck driver nearby the Wakehurst estate). Stanley Myers score exceptionally conveys the mood of the film's plot all too well. Robert Tayman has quite a malevolent presence, despite his handsome allure which draws women like Ann-Marie to their doom. Jessop has a way of lighting Tayman that gives off a sinister intent, and you can just sense that this poor girl, under his spell, is like a fly caught in the spider's web. Penny Irving is quite uninhibited in this film, not afraid to show her gorgeous naked body, including a rather uncomfortable disrobing scene where she's forced to remove her clothes by Walker and Bates before being taken to her cell.
Dark and grotty but dull British WIP film
Eegah Guy20 March 2001
Although advertised as a women-in-prison flick this is more of an attack on the absurdity of capital punishment but the film can also be read as a comment on the generation gap taken to absurd extremes. The people in charge of the prison are all old crones who punish young women who defy their rigid and outdated moral codes. The British are notoriously prudish about sex in their cinema and this film is no different as they cast a French actress to play the one who is imprisoned for being a sexual libertine. Sheila Keith is effective as always as the stern disciplinarian and the prison interiors are palpably dark and dank with a sickly green tint that emits feelings of the sickness within the walls. Unfortunately the pace is slow, much of the film is bogged down by the search for the missing girl, and some dialog scenes go on much too long.
Not as sleazy or exploitative as I thought but much better than I expected.
poolandrews4 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
House of Whipcord is set in England & starts in London at a advertising photographers party, there Tony (Ray Brooks) tells the story of how he & an eighteen year old French model named Anne-Marie Di Verney (Penny Irving) were arrested & fined £10 for taking some pictures in public while Anne-Marie was topless. Later that night Anne-Marie is seduced by the mysterious & handsome Mark E. Desade (Robert Tayman) who ask's her to spend the weekend with him at his mother's house in the country, Anne-Marie accepts but once they arrive at Desade's house Anne-Marie is stripped & locked in a cell. The old house used to be a jail & is now run by sadistic prison wardens as a means to punish those who got off lightly in the regular courts, the whole affair is overseen by Mrs. Wakehurst (Barbara Markham) & her old, blind husband Judge Bailey (Patrick Barr) who passes judgement & suitable punishment to any offenders. Anne-Marie finds herself locked up, tortured & abused as she tries to find a way to escape...
This British production was produced & directed by Pete Walker & wasn't quite what I expected, in one way that is a positive yet in another it's a negative as while House of Whipcord is a more meaningful film than I had thought the sleaze & exploitation aspects suffer as a result. House of Whipcord feels like a 70's British set women in prison film with a bizarre back-story of various sadistic prison guards who have set their own jail up seemingly to punish attractive young girls. The script & sensibilities of House of Whipcord clearly sides with those who are tortured, imprisoned & repressed. The script presents those in power using it for their own gratification & abusing it, something that feels all too real although obviously not to such an extreme level as seen here. House of Whipcord has a very strong anti-conservative & institutional theme running throughout. The script attacks the strict moral codes of an older generation who seek to punish the sexual freedom & moral abandonment of a younger generation (the fact that the Judge is literally blind is surely no coincidence?) & it makes it's point effectively enough, the Judge who keeps passing down sentence with utmost authority despite no-one being in the room to hear him is a good moment to emphasise the pointlessness in his actions. There are a few things that don't make sense, if these guards are so interested in justice & sticking by the rule why break them so often? Why only punish young girls? Why on such a small scale? What did they really hope to achieve? At just over 100 minutes House of Whipcord moves along at a decent pace, it does get a bit repetitive & the lack of sleaze is a bit disappointing but it's a more thoughtful film than I had expected. The final twenty or so minutes features the search & finding of Anne-Marie & a slight shift in tone to a thriller that certainly isn't as effective as it's first two thirds.
I am not sure if it's the copy that I saw but the nighttime scenes set outside are really dark & hard to see what's going on, filmed on location in London & in the Forest of Dean in Gloustershire this looks quite good & has reasonable production values. There is a bit of nudity, a whipping scene & a hanging but little else in the way of graphic sleaze. House of Whipcord has that 70's look & feel which suits the material perfectly, I can't imagine this being set in contemporary times.
