This television exploitation movie is certainly entertaining, but relentlessly downbeat. Exploring, how two college coeds are thrown in a Southern prison farm on trumped up charges, the film has many fine qualities. The acting by a largely recognizable cast is solid and character development is totally acceptable, but there are problems relating to the film's resolution. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no payoff for the audience. "Nightmare in Badham County" is loaded with reprehensible characters, along with two heroines who elicit tremendous sympathy. With that setup, a more upbeat conclusion might have been better. - MERK

'Nightmare in Badham County' is quite serious stuff that exposes abuses in a Southern prison system. By the very nature of the television medium, it's never as exploitative as some trash lovers would like (although there IS a more explicit international version out there). Still, it's pleasingly sleazy, played for drama with little to nothing in the way of humour. Deborah Raffin and Lynne Moody star as Cathy and Diane, who lovely young UCLA co-oeds driving through the country who make the acquaintance of a smarmy, bigoted sheriff named Danen (Chuck Connors). When Diane spurs his advances, he gets his revenge by having them thrown in jail on trumped up charges. From then on, it becomes a fairly typical Women In Prison story, with Cathy and Diane having to adjust to the harsh reality of being forced to become slave labour. An all star main cast is no less than convincing. Tina Louise and Lana Wood are among the trustees (veteran prisoners who've been given some degree of authority) and look quite delectable; also playing a trustee is the wonderful Fionnula Flanagan as Dulcie, the one woman in the bunch who treats Cathy with anything approaching sympathy or dignity. Della Reese is Sarah, the habitual jailbird who's grown cynical and who takes Diane under her wing. Ralph Bellamy is the judge who refuses to believe the girls' story. And Robert Reed may colour your future viewings of his Mike Brady performances with a vivid turn as a monumentally creepy superintendent. Exploitation aficionados will note the presence of Denise Dillaway from "The Cheerleaders" (1973). With an effective country style music score by Charles Bernstein, this features such staples of the genre as violence (a girl is whipped, although if you're watching the edited-for-TV version, there's a cut to commercials before it really gets started) and lesbian overtures (although as you can imagine, this is done pretty subtly. Overall, this is a reasonably compelling and consistently entertaining story that gets most of its juice from Moodys' endearing portrayal; Raffin is okay but Moody has more natural appeal and presence on screen. If you enjoy this genre or any of the actors involved, you may find this agreeable enough. The ending is a truly bittersweet one, but at least the film offers some hope that things can get better. Eight out of 10.

Seriously good women-in-chains exploitation flick that was an ABC Movie of the Week. Deb Raffin and Lynne Moody star as coeds on summer break who pick the wrong backwoods town to have car trouble in. The town is run by a demented sheriff (Chuck Connors, much more effective as a baddie here than he was in "Tourist Trap"). When the girls spurn his advances, he jails them and rapes Moody, and then arranges to have them shipped off to the local prison farm. There, they are abused by the sadistic guards (among them Tina Louise) and brutal warden (Robert Reed). They soon discover not everyone gets out of the place alive, either. Della Reese plays one of their fellow inmates. The film is harrowing and believable, even if all the guards are shapely if not beautiful women. Guards in this type of film tend to come in all shapes and sizes, the better to intimidate and beat up on the inmates. The film is all the more frightening because this stuff happens in real life, or used to. Some decent nudity and whipping and cruelty, obviously added to the video release and for the overseas market.

I saw this movie a month ago and I loved it. The story is about two young college girls passing through a town and get a flat. A African-American helps them before being shooed by the evil cop (Chuck Connors). They stop at the local gas station to get help and they are told that it'll be done in the morning. They camp out in the woods and are awaken by the cop and arrested for trespassing. They are sent to the Ladies Prison in which they find out the true horrors of Badham County. They cannot contact their family and they cannot leave the prison without being killed. This movie is a must see so I recommend this movie to anyone. Few nude scene. Lesbian action and a thriller chase scene. Go and see it!