HOUSE OF WHIPCORD

The House of Whipcord (1974

I’ll bet you haven’t seen very many like this before. The House of Whipcord is sort of a horror movie, sort of a women’s prison movie, and extremely English all the way around. Despite the external appearances of extreme cheesiness (just look at the box art, man!), it’s actually one of the better English exploitation movies that I can recall seeing. It lumbers a bit, in that characteristic British way, but it’s relatively fearless in the face of its potentially controversial subject matter, and director Peter Walker seems to have spared not a moment’s concern for the sensitivities of the easily offended. This is also a movie with a Message. Even before the main title card is displayed, the following caption appears on the screen: “This film is dedicated to those who are disturbed by the lax moral codes of today, and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment.”