Probably shot on a low budget the acting is alright, in fact it's better than it has any right to be as the entire cast play it deadly serious. All the main players put in good, if somewhat demented performances.
House of Whipcord is a better film than I thought it would be, it has more meaning & depth than you may initially expect but the lack of any true horror or sleaze doesn't help it. An obvious attack on censorship & conservatism the opening of the film has text that reads 'This film is dedicated to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment.' which is surely the complete opposite what Walker meant as House of Whipcord is the type of film that would give them a heart attack!
This British production was produced & directed by Pete Walker & wasn't quite what I expected, in one way that is a positive yet in another it's a negative as while House of Whipcord is a more meaningful film than I had thought the sleaze & exploitation aspects suffer as a result. House of Whipcord feels like a 70's British set women in prison film with a bizarre back-story of various sadistic prison guards who have set their own jail up seemingly to punish attractive young girls. The script & sensibilities of House of Whipcord clearly sides with those who are tortured, imprisoned & repressed. The script presents those in power using it for their own gratification & abusing it, something that feels all too real although obviously not to such an extreme level as seen here. House of Whipcord has a very strong anti-conservative & institutional theme running throughout. The script attacks the strict moral codes of an older generation who seek to punish the sexual freedom & moral abandonment of a younger generation (the fact that the Judge is literally blind is surely no coincidence?) & it makes it's point effectively enough, the Judge who keeps passing down sentence with utmost authority despite no-one being in the room to hear him is a good moment to emphasise the pointlessness in his actions. There are a few things that don't make sense, if these guards are so interested in justice & sticking by the rule why break them so often? Why only punish young girls? Why on such a small scale? What did they really hope to achieve? At just over 100 minutes House of Whipcord moves along at a decent pace, it does get a bit repetitive & the lack of sleaze is a bit disappointing but it's a more thoughtful film than I had expected. The final twenty or so minutes features the search & finding of Anne-Marie & a slight shift in tone to a thriller that certainly isn't as effective as it's first two thirds.
I am not sure if it's the copy that I saw but the nighttime scenes set outside are really dark & hard to see what's going on, filmed on location in London & in the Forest of Dean in Gloustershire this looks quite good & has reasonable production values. There is a bit of nudity, a whipping scene & a hanging but little else in the way of graphic sleaze. House of Whipcord has that 70's look & feel which suits the material perfectly, I can't imagine this being set in contemporary times.
Probably shot on a low budget the acting is alright, in fact it's better than it has any right to be as the entire cast play it deadly serious. All the main players put in good, if somewhat demented performances.
House of Whipcord is a better film than I thought it would be, it has more meaning & depth than you may initially expect but the lack of any true horror or sleaze doesn't help it. An obvious attack on censorship & conservatism the opening of the film has text that reads 'This film is dedicated to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment.' which is surely the complete opposite what Walker meant as House of Whipcord is the type of film that would give them a heart attack!
This movie has not aged well.
Sergiodave23 July 2021
While I appreciate upon its release in 1974 this was considered shocking, nowadays it's just badly made 70's exploitation rubbish made for dirty old men. Cannot make my mind up what is worse, the script or the acting.
Pleasantly deranged sexploitation!
