Film

Reform School Girls

Name: Reform School Girls
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Released: 1986
Cast: Linda Carol, Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast, Sybil Danning, Charlotte McGinnis

Prison

A gleefully trashy 1986 action-comedy about a teenager's escape from a corrupt women's reform school. Think exploitation film with a sense of humor about itself: cheap thrills, improbable fight scenes, and genuine charm despite (or because of) the shoestring budget. For fans of campy '80s excess who don't need things to make sense.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

Lockout2012

Guy Pearce in a fun, stupid prison-break action film that knows exactly what it is. The same energy as Reform School Girls—B-movie plotting with an A-list cast having the time of their lives. Non-stop quips and action.

But The script is genuinely dumb and the CGI hasn't aged well. If you need plot coherence or emotional stakes, you'll be frustrated.

Cherry Hill High1977

Another women-in-prison exploitation film, but with real genre smarts. It understands the formula it's working in and subverts it. Raw energy and an actual point hiding under the genre mechanics.

But It's grittier and less funny than Reform School Girls—if you want pure camp, this tilts harder toward genuine exploitation.

The Concrete Jungle1982

Exploitation cinema that leans into character and dark humor. Women in prison dealing with a sadistic warden, but with B-movie style and real conviction. Trashy without apology, entertaining throughout.

But It's more violent and less comedic. The tone is meaner. Reform School Girls plays lighter.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Reform School Girls

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Caged1950

Both mine the prison setting, but Caged is the tragic version—it shows what the exploitation films are joking around. Reform School Girls plays the same scenario as cartoon. Understanding Caged deepens why the B-movies work as catharsis.

The mother of the women-in-prison genre, and a genuinely serious film. Eleanor Parker as a young woman destroyed by the system itself. Shocking for 1950 and still powerful—sees the formula's moral core. Proved this setting could hold real tragedy.

But It's 74 years old and moves slowly. Black-and-white, no humor, no action sequences. You're watching character destruction, not escapism.

Death Proof2007

Tarantino doing grindhouse. A stunt driver hunts women; they hunt back. Trashy premise elevated by sharp writing, charismatic performances, and genuine tension. It celebrates exploitation while actually respecting its heroines.

But It's very talky—nearly forty minutes before the first kill. If you want constant action, the pacing will test you.

Switchblade Sisters1975

Jack Hill's cult classic about rival girl gangs. Colorful, nasty, funny, and surprisingly well-made. More style than Reform School Girls but the same DNA—women causing chaos, authority figures getting humiliated.

But It's deadly serious about its gang politics. Tonal whiplash if you expect consistent comedy. Some violence is genuinely brutal.

Big Trouble in Little China1986

Released the same year, same spirit of gleeful stupidity. Kurt Russell in a martial-arts fantasy that's intentionally ridiculous. Practical effects, real stunts, genuine charm. Pure '80s fun.

But It's more expensive and more polished. If you specifically want the cheap, scrappy energy of a B-movie, this is too slick.

Police Academy1984

Ensemble comedy about misfits breaking rules and bumbling authority. Anarchic humor, lovable screwups, and authority figures presented as bumbling obstacles. Same comedic energy, different setting.

But It's broad and sometimes infantile. The humor doesn't land for everyone, and it sags in the middle.

Chopping Mall1986

Killer robots in a shopping mall. Absurdist premise, low budget, practical effects, and actors committing fully to the ridiculousness. Peak '80s B-movie ingenuity. Short, punchy, never boring.

But The script is threadbare and some scenes drag. It's more concept than character. Some find it too silly even for a comedy.

Day of the Woman1978

Both are female revenge/escape fantasies told through genre. But where Reform School Girls plays it for laughs, this plays it for blood. Same engine, opposite temperature.

A woman tortured by men systematizes her revenge. Notorious for transgression, but it's actually about female agency and fury. Watches like an exploitation film but functions as vigilante fantasy. Argues that victimhood need not be permanent.

But The assault sequences are graphic and punishing to watch. It's not entertainment in the Reform School Girls sense—it's brutal and committed to its ugliness. Many find it unwatchable.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

Both are '70s/'80s B-movies that understand their own absurdity. But Phantom takes that absurdity seriously—uses it to say something true about art and theft. Reform School Girls is content to be fun. This wants to be both fun and meaningful.

Brian De Palma's rock-opera pastiche. A man's creations stolen, remade, and sold back to him. The same DNA as Reform School Girls—cheap sets, outlandish characters, dark humor mixed with genuine emotion—but as psychological horror. Genre filmmaking as art.

But It's pretentious in a way Reform School Girls never is. Long, strange, visually ambitious. If you want pure fun, this is too weird and too earnest about its strangeness.