Review: Chained Heat/Red Heat/Jungle Warriors (DVD)

Panik House in association with Synapse Films unchain a sleazy threesome of women-in-prison flicks presented uncut for the first time ever!












Info
  • Directors: Paul Nicholas / Robert Collector / Ernst R. Von Theumer
  • Starring: Linda Blair, John Vernon, Sybil Danning
  • Year: 1983 / 1985 / 1984
  • Runtime: 98 mins / 94 mins / 95 mins
  • Company: Synapse Films / Panik House
  • Format: DVD
  • Discs: 2
  • Video: 1.79:1 - 16:9 - Anamorphic Widescreen
  • Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  • Region: All - NTSC
  • Released: 7/12/2011

Films
  • Chained Heat
Linda Blair (cinema's favorite possessed pea soup spewing actress) is Carol Henderson, a sobby woman convicted of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Turns out said prison is an all women penitentiary run by the sinister, pervy warden Bacman (played by the always badass John Vernon, RIP) and currently smack in the middle of a race war between rival gangs. Ericka (babealicious siren Sybil Danning) leads the white women and Duchess (Tamara Dobson) commands the black mama's. Carol learns in order to survive her sentence, she's has to choose a side and adapt to the prison's harsh rules or risk being tomorrows target. The rest results in being the sleaziest film this reviewer has ever seen, and I loved it all for it.
 
Copious amounts of nudity and violence are the key words here folks. If either of those turn you off, seriously stop to think about your life and make changes so you no longer are a pussy. Chained Heat is the mac daddy (mac womanny?) of boobs behind bars flicks. It has everything a film with that moniker should offer and more. Linda Blair, Sybil Danning and random lady nakedness? Check. Brutal girl on girl brawls? Check. John Vernon seducing nude prison hotties in a jacuzzi? Check, he's a badass.
From start to finish Chained Heat is an exploitation lovers dream and a true gem. Panik House & Synapse have to be praised for releasing this uncut for the first time in America. Having all the gore and naughty bits reinstated in all their glory is the icing on the prison bars. Thanks to them I'll be playing this disc over and over again for years to come.


  • Red Heat
I guess Linda Blair had a lot of fun filming Chained Heat since 2 years later she'd star in another WIP, Red Heat. This time Blair is an American college student, Christine Carlson, visiting Mike (William Ostrander), her Army husband-to-be somewhere in Germany. Christine plans to marry Mike during his downtime but he went and  re-enlisted himself without telling her. After going for a walk later that night, Christine witnesses a woman thrown into a van by German men. Turns out said woman is Dr. Hedda Kleeman (Sue Kiel), a scientist who has stolen secret documents that aforementioned German men (actually secret agents) are determined to retrieve. The German agents grab Christine and give her a one way trip to a hellish penitentiary. Shit's about to hit the Iron Curtain.
The "queen" of the prison and pet to warden Einback, Sofia (Sylvia Kristel of Emmanuelle fame), truly makes Christine and Hedda's stay a living hell. Both have to deal with inmate abuse, rapist prison guards, an unruly prison board and surviving Sofia's plans to kill them. All while Christine's fiancee Mike is desperately trying to find her whereabouts. Christine can only fight for so long and time is running out before she becomes dead meat.
Linda Blair still plays the victim pretty well but here she is more aggressive. While this gets her into a lot of trouble, it's refreshing to see her defend herself and kickass. Sylvia Kristel definitely switches it up by playing a downright ruthless woman. She is either beating the shit out of someone, raping them or tattooing an inmates forehead. Sylvia Kristel > everyone else.
Red Heat doesn't even hold a boob to Chained Heat. Where CH is WIP paradise, RH tones down the over the top insanity for a more serious tale. A sleazy, grimy feel is still present, just not as exaggerated. Think more dark, locale and tone wise. Also Tangerine Dream lends their electronic sound and provides a bleak, synth sound. Overall Red Heat is still a fun watch and shouldn't be overlooked by WIP lovers.


  • Jungle Warriors
A plane carrying a troop of sexy models is shot down and kidnapped by drug lord Cesar Santiago & co. The models manager is decapitated by the thugs leaving the models alone and imprisoned in a dungeon where Santiago's sister Angel (Sybil Danning returning for the second time in this triple feature) has her way with them. Matters escalate when mobsters led by Vito Mastranga (John Vernon who boozes his way through the film) show up to try and purchase the girls. The models have to kill their captors and escape the compound before time is out. Jungle carnage ensues.
To be honest, I was pretty bored with Jungle Warriors. Billed as a WIP film, it's more 80's goofy action than anything. Which isn't a bad thing, just lost interest throughout quickly. It has it's merits, mainly the goofy action I mentioned. The models themselves are easily forgettable so when they met their demise I laughed without remorse. John Vernon definitely phoned this in and I can't blame him. If someone payed me to travel to some exotic island to shoot a film filled with women, tits and explosions I'd say yes too. So he is just along for the ride. Sybil Danning does as much as she can as Santiago's right hand lady. She is seen either grabbing tits, being stern or shooting a machine gun, nothing wrong with that friends.

There are far worse jungle romp's than Jungle Warriors. It's good for a chuckle and it's always cool to see gun toting women shooting shit up.

DVD
  • Video
All films are presented in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen. Chained Heat has it's own disc leaving Red Heat and Jungle Warriors paired up on the second disc. CH looks the best out of the bunch. Grain is intact with only a dot of print damage throughout. No technical errors to my eye, this has to be the best the film has ever looked. Red Heat & Jungle Warriors are on par with each other quality wise. Both have slight problems but it's nothing to fuss over. It's truly great to have all the films together looking good in it's titillating glory.
  • Audio
An 2.0 Mono track accompanies all three flicks. It's a serviceable mix with no discrepancies to my ear.

Bonus Features
  • Interview with Sybil Danning
  • Interview with Stella Stevens
  • Mr. Skin Introductions
A minute or so promo from celebrity nude site Mr. Skin detailing all the nudity in the three films. These are easily forgettable and seems more like a marketing ploy than anything. If it helps sell more discs to non-WIP fans, then so be it.
  • Theatrical Trailers

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