Film

H.O.T.S.

Name: H.O.T.S.
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1979
Cast: Susan Kiger, Lisa London, Pamela Jean Bryant, Kimberly Cameron, Mary Steelsmith

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1979 comedy about four rejected women starting a rival sorority to out-party the snobs who spurned them. It's broad, silly, unapologetically trashy—the kind of film that doesn't pretend to be anything but a good time. For fans of '70s exploitation comedies and anyone who enjoys watching women scheme, flirt, and generally upend the social order.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

Porky's1981

The spiritual successor to H.O.T.S.: same era, same anarchic energy, same mission to topple the establishment through sheer chaotic determination. Pure fun and unashamed of it.

But Aggressively broad humor and a casual relationship with consent that hasn't aged well. It's very much a product of its time.

Private Benjamin1980

Goldie Hawn leads a similar underdog-versus-establishment story with sharper writing and genuine character development. Still funny, still empowering, but with actual stakes.

But More structured and sincere than H.O.T.S., so if you're after pure unhinged chaos, this has a plot that gets in the way.

Up!1976

The patron saint of campy '70s comedy. If you love H.O.T.S.'s trashy charm and outsider perspective, Meyer's surreal, gleefully offensive style is the deep end of this pool.

But Genuinely surreal to the point of incomprehensibility. Weird for weird's sake, with sexual content that's meant to provoke rather than titillate.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from H.O.T.S.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Bitches1973

Both are comedies about female solidarity as a weapon against a rigged system, but where H.O.T.S. is scrappy and loud, this is sophisticated and sly.

A French New Wave comedy where five women con their way through society, using beauty and brains as weapons against a male establishment. Same spirit, infinitely more style and sophistication.

But French cinema moves at a different pace. If you want American energy and wisecracks, this drifts and observes instead.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste1977

Marty Feldman's slapstick mayhem in a similar vein: silly, fast-paced, and committed to the bit no matter how stupid it gets. Comedy for people who like comedy to try hard.

But The humor is so broad it borders on painful. If you prefer wit over silliness, this will wear you out.

Student Bodies1981

A slasher parody that shares H.O.T.S.'s irreverent tone and its willingness to sacrifice logic for laughs. Stupid in the best way possible.

But The parody of slashers doesn't land if you're not familiar with the genre, and the comedy is sometimes actively unfunny.

The Cheerleaders1973

The prototype: young women outsmarting authority figures and older men through charm and coordination. If you want to trace the DNA, this is where it started.

But Even more dated than H.O.T.S., with more juvenile humor and less energy. The novelty wears off fast.

Animal House1978

The gold standard of anarchic campus comedies. Better written, better cast, and funnier overall—but it proves the formula works and H.O.T.S. is its scrappy cousin.

But If you've seen it (and you probably have), it dominates the conversation. Hard to watch H.O.T.S. without comparing.

The Swinging Cheerleaders1974

Another entry in the 'young women versus institutional authority' playbook. Earnest in its chaos, committed to the premise, and genuinely weird about sports.

But Padded runtime, inconsistent tone, and long stretches where nothing happens. Even at 98 minutes, H.O.T.S. has better pacing.

The Telephone Book1971

Both celebrate female desire and agency through comedy in a way that mainstream cinema won't. Both are deeply weird and unafraid to be trashy about it.

An absolutely unhinged experimental comedy where a woman uses the phone book to find sexual adventure in New York. Pure improvisation, no plot, pure anarchic joy—outsider cinema at its most free.

But It's avant-garde chaos with erratic pacing and deliberately no narrative. If you need a story to follow, this is actively hostile to that.