New World Pictures, 1986

starring: Linda Carol, Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast and Charlotte McGinnis

directed by: Tom DeSimone

the plot: Sixteen-year-old Jenny (Carol) finds herself involved in a robbery gone awry. As punishment, she’s sent to the Pridemore Juvenile Detention Center, where she’s assigned to a hellish dorm run by Edna (Ast), an old battleaxe with a chip on her shoulder and hatred in her heart. Edna is cruel, but even worse is Charlie Chambliss (Williams), Jenny’s dorm-mate and the ringleader of a small gang of girls. When Jenny turns down an offer to join up with Charlie’s crew, the two come to blows and become bitter enemies. Jenny manages to avoid conflicts with Charlie, but she doesn’t escape the notice of Edna, who begins a vindictive campaign of punishment against the girl. On the sidelines, however, is an unlikely ally. Dr. Norton (McGinnis), the newly hired jail psychologist, believes a kinder, gentler approach in dealing with the girls will help reform them. As Dr. Norton lobbies the warden and later, the state, for more humane treatments at the school, Edna and the wardens crack down on the girls, with deadly results.

why it’s good: It’s pretty hard to mess up a women-in-prison movie—all you need are hot chicks, excessive violence and copious nudity. But to make a women-in-prison movie that’s truly watchable is another feat entirely, one that “Reform School Girls” pulls off nicely. That’s mostly due to former Plasmatics front-woman Wendy O. Williams, who snarls, slaps and shrieks her way through the movie. Like her on-stage persona, Williams is over-the-top in all her scenes, but her most awesome moment comes during the fiery climax, when she climbs atop a speeding school bus in an attempt to kill Edna, the homicidal dorm mother. Speaking of Edna, if there’s anyone better than Williams at tearing apart scenery with her teeth, it’s Pat Ast, who in the course of 90 minutes manages to torch a girl’s beloved stuffed animal, stomp on a helpless kitten and shotgun teenage girls with a maniacal glee that’s delightful to watch. Throw in a cameo by Sybil Danning as a scripture-quoting, gun-toting warden and a kickin’ ’80s rock soundtrack, and you’ve got a B-movie to be reckoned with. And, yeah, there are plenty of bare boobs, too.

why you should own it: Anchor Bay’s DVD features commentary by director Tom DeSimone and comedian Martin Lewis and some behind-the-scenes photo galleries. If you’re in the mood for a good exploitation flick, then “Reform School Girls” is definitely worth picking up.