Coventry6 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The not exactly subtle director Pete Walker triumphs here with a very decent sexploitation gem about a well-hidden prison, serving to re-educate naughty young girls and ruled by an elderly couple. They (he's a judge, she's an ex-warden who resigned due to her share in a suspicious suicide case) found the British law-system to be ineffective and therefore order the handsome son Marc to bring pretty girls who committed small felonies back to the prison. Even though the blind and senile old judge doesn't realize it, the girls are humiliated, tortured and eventually executed. The script centers on a French nude model (with an atrocious accent) named Marie from the moment she gets seduced by Marc to when she faces true misery. Walker's idea is great and the film is overall very well-scripted, with an eye for black humor and imaginative perverted undertones. Our daring director clearly aims for controversy and goes for the shocks (the opening sequence ironically states that this film is dedicated to all those who wish to see the return of capital punishment in Britain) but yet he doesn't stuff his movie with gratuitous sleaze or explicit violence. No, he merely reaches this effect by suggestive disturbance (the vicious hanging scene!) and especially the grim and ominous characters. Barbara Markham, otherwise a relatively unknown actress, is terrific as the sadistic and quite insane "head" of the prison and she receives excellent feedback from Sheila Keith as the charismatically cold warden Walker. Just as they would repeat it in the equally surprising successor "Frightmare", scenarists Walker and David McGillivray portray the women as the depraved lunatics while the men are weak and unable to interfere. Details that prove that Walker unquestionably was the most gifted independent British filmmaker of the early seventies and his twisted world perspective make him a favorite among cult-horror fanatics. Slightly negative aspects include that many, many scenes are underexposed and far too unclear to follow. Walker also could have made more out of the potential Gothic theme and bleak prison-surrounding. But now I'm just splitting heirs
"House of Whipcord" is an essential euroshock film, often regretfully mistaken for depthless sleaze. I highly recommend it to horror lovers that look for original and unusual stories.
British women in prison movie done stylishly on a low budget
Leofwine_draca2 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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.
Sexploitation
julian-5520 October 2000
Sadistic, dankly effective Brit chiller
Vince-519 May 2001
One of Britsploitation master Pete Walker's most infamous films, House of Whipcord is a highly disturbing project that may be too unpleasant for casual viewers to enjoy. The plot finds enigmatic writer Mark E. Desade (Robert Tayman) taking a beautiful, slightly dim French model in funky platform shoes (Penny Irving) home to meet Mum. She discovers too late that Mum is the deranged, moralistic Mrs. Wakehurst (Barbara Markham), and that the family mansion is really an unauthorized private prison for girls that Mum considers wicked sluts. What follows isn't as explicit as you might expect, but the proceedings are so horrifyingly cruel and oppressively bleak that it's often hard to watch.
The acting is top-notch all around, especially Sheila Keith as a whip-wielding barbarian guard. Pete Walker slowly wrings every bit of clammy tension out of the unsavory story. For instance, despite an attractive cast, interesting fashions, and potentially gorgeous locales, everything is presented in a damp grayish tone that makes you want to put on a sweater. He keeps things very unpredictable; when you least expect it, you're hit by an oh-my-God twist that leaves the situation even more hopeless. The pace is slow, there's some unobtrusively clever editing to be found, and the color looks appropriately filthy. This babes-behind-bars horror amalgam really is powerful, but don't make Anne-Marie's mistake: Know where you're heading before you set out.
The acting is top-notch all around, especially Sheila Keith as a whip-wielding barbarian guard. Pete Walker slowly wrings every bit of clammy tension out of the unsavory story. For instance, despite an attractive cast, interesting fashions, and potentially gorgeous locales, everything is presented in a damp grayish tone that makes you want to put on a sweater. He keeps things very unpredictable; when you least expect it, you're hit by an oh-my-God twist that leaves the situation even more hopeless. The pace is slow, there's some unobtrusively clever editing to be found, and the color looks appropriately filthy. This babes-behind-bars horror amalgam really is powerful, but don't make Anne-Marie's mistake: Know where you're heading before you set out.
Pete Walker's "House" trilogy:part 2.
morrison-dylan-fan1 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Having found director Pete Walker's first "House" film House of Mortal Sin to be a marvellous,daring Giallo,I began to get interested in seeing Walker take on a sub-genre that I had never seen before:Women In Prison (WIP)
The plot:
Attending the premiere of a naked photo that she secretly took with a photography,French model Anne-Marie Di Verney catches the attention of fellow party guest Mark E. Desade,who invites Marie to go to his "pad" so that they can continue the party alone.Driving to their destination,Di Verney's hope quickly grind to a halt,when she finds out that Mark's "pad" is actually a disused prison,which has been transformed into a "secret court" by a group of "moral guardians",who have decided to deal with indecent people in modern society,by sentencing them to death.
