Women in Cellblock 9 – Delirium Home Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Switzerland, 1978
Director: Jesús Franco
Writer: Jesús Franco
Cast: Susan Hemingway, Karine Gambier, Howard Vernon, Cesar Anahory, Dora Doll, Aida Gouveia, Esther Studer

Release Date: September 30th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 77 Minutes 49 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono German, DTS-HD 5.1 German
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $41.98

"From the fevered, wonderfully perverted minds of Spanish filmmaker Jess Franco and Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich comes the notorious women-in-prison shocker Women in Cellblock 9 (aka Frauen für Zellenblock 9 and Tropical Inferno). The film stars Franco regulars Susan Hemingway (Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun), Howard Vernon (Faceless) and Karine Gambier (Satanic Sisters) and tells the tale of a gaggle of female freedom-fighters who are taken to a secluded women’s jungle prison where they endure all manner of violent and sexual humiliations." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Women in Cellblock 9 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.4 GB

Feature: 25.1 GB

Outside of some very minor print debris, the bulk of the transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD 5.1 German)

This release comes with four audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, a DTS-HD mono mix in German, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in German. All tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. The differences between the mono and 5.1 tracks are minimal. Included are removable English SDH for the English-language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with author and film historian Troy Howarth, trailers for Barbed Wire Dolls, Doriana Gray, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Love Camp, Satanic Sisters, and Rolls Royce Baby, and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 2,000 units).

Summary:

Women in Cellblock 9 was one of eighteen films that Jess Franco made with producer Erwin Dietrich over a three-year period. Their collaboration began with Downtown and ended with Girls After Midnight.

Smugglers transporting women are caught at a military checkpoint. The captured women are taken to a notorious prison known for torture.

Women in Cellblock 9 is one of four women-in-prison films that Jess Franco made for producer Erwin C. Dietrich. The other three films are Barbed Wire Dolls, Ilsa, the Wicked Warden, and Love Camp. Barbed Wire Dolls and Ilsa, the Wicked Warden, are among the best examples out of these four films, while Love Camp is easily the weakest. Although I had many of the same problems with Women in Cellblock 9 that I did with Love Camp, Women in Cellblock 9 is still a better film in everyway.

The opening setup does an excellent job setting the foundation. From there, the narrative is very effective at building momentum to a prison break finale. Although the narrative has more exposition than most Jess Franco films from this era, it is still just enough to move things along.

Two familiar faces from Jess Franco’s cinema universe, Susan Hemingway (Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun) and Karine Gambier (Satanic Sisters), are cast in the roles of the prisoners. The standout performances are Dora Doll (Touchez pas au grisbi) in the role of the warden and Howard Vernon (She Killed in Ecstasy) in the role of a sadistic interrogator. Howard Vernon is a delight to watch in any Jess Franco film, as he fully immerses himself in his character, enhancing the overall quality of the movie.

Although there is an abundance of nudity, notably naked women in chains, there is nothing remotely erotic in Women in Cellblock 9. While Women in Cellblock 9 features a significant amount of nudity, particularly depicting women in chains, it is the film's torture scenes that stand out the most. These scenes involve methods such as electroshock and the use of sharp objects, which inflict the greatest harm. The most memorable moment is a scene where classical music is used while a prisoner is forced to degrade themselves, providing a perfect contrast. Ultimately, Women in Cellblock 9 has all of the elements one would want from a women-in-prison film, making it a must-see for fans of this genre.

Women in Cellblock 9 gets a first-rate release from Delirium Home Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an informative extra. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer