The Big Doll House poster & wallpaper

Brooke Mills, Judy Brown, Pam Grier

Director Jack Hill (a disciple of schlockmeister Roger Corman) dishes up this campy addition to the women in-prison genre. The systematic brutality and corruption of a grim Philippine prison leads res...( read more  read more... )ourceful inmate Collier (Judy Brown) and her fellow cons to plan a big breakout with help from a pair of unwitting accomplices. Meanwhile, an inside stoolie (Pam Grier) passes information to her jailers to obtain heroin for her lesbian lover.

Flixster Users

49% liked it

1,438 ratings

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Jack Hill

Release Date: April 30, 1971

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 11, 1999

Stats: 78 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

Poster The Big Doll House
Upload a Photo |

View All The Big Doll House Photos (2)

Your Rating


clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (78)

  • stopitgoaway
    October 16, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    New meat enters the big house, in the shape of Collier and she learns that it won't be an easy walk in the park. Grear, Alcott, Bodine, Harad and Ferina welcome her to the rough and tumble endurance of prison life and the importance of holding your own to stay alive. Be it, from ...( read more)your inmates or that of their sadistic prison warden named Miss Diestrich. Then there are two peddlers, Harry and Fred who play off the inmates to get what they want.

    Roger Corman sent out exploitation director Jack Hill to the Banana republic (Philippines) with very little money, but on-hand he had a group of stunning women to work with. Though, to Corman's surprise, the end result was nothing but phenomenal, since it did extremely well with moviegoers. Its been done before, but this old hat Women-In-Prison concept for "Big Doll House" became revolutionary by giving it an ounce of fresh treatment (or maybe it was just great timing) that simply appealed to the drive-in audience to ensure the genre would erupt again.

    Hill's film is quite watered-down for a WIP exploitation feature (compared to its European cousins), but there are enough nitty, gritty elements involving random drug abuse, sadistic torture, and sexual antics, pumping gunfights and wild cat fights in a very energetic pattern. Production-wise, it's very solid for a meagre budget with it drumming in with a saucy score (and also Pam Grier's tantalisingly, groovy title song) and workman-like camera-work that had a great eye to detail. The bang-up story mainly focuses on a group of well-rounded and strong willed, firebrands who are not easy pushovers. Where they're trying to keep their spirit, pride and dignity in tack. A nice dash of snappy humour is worked into the salty dialogues and fiery language. There are some silly aspects, but it does bust out surprises, spontaneous inventions and comic relief, thanks largely to the minor turn by the charismatic character actor Sid Haig. But it was the memorable Pam Grier's steamily, spruced performance that steals every frame. She was the full package and afterwards would go on to be a true Blaxploitation star. Although, the attractively biting Roberta Collins holds her own quite well and Judy Brown, Pat Woodell and Brooke Mills add to the unique, spicy ensemble. Kathryn Loder performance makes headway too, as the stern and lean prison warden. Director Jack Hill's hardened direction is extremely sturdy and he keeps a quick rapid throughout.

    An American WIP exploitation flick that keeps it rather tasteful, but still highly entertaining b-grade material with a well-fitted cast.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Bad acting, dodgy script, rubbish story and questionable characters. Exploitation classic, God bless you Jack Hill! Love the end!
  • kenstachnik
    July 13, 2008
    kenstachnik
    I liked big bird cage so much better, but the print of this I saw was terrible and that might of had something to do with it.
  • Sleaze
    June 21, 2006
    Sleaze
    During the 1970s an explosion of drive-in cinemas and grindhouse movie houses led to an increase in production of sleazy exploitation flicks. One of the more "interesting" off-shoots from this period was the Woman In Prison genre, of which B-movie stalwart Jack Hill provided two ...( read more)entries (this and the follow-up The Big Bird Cage). of course this film also set in motion the career of the curvy, charismatic cult actress Pam Grier.

    Admittedly the appeal of this film will be somewhat limited, no doubt the majority of people will scoff at the poor acting and laughable plot. However for 70s B-movie aficionados like myself this is a neat little package of tongue-in-cheek dialogue, sleazy action and unintentional humour. From the mud fights to the shower scenes and ridiculous gun battles, this film dishes out more than its fair share of memorable moments. Whilst the content of the film is considerably tamer than some of its European/Asian WIP counterparts, this should prove essential viewing for Hill/Grier/Haig fans alike
  • BillyRevenge
    October 30, 2009
    BillyRevenge
    A great little cult classic, one of the best women-in-prison films I have seen!
  • Ghw12158
    August 16, 2008
    Ghw12158
    good b movie/grindhouse stuff
  • Squelette
    July 8, 2008
    Squelette
    Pam Grier makes me cream my jeans.
  • grasp183
    January 30, 2008
    grasp183
    definitely a mans movie tits, tits and more tits. But the story line was ok
  • Blaxunshine
    November 21, 2007
    Blaxunshine
    Women in cages cuttin' cain, scrapping it out in the mud & getting hosed down; can't go wrong w/ that espeacially w/ Pam Grier giving Sid Haig stinky fingers & Jack Hill @ the helm
  • SoReel
    June 3, 2007
    SoReel
    i dont even no wat this movie is
    i dont no y it is up here

View All The Big Doll House Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "The Big Doll House" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Official Trailer

View Larger The Big Doll House Trailer

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Black Mama, White Mama
    Black Mama, White Mama (67%)
  • The Big Bird Cage (Women's Penitentiary II)
    The Big Bird Cage (Women's Penitentiary II) (67%)
  • Chicago
    Chicago (12%)

More Movies like The Big Doll House

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Big Doll Hous... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Big Doll House. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Big Doll House to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?