View on the film:
Despite director Pete Walker giving the disused prison a stylish low light appearance that gives the movie a good,grubby atmosphere,the first hour of David McGillivray's screenplay disappointingly drains the film of any nail biting tension,by making the ordeal that Di Verney has to face be ones that feel plodding and also lacking any sense of suspense.
Along with the screenplay,the film is also not helped by the performance of Page 3 model and Sitcom star (who had also been an extra in Walker's earlier Tiffany Jones) Penny Irving as Anne Marie- Di Verney,who makes the many scenes featuring Verney ones that are extra painful to watch,due to her giving the character a chalkboard-like fake French accent.
Thankfully for the last 40 minutes of the film,McGillivray and Walker break out of the prison confines to deliver a tense,wonderfully bleak,grim and gritty Thriller,as Walker (perhaps one of 70's cinema most under rated British directors?) builds upon the themes that he had started in House of Mortal Sin,by splattering all of the dreams that the "establishment" of secret courts and moral guardians have across the screen,by giving the film a strong dose of Black Comedy to show how justice is "blind",and cheekily naming one of the nastiest wardens after himself, (played by Walker's amazing collaborator Sheila Keith) as Walker shows lengths that the wardens are willing to go to,in order to create their "moral" society.
The plot:
Attending the premiere of a naked photo that she secretly took with a photography,French model Anne-Marie Di Verney catches the attention of fellow party guest Mark E. Desade,who invites Marie to go to his "pad" so that they can continue the party alone.Driving to their destination,Di Verney's hope quickly grind to a halt,when she finds out that Mark's "pad" is actually a disused prison,which has been transformed into a "secret court" by a group of "moral guardians",who have decided to deal with indecent people in modern society,by sentencing them to death.
View on the film:
Despite director Pete Walker giving the disused prison a stylish low light appearance that gives the movie a good,grubby atmosphere,the first hour of David McGillivray's screenplay disappointingly drains the film of any nail biting tension,by making the ordeal that Di Verney has to face be ones that feel plodding and also lacking any sense of suspense.
Along with the screenplay,the film is also not helped by the performance of Page 3 model and Sitcom star (who had also been an extra in Walker's earlier Tiffany Jones) Penny Irving as Anne Marie- Di Verney,who makes the many scenes featuring Verney ones that are extra painful to watch,due to her giving the character a chalkboard-like fake French accent.
Thankfully for the last 40 minutes of the film,McGillivray and Walker break out of the prison confines to deliver a tense,wonderfully bleak,grim and gritty Thriller,as Walker (perhaps one of 70's cinema most under rated British directors?) builds upon the themes that he had started in House of Mortal Sin,by splattering all of the dreams that the "establishment" of secret courts and moral guardians have across the screen,by giving the film a strong dose of Black Comedy to show how justice is "blind",and cheekily naming one of the nastiest wardens after himself, (played by Walker's amazing collaborator Sheila Keith) as Walker shows lengths that the wardens are willing to go to,in order to create their "moral" society.
THE WORLD FOR CHRIST
nogodnomasters19 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Desmond (Patrick Barr) is the judge in a religious cult. They sentence and rehabilitate young girls who the law was too lenient on. Punishment includes confinement, hanging, and of course that whip thing. When a famous model (Penny Irving) becomes their prisoner their troubles begin.
The film is your basic prison girl film, short on prison girls. The force strip and shower scene is just one person and there is no dedicated time for the expected Female/female love scene and cat fight.
70's Drive-in type film.
Nudity (Penny Irving -FF of "Are You Being Served", Ann Michelle)
The film is your basic prison girl film, short on prison girls. The force strip and shower scene is just one person and there is no dedicated time for the expected Female/female love scene and cat fight.
70's Drive-in type film.
Nudity (Penny Irving -FF of "Are You Being Served", Ann Michelle)
Tedious and depressing WIP outlier
Groverdox12 October 2015
I watched this back-to-back with Horror Hospital. It seems Brits in the '70s had a thing for movies in which young people are locked up and punished for the indulgent swinging hippie lifestyles the media loved to portray them all as having.
