Late night on cable used to be a different world in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Quite a few of the second tier and pay channels broke out the indie films that were adult in nature. Most of us have fond memories of Cinemax After Dark delivering the erotic goods. USA network’s Up All Night hosted by Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear (btw Rhonda Shear is back to hosting films on YouTube) where they had to cut out the revealing parts of the showering scenes but they kept as much hygienic sizzle as they could. Sadly these days are gone as cable channels would rather run big Hollywood Studio movies starring actors that don’t want their characters showering. During the glory days of erotic cinema, one of the best places to see characters showering was a women’s prison where showering is mandatory! The double feature DVD of Cellblock Sisters and Caged Hearts will have you reaching for the soap.
Cellblock Sisters (1995 – 93 minutes) opens with a mom discovering her man has sold off her daughters to an adoption agency. He doesn’t want to hear her whining and she ends up dead at the end of a violent argument. Decades later, the two sisters find each other, and they are in different places. The well-mannered May (Hard To Die‘s Gail Thackray) is talking the bus to Simi Valley for the reunion. She grew up in England. The peaceful trip gets derailed when a gang of bikers hijack a bus and May finds herself being taken hostage. Except she isn’t really a hostage since the leader of the gang is her sister April (Inside Out IV‘s Annie Wood). After a party at the biker hangout, April has a surprise for May. She found dad. Except the reunion goes dark quick when dad meets the same fate as mom. Trouble is the cops pