The Italian Cinema world was in the midst of a giant battle as television finally started to run movies in the mid-70s. The cinema culture that had previously meant people going out for dinner, a movie and a late-night drink was turning into stay home and watch the TV. Making matters worse was more and more Hollywood films were occupying the country’s theaters. What was an exploitation producer to do? You had to make movies that Hollywood wouldn’t release, and Italian TV couldn’t broadcast. Films that appealed to the exploitation movie fanatics became the next wave. One of the genres that rose up at this time was kinky World War II flicks (I can’t use the real name of the genre or Google will screw up your ability to find this review). There was plenty of World War II props, sets and uniforms at the studios. By the mid-70s, stories of the atrocities conducted by Germans at their various camps had become known by the public. Leave it to prolific sleazy producers to make this the next level of “women in prison” genre. SS Experiment Love Camp mixed true stories of how the Germans used female prisoners in brothels from the troops and as human guinea pigs for disturbing experiments.
Women arrive at a German Medical Research Camp not knowing the hell that awaits them on the other side of the barbed wire fences. They have been ruled enemies of the state. Turns out that the a few of the “lucky” ladies will be assigned to the camp’s brothel that services visiting officers. The others are going to be forced to endure horrifying carnal experiments. In a bit of a twist, one of the officers in charge of the camp is seeking his own ground-breaking experimental surgery. Seems that while on the Russian front a woman defended herself by castrating him. While getting a private parts transplant isn’t done; the officer knows a dark secret about the camp’s chief surgeon. He senses the man can perform the transplant or he’ll be transferred to a different camp as a prisoner. There are a few German soldiers brought to the camp to “work” with the female prisoners in the less lethal experiments. One girl gets attracted to her experiment partner. But does he see her as a real woman or just someone to use and abuse? Ultimately the fate of the camp seems to lie in the soldier getting his extreme transplant surgery.
SS Experiment Love Camp was among the original “Video Nasties” that were banned in the United Kingdom during the early years of VHS. Most of this was from a controversial box cover that upset prude Mary Whitehouse. There are a few gross scenes in the film that also kept it off the video shelves for years. This was not fair to viewers to be denied the chance to rent the tape. The film strikes the proper coldness. In one scene, the surgeon complains about how he’s losing too many patients on his experiment. He’s informed that the failures don’t matter. He will be provided with as many patients as necessary for a singular success. You can call this exploitation however this moment makes the film more real than most World War II films. Think of people who have this attitude right now. SS Experiment Love Camp contains what you want when you’re watching this style of film. There’s the right attitude from the Germans. There’s a rebellion from the hopeless prisoners. We get grotesque moments that remind us how inhumane people can get if they’re given a chance. Most importantly, there’s a pervy storyline in SS Experiment Love Camp so you can’t watch this with your entire family like “feelgood” World War II movies.
The Video 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K restoration from the original negatives brings out the sleaze of the movie. This might have been a video nasty, but the image quality is better. The Audio is English and Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono. You’ll hear the laughter and the screams of life inside the camp. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani and Nanni Corbetti goes into the cast, crew and the genre.
Blu-ray with the movie and bonus features.
Illustrated booklet with the box art that got the film in major trouble. The essay by Tim Murray on kinky World War II flicks will give you a taste of the genre.
Sadistically Yours, Sergio G. (30:24) is an interview with director Sergio Garrone who describes himself as a craftsman. Although he knows how to shock an audience as he did here. He points out that during the ’70s, the film industry was booming. One year had 500 films released. He also explains how Italian cinema died.
SSadist Ssound (28:26) talks with music historian Pierpaolo De Santis about the soundtrack. Composer Roberto Pregadio is one of the best of his era although he is overshadowed. He came from a jazz background. We learn about quite a few of the films he scored over a 30 plus year career.
The Alabiso Dynasty (25:52) starts with editor Eugenio Alabiso promising to answer questions as fast as he can. His large family was born into cinema. He talks about his brother the producer who was a pioneer in Spaghetti Westerns. His brother would give him different names in the credits including ones with Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer. Other brothers were brought into the business by luck and their siblings needing ready help. That’s how he ended in the editing room. He isn’t happy about one producing brother. He gets into shooting torrid scenes in different ways to appeal to various markets.
Framing Exploitation (11:42) catches up with cinematographer Maurizio Centini. He got his start filming the Olympics in 1960. This led to him shooting spy thriller Seven Golden Men. He had to take a detour as a production manager for while at a documentary unit. He got back to shooting movies that wanted a documentary feel at first. He talks about using natural light.
Italian Opening and Closing Titles (2:50) will test your foreign language skills.
Original Trailer (3:00) opens with a camp victim dangling upside down. There aren’t coy with the gross elements of the film.
88 Films present SS Experiment Love Camp. Directed by Sergio Garrone. Screenplay by Vinicio Marinucci and Sergio Garrone. Starring Mircha Carven, Paola Corazzi, Giorgio Cerioni, Almina De Sanzio, Matilde Dall’Aglio, Agnes Kalpagos, Giovanna Mainardi, Serafino Profumo, Attilio Dottesio & Patrizia Melega. Running Time: 95 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: November 4, 2025.