The movie begins with a tongue in cheek dedication to those who wish for the return of capital and corporal punishment. The movie then gives you a bunch of such people as the bad guys - a retired judge and his underlings who believe the law has become too lax and as such seek to deliver their own brand of ultra-right wing justice, along the lines of flogging and death by hanging for crimes as slight as a model being photographed in the nude.
For a Pete Walker-helmed exploitation shocker, there is actually a lack of nudity or full-on violence; most of the movie shows the plight of the young girl who is abducted and forced to live in the demented Judge's makeshift prison. We never really get to know or care about her or any of the other characters - this is an exploitation movie, after all. But then again, there's barely any exploitation either. The movie is therefore not entertaining and hard to sit through. The performances of the bad guys are certainly chillingly effective, but the same can't be said for those on the side of good. That doesn't leave us with much to work with. Perhaps those tired of the drivel in the '70s papers from moral crusaders like Mary Whitehouse (parodied in this movie as, who else? one of the bad guys) found their point of view nicely summed up in this simple tale, but modern viewers might wonder what the point is.
The movie begins with a tongue in cheek dedication to those who wish for the return of capital and corporal punishment. The movie then gives you a bunch of such people as the bad guys - a retired judge and his underlings who believe the law has become too lax and as such seek to deliver their own brand of ultra-right wing justice, along the lines of flogging and death by hanging for crimes as slight as a model being photographed in the nude.
For a Pete Walker-helmed exploitation shocker, there is actually a lack of nudity or full-on violence; most of the movie shows the plight of the young girl who is abducted and forced to live in the demented Judge's makeshift prison. We never really get to know or care about her or any of the other characters - this is an exploitation movie, after all. But then again, there's barely any exploitation either. The movie is therefore not entertaining and hard to sit through. The performances of the bad guys are certainly chillingly effective, but the same can't be said for those on the side of good. That doesn't leave us with much to work with. Perhaps those tired of the drivel in the '70s papers from moral crusaders like Mary Whitehouse (parodied in this movie as, who else? one of the bad guys) found their point of view nicely summed up in this simple tale, but modern viewers might wonder what the point is.
House of Whipcord is an entertaining yet inconsistent horror addition, a must-see for fans but with limited appeal beyond that
kevin_robbins12 January 2024
I recently revisited the UK film 🇬🇧 House of Whipcord (1974) on Tubi. The storyline revolves around an elderly couple operating a fake court and jail system to torment young ladies. The husband/judge remains unaware, while the wife revels in their acts. Their son follows suit until a new girl enters, complicating matters.
Directed by Pete Walker (House of the Long Shadows), the film stars Barbara Markham (Flash Gordon), Patrick Barr (Octopussy), Ray Brooks (The Flesh and Blood Show), and Dorothy Gordon (Goosebumps).
This is an uneven addition to the horror genre. The cinematography has a grainy, grindhouse feel akin to Texas Chainsaw Massacre from this era. Some scenes were shot too dark. The unique and entertaining concept, along with well-executed elderly characters, stands out. However, the torture scenes disappoint and could have been better.
In conclusion, House of Whipcord is an entertaining yet inconsistent horror addition, a must-see for fans but with limited appeal beyond that. I'd score this a 5.5/10 and recommend watching it at least once.
Directed by Pete Walker (House of the Long Shadows), the film stars Barbara Markham (Flash Gordon), Patrick Barr (Octopussy), Ray Brooks (The Flesh and Blood Show), and Dorothy Gordon (Goosebumps).
This is an uneven addition to the horror genre. The cinematography has a grainy, grindhouse feel akin to Texas Chainsaw Massacre from this era. Some scenes were shot too dark. The unique and entertaining concept, along with well-executed elderly characters, stands out. However, the torture scenes disappoint and could have been better.
In conclusion, House of Whipcord is an entertaining yet inconsistent horror addition, a must-see for fans but with limited appeal beyond that. I'd score this a 5.5/10 and recommend watching it at least once.
An unintentionally satyrical movie
ivan_dmitriev23 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
... and it's not satire about the "old people who want a return of corporal and capital punishment", but about the supposedly-liberated society which made it.
The protagonist Anne-Marie Devernay, is accosted by a creep (Mark or something), at a party who proceeds to tell her how much he's like to flail her and cut her face... sounds so sexy no?
