Hellhole (1985) reminds me why I love the '80s.

I always fear the dreaded bait-and-switch with posters but this is another stellar example of one that gives you exactly what it promises. I usually don't like mental asylum movies either but I really enjoyed Hellhole. Nice title too. The '80s just had so many amazing movies and right when I think I've seen all the best ones, I stumble on something like this. The IMDb rating is unfair in my opinion but that's usually true with horror/exploitation. I was glad to see Robert Z'Dar (Maniac Cop) in this and I like the women-in-prison vibe. There is some atmosphere and mystery too, which kept me intrigued. I don't think you should take this movie too seriously, just enjoy the ride. It has all the hallmarks of good '80s horror: nudity, slashing, fun villains, etc. and at just 90 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. I wish we could films like this these days instead of boring CGI-stuffed junk. I don't want to watch a 3-hour videogame.

Caged Heat (1974) is an interesting start to Jonathan Demme's long career.

Watching this I don't think you could ever predict this director would go on to do The Silence of the Lambs but there are also a ton of features separating the two so I shouldn't be so surprised. Even as someone who enjoys films like this, I had trouble getting into this one. I prefer The Big Bird Cage or Prison Heat but what do I know? I like Werewolf in a Women's Prison so you definitely shouldn't listen to me. What a strange subgenre this is. I think I might be brain dead because this was pretty dull to me. The synopsis made it sound exciting but so many of these women in prison films seem identical with almost the exact same plot. No worries if you enjoy this film. I just struggled with it but I was still very glad to see Demme's first feature. First films of famous directors are always so fascinating even if they're lackluster since you can see how very far they came. You have to put in the work and work really hard then work more and more and more.