Caged Heat

R

1974

1h 23m

Mystery & Thriller

List

76%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Women inmates (Juanita Brown, Erica Gavin) fight a warden (Barbara Steele) and her psychosurgical behavior modification.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jonathan Demme's debut film is campy, choppy, and generally immature, though his bonding themes are fitfully discernible amid the cartoonish action.

Mar 28, 2007

Full Review

Time Out

It's no more than passable as a thriller, but the density of invention and energy in other respects is enough to shame a dozen contemporary major studio movies.

Jun 24, 2006

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…Caged Heat is a seminal work in the WIP genre, and even if there are issues to be considered, it’s a strong, supple film…

Rated: 3/5

Jun 17, 2022

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Jonathan Demme’s film is trashy and lurid

Jun 9, 2022

Full Review

Gena Radcliffe

The Spool

To watch Caged Heat is to be weirdly inspired - from garbage can eventually come greatness.

Feb 5, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

There's ultimately never a point at which Caged Heat is able to overcome its palpably minuscule budget...

Rated: 2/4

Dec 3, 2019

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Audience Member

Maybe jet fuel can't melt steel beams, but Juanita Brown and Co. sure can.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

stefano t

Interesting plot, beautiful girls, but really bad acting. You can tell that it was a cheap movie made with people who were probably there for their beauty and not their acting skills. But it was a start for the director (Jonathan Demme) and it's a step forward in the "women in prison" subgenre.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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delysid d

certainly not a great movie

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/06/17

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Audience Member

Heikko exploitaatiopätkä. **- /5

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

Jonathan Demme's directorial debut is an exploitation film, no doubt about it. But it holds up pretty well and is a bit more engaging than most similar fare - not that I've seen too much. As far as Women in Prison films go, Caged (1950) with Eleanor Parker has got to be the pinnacle - but that was more of a serious problem pic than a go-for-broke B-picture. What more can be said? The trials and travails of a bunch of ladies in the slammer, with loads of gratuitous nudity, some violence (and fake blood), a couple of lobotomies and some shock treatment, a few gals in solitary, a breakout, a repressed and sadistic warden (Barbara Steele!), and some truly 1970's low budget cars, clothes, and hairstyles. Apparently John Cale wrote the soundtrack (!). Amiable and fun, not sordid and lurid.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is the first Chick N' Chains flick I have seen that isn't based/shot in the Philippines. Roberta Collins is hotter than ever. In a weird way the final act kind of reminded me of 'Straight Time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Jonathan Demme

Director

Juanita Brown

Maggie

Erica Gavin

Jacqueline Wilson

Barbara Steele

Supt. McQueen

Roberta Collins

Belle Tyson

Toby Carr Rafelson

Pinter

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Synopsis

Women inmates (Juanita Brown, Erica Gavin) fight a warden (Barbara Steele) and her psychosurgical behavior modification.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Production Co: Artists Entertainment Complex
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 8, 2018
Runtime: 1h 23m

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