Schoolgirls in Chains (1973)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Donald M. Jones

Writer:

Donald M. Jones (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

See It At Your Own Risk!

Plot:

Two deranged brothers, who are under the domineering influence of their crazed mother, kidnap young girls and keep them captive in chains in their basement, where they subject them to depraved "games" that often end in torture and murder. |

Plot Keywords:

Girl | Basement | Clothes Hanger | Rape | Sex Game

Cast

Gary Kent	...	Frank
John Stoglin	...	John
Stafford Morgan	...	Robert Matthews (as Robert Mathews)
Suzanne Lund	...	Ginger
Cheryl Waters	...	Bonnie (as Leah Tate)
Merrie Lynn Ross	...	Sue (as Lynn Ross)
T.R. Blackburn	...	Stevie
Greta Gayland	...	Mother
Russell Lane
Ervin Sanders
Herb Goldstein
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tim O'Kelly

Also Known As:

Abducted (Australia) (video title) (UK) (video title)
Come Play with Us (USA) (reissue title)
Girls in Chains (USA) (DVD box title)
Let's Play Dead (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

UK:86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Pacific Coast Highway, California, USA

Company:

Mirror Releasing

Trivia:

Film debut of Merrie Lynn Ross.

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Soundtrack:

One Life to Live

Girls in Chains (1973)

Synopsis: Frank and his mentally underdeveloped brother live with their mother. They kidnap and hold girls that catch their fancy in a cellar for use in their sick games. Their controlling and incestuous mother has twisted them and now no woman in the is safe.

Thoughts: 'Girls in Chains' (original title: Schoolgirls in Chains) is actually above-average Grindhouse fare from the period. The script is relatively solid and although it borrows from Hitchcock's far superior 'Psycho' manages to build its characters with some pathos and detail. The crew did a pretty good job with limited means to give 'Girls' an interesting look with camera movement and shots not usually afforded to these type of films. The acting was above par as the women weren't your average horror movie bubble-heads and the brothers managed to generate some sympathy. As suggestive as the title may be 'Girls' does have the usual nudity and violent sexual debauchery but it is actual somewhat restrained and doesn't go too overboard. If you're a fan of Grindhouse features and/or 'Mother's Day' than 'Girls in Chains' may be for you.