Ilsa: The Wicked Warden

From The Deuce

Greta The Mad Butcher (Alt Title) poster Available DVDs Poster Art Fun Facts

Also Known As

• Greta the Torturer (Europe) (informal alternative title) (English title)
• Greta, huis zonder mannen (Netherlands) (literal title)
• Greta, la tortionnaire (Belgium) (informal short title) (French title)
• Greta, la tortionnaire de Wrede (France) (complete title)
• Greta, the Mad Butcher (Europe) (informal title) (English title)
• Greta, the Sadist (Europe) (informal alternative title) (English title)
• Ilsa - Ultime perversion (France) (video title)
• Ilsa la tortionnaire (Canada) (reissue title) (French title)
• Ilsa: Absolute Power (International) (new title) (English title)
• Le Pénitencier des femmes perverses (France) (dubbed version)
• I Sadistria tou stratopedou (Greece)
• Greta: The Mad Butcher
• Wanda: The Wicked Warden

Taglines

• That Infamous "Ilsa" Woman Is Back

• Her Prison Was HOTTER THAN HELL!

• Young Girls...CHAINED...CONDEMNED To a Life of TORMENT at the Hands of Their Beautiful, BRUTAL Captor!

• Because of the Shocking Nature of Certain Scenes, This Film is Not Recommended for the Sensitive or Squeamish!

Main Details

• Released in 1977
• Color
• Running Time: Argentina:95 min | Germany:86 min | USA:90 min | UK:87 min
• Production Co: Elite Film
• Distribution Co: Bernie Jacon (1979) (USA) (theatrical) | Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (????) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)

Cast and Crew

• Directed by Jess Franco
• Written by Erwin C. Dietrich, Jesus Franco
• Starring Dyanne Thorne, Tania Busselier, Eric Falk, Lina Romay, Esther Studer
• Produced by Erwin C. Dietrich
• Original Music by Walter Baumgartner
• Cinematography by Ruedi Küttel

Comments

This one became an Ilsa film due to a title change when it hit video shelves. It is one of the four rather humorless women in prison films that Jesus Franco made in rapid succession in 1976 that was released in 1977 originally as Greta, the Mad Butcher and is also known as Wanda, the Wicked Warden starred Thorne and Franco fave (and wife) Lina Romay and Howard Maeur.

Its plot has Thorne playing Greta the warden of a women's prison/asylum that is involved in making black market porno tapes. In 1983, because the first two Ilsa films were pretty popular on video, a few lines of dialogue were re-dubbed and the film was retitled Ilsa: The Wicked Warden. Actually on the Anchor Bay DVD if you listen closely you'll hear Thorne referred to as Greta several times. There's little intentional camp value in the film but there's a little more erotica and of course lesbianism, a nude catfight, some cannibalism and a pretty brutal gory ending. Franco and Ilsa completists won't want to miss it. There are several out of focus shots in this film that will drive you crazy. Welcome to one of director Franco's films.

- Count Graf Orlock - 6/23/07