Absolutely no red flags ?
Then the said creep proceeds to kidnap her and dangerously and carelessly drive her to the titular house of tortures.
Now - at no point in this movie, no one says that the creep's behavior is exceedingly creepy, what he does amounts to kidnapping and assault.
The first 20 minutes of the movie already paint a very dismal picture not of the satirical pseudo-society which is supposedly parodied by the director, but the very real society in which the movie was filmed. Those are the 20 minutes you need to see, tor realize how far we have come and that we have not, in fact have come far enough, and that the Mad Men and the assorted multiculturalists' "we're different therefore we're right and respect our culture "and thirdworldists' chorus of glorification of this time period and apology of the same behaviour now in 2019, is not fun, not "countercultural" not "sticking it to the SJW establishment" but plain old disgusting.
The rest of the movie is pretty much you standard, predictable 1970ies exploitation.
The protagonist Anne-Marie Devernay, is accosted by a creep (Mark or something), at a party who proceeds to tell her how much he's like to flail her and cut her face... sounds so sexy no?
Absolutely no red flags ?
Then the said creep proceeds to kidnap her and dangerously and carelessly drive her to the titular house of tortures.
Now - at no point in this movie, no one says that the creep's behavior is exceedingly creepy, what he does amounts to kidnapping and assault.
The first 20 minutes of the movie already paint a very dismal picture not of the satirical pseudo-society which is supposedly parodied by the director, but the very real society in which the movie was filmed. Those are the 20 minutes you need to see, tor realize how far we have come and that we have not, in fact have come far enough, and that the Mad Men and the assorted multiculturalists' "we're different therefore we're right and respect our culture "and thirdworldists' chorus of glorification of this time period and apology of the same behaviour now in 2019, is not fun, not "countercultural" not "sticking it to the SJW establishment" but plain old disgusting.
The rest of the movie is pretty much you standard, predictable 1970ies exploitation.
A Real Shocker
johnbaxter-832128 May 2022
In spite of a few pacing lags here and there, House of Whipcord is a taught shocker about what happens when certain people believe they're judge, jury, and executioner and they have the right to impose their own morals on everyone else. It's a relevant message even in today's political climate and House of Whipcord is as mean a horror film as you'll find. You're never sure who'll get out alive.
That high horse you tried to mount just bucked you off
minamurray18 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Written by David McGillivray, clearly talentless porn and horror vet, whose career outside sexploitation was total flop, this trash is very much like the screenwriter himself: grimy, nasty and oozing with sleazy, slimy hypocrisy. Those bad mad old people - the film is even dedicated to the advocates of "better old days" - keep private prison for kidnapped young women and then torture and murder them. Lot of whipping of nude young women - apparently some bored critic called this "feeble flogging fantasy" - and lot of melodramatic acting from Penny Irving. Production values are suitably trashy to suit such boring garbage. Highly recommended to the horror fans... or flogging fans. No wonder the British cinema - as well as McGillivray's career - died in 1970's.
Great Euroshock classic - Pete Walker has outdone himself!
The_Void22 March 2006
I didn't go into this film with very high expectations because I didn't like Pete Walker's Frightmare very much; but House of Whipcord is a vastly superior film and, to be honest, I'm shocked that this doesn't get mentioned more often! Pete Walker's film is both a sleazy seventies exploitation classic and a striking indictment of the justice system. The film serves as a warning against what would happen if private institutions were given the power to decide what is apt punishment for certain crimes, and the dedication of the film to all those who believe in capital punishment shows Pete Walker's love for controversy. The plot takes place in an old house, which doubles up as a private institution ran by a senile judge, his unforgiving partner; the female warden of the prison and two equally vile female orderlies. They punish girls for crimes committed that weren't, in their eyes, properly punished by the corrupt British courts. We pick the story up when a young French girl is inducted into the institution.
