This Jess Franco/Erwin C. Dietrich collaboration is sometimes considered a very loose continuation of the 'Ilsa' series that began two years earlier with 'Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS', also starring Dyanne Thorne in the title role. As you may expect, this is also known as a variety of titles: 'Greta, the Mad Butcher', 'Ilsa: Absolute Power', and 'Wanda, the Wicked Warden'. These changes in title, and in the name of the lead character, suggest this film might not have been initially intended as part of the series at all.So, then - Abbie Philips (Tania Busselier) is admitted into an austere psychiatric hospital for women. Unbeknownst to all, she is here because of false pretences: with the help of Doctor Milton Arcas (Jess Franco), who has long suspected foul play at the establishment but been unable to do anything about it, Abbie, or 'No 41', is a 'plant', here to find out what happened to her sister and possibly rescue her. She comes across perverse Juan (played by the always excellent Lina Romay, as cute as a button in a bob cut), ostensibly the 'top dog' amongst the women, and secretly the lesbian lover of terrifying chief warden Isla (or Wanda, or Greta, of course).This follows very much the pattern of other Franco 'women in prison' fantasies I have seen. The very effective - even restrained - scenes of torture are few and far between but pretty shockingly realised. For all his invasive camera techniques, Jess rarely lingers on gore, and that is the case here (although the abrupt ending is a pleasing exception), although what there is, is realistically (and painfully) conveyed. The dubbing is a lot better than on non-Dietrich collaborations, and Jess's direction is deceptively straightforward, happy to let the acting and circumstances speak for themselves without frantic zooms, etc. The locations are breath-taking and whenever a gun-shot is fired, it is a dubbed sound effect. The story moves at a fair lick too, and doesn't meander too much although there are moments of dullness. In short, these films show Franco's style in an effective, disciplined manner, but still allow him to indulge (and delight) in his non PC eccentricities.

I am an admirer of Jess Franco, and one of the people to be of the opinion that this highly prolific Spanish cult director's repertoire includes quite a bunch of great films (such as "The Awful Dr. Orloff" of 1962, "The Diabolical Dr. Z" of 1966, "Venus In Furs" of 1969, "Count Dracula" of 1970 or "The Bloody Judge", also 1970, just to name a few). It is undeniable, however, that Franco has also directed a bunch of stinkers in his long and impressive career. This "Greta - Haus Ohne Männer" aka. "Ilsa, The Wicked Warden" of 1977 is one of the rather crappy films Franco has directed, although not quite the most dreadful one. This unofficial sequel to the infamous "Ilsa" series is admittedly better than the, overall quite similar, but more dreadful "Sadomania" of 1981. The weaknesses of the two movies are pretty much the same - they are both watchable for the sleaze at first, but they both get really really boring after some time (in spite of the constant sleaze). "Ilsa, The Wicked Warden" is not quite as pointless, however, and at least it makes some little efforts to remain interesting. As in "Sadomania", it is the sleaze that keeps you watching, but "Ilsa..." has a few other qualities, such as Lina Romay as one of the prisoners, and, of course, Dyanne Thorne, who enjoys quite a cult status among exploitation fans. Director Franco also has a small role himself, which is a bit bigger than his cameo in "Sadomania".As mentioned above, this is meant to be a sequel to the infamous "Ilsa" series. Ilsa (Dyanne Thorne) is called "Greta" in this one, and Greta is the sadistic warden of a jungle prison camp for women. Not too surprisingly, things begin to get pretty damn sleazy from the first minute... and unfortunately also pretty boring. Nevertheless, this is not a complete failure. The plot is thin, but it is also quite wicked, and it contains some gruesome scenes, as well as some quite original ones. The constant sleaze and nudity might keep you watching, but over all, "Greta - Haus Ohne Männer" becomes pretty boring soon. It's not a movie that has to be avoided at all costs, but in case you are not a hardcore enthusiast of the 'Women In Prison' sub-genre, I would recommend to skip this one.

There are tens of thousands of DVDs out there for the customer to purchase or rent, but viewers will have to look long and hard before finding a sleazier one than Jess Franco's contribution to the Ilsa saga, "Ilsa the Wicked Warden" (1977). Here, Dyanne Thorne, who thrice before portrayed everyone's favorite buxom blond sadist, plays a buxom redheaded (her natural color...who knew?) sadist who's in charge of a women's mental hospital in some unnamed tropical country. (Though filmed in Portugal, the picture seems to be set somewhere in Central or South America.) Franco, an incredibly prolific, oftentimes slapdash director in many film genres, with over 140 (!) titles to his credit, throws quite a bit into this Ilsa story to guarantee a good time (well, better make that "memorable experience"). Thus, we get to see electroshockings, a human pin cushion, cannibalism, feces eating, shower fights, vaginal cauterization (yikes!), transgendered lesbianism, gang rape, bloody whippings and so on. While the tortures on display are not as hard to take as the ones in Ilsa's first foray, "She Wolf of the SS" (1973), this picture somehow feels...well, "sleazier" is the only word that keeps coming to mind. Ilsa herself, monster that she is, looks absolutely outstanding here, and her just deserts at film's end will long linger sickeningly in the viewer's memory. The DVD that I just watched looks terrific--a first-rate transfer job from the fine folks at Anchor Bay--although the execrable dubbing throughout the film is a significant drawback. I suppose this picture is best recommended for Jess Franco or Ilsa completists only; needless to say, it is NOT the movie to watch with Aunt Petunia! It is as sick and, well, sleazy as can be, but for lots of folks out there...hey, that's entertainment!

Strange, depraved vision of Jess Franco's concerning Ilsa, that wicked, blouse-popping sadist of the famous/infamous series starring statuesque/bosomy Dyanne Thorne. This time around a young girl gets into a hospital run for women who suffer from sex-related diseases such as lesbianism and nymphomania. It seems she had a sister admitted a year ago and wants to find out what has happened to her even though she knows no patient has ever left. The film takes place somewhere in South America where a government is fighting rebels. Well, you get what you might expect from a series like this: lots of nude girls, lots of perversion, lots of sadism, lots of sleaze, and generally a sick/guilty feeling having seen it. There are many scenes which are downright disgusting such as one dealing with the use of a plastic bag, another with pins and a human pin cushion, shock therapy, a night with the boys from the local prison, and the grand finale where Greta(Thorne) is out to lunch with the girls. Franco is a decent director in terms of piecing a film together(despite what the subject matter might be). He can draw scenes out for suspense. He can also shock which he does well too. The acting was decent overall. Thorne is way over-the-top, but hey who cares once they see her? She is the personification of voluptuousness wearing her strained military blouse and high boots with red hair this time round. Ilsa, the Wicked Warden is a unique look at what film can do...and perhaps should not do.