The atmosphere of the film is brilliant; Pete Walker always ensures that the action is sleazy, and yet oddly erotic at the same time. The film is very matriarchal, and it's the female characters that are the protagonists while the men exist in background roles. However, the film isn't feminist; and, in fact, is the exact opposite; as the director ensures that none of the women are portrayed in a favourable light. The film benefits from a handful of great performances; the best of which coming from Barbara Markham, who gives a powerhouse performance in the role of the head of the institution. Frightmare star Sheila Keith, and Dorothy Gordon are the orderlies, while Patrick Barr is brilliantly understated in his role as the ineffective Justice of the prison. Penny Irving is the young French victim at the centre of the story; but her performance is brought down by her ridiculous French accent! The story is another major strong point for this film, as Pete Walker ensures that it always moves well and although you wouldn't expect it from a Euroshock movie like this - he also makes it easy to care about the characters and what happens to them. On the whole, this is a vastly underrated and under seen seventies gem that must be seen by anyone who gets the chance to see it!
The atmosphere of the film is brilliant; Pete Walker always ensures that the action is sleazy, and yet oddly erotic at the same time. The film is very matriarchal, and it's the female characters that are the protagonists while the men exist in background roles. However, the film isn't feminist; and, in fact, is the exact opposite; as the director ensures that none of the women are portrayed in a favourable light. The film benefits from a handful of great performances; the best of which coming from Barbara Markham, who gives a powerhouse performance in the role of the head of the institution. Frightmare star Sheila Keith, and Dorothy Gordon are the orderlies, while Patrick Barr is brilliantly understated in his role as the ineffective Justice of the prison. Penny Irving is the young French victim at the centre of the story; but her performance is brought down by her ridiculous French accent! The story is another major strong point for this film, as Pete Walker ensures that it always moves well and although you wouldn't expect it from a Euroshock movie like this - he also makes it easy to care about the characters and what happens to them. On the whole, this is a vastly underrated and under seen seventies gem that must be seen by anyone who gets the chance to see it!
Superb filming location, local to me.
Stevieboy6663 May 2021
Young French model Ann-Marie, living in England, is duped by her new boyfriend Mark E Desade (a bit of name play on the infamous French sadist) into meeting his crazy parents who have a morbid house of "correction" based on their strict religious beliefs. When Hammer horror movies effectively died director Pete Walker pretty much took on the continuation of British horror in the 1970's, this being perhaps his most well know film. It is basically a women in jail flick, I think more exploitation than horror, though there are certainly elements of the latter present. Penny Irving plays Ann-Marie, spending much screen time nude. Robert Tayman plays her creepy boyfriend, he also played the Count in Hammer's excellent Vampire Circus. I will always associate Ray Brooks as the narrator of the kids' TV animated series Mr Ben, seeing him in bed with a half naked woman was quite funny (for me). The star of the movie is undoubtably Sheila Keith as Walker, a very cruel warden at the "clinic". She appeared in several of the director's movies, always giving great performances. Much of the movie was filmed in The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, very local to me. I have visited Littledean Jail, the old building used here, several times as a museum. Well made horror/exploitation that is nasty enough to still shock but at the same time is nowhere near as nasty as some of the similar European movies from this period.
Like Women in Prison, But Darker
gavin694225 February 2013
An old man that lives in an old house conducts a correctional institute for girls.
Robert Firsching wrote, "Many viewers will be offended by the film's repressive right-wing tone, but its genuine scares and creepy atmosphere will outweigh its philosophical offenses for most horror fans." I guess I never noticed this right-wing tone at all. If anything, it seemed to be skewering that position. But what do I know?
I have not seen many of Pete Walker's films, so I cannot put this one in context, and cannot rightly say if it is one of his better or worse films. I suppose I liked it in a general sense, though it did not hold my attention as well as I wish it would have.
Robert Firsching wrote, "Many viewers will be offended by the film's repressive right-wing tone, but its genuine scares and creepy atmosphere will outweigh its philosophical offenses for most horror fans." I guess I never noticed this right-wing tone at all. If anything, it seemed to be skewering that position. But what do I know?
I have not seen many of Pete Walker's films, so I cannot put this one in context, and cannot rightly say if it is one of his better or worse films. I suppose I liked it in a general sense, though it did not hold my attention as well as I wish it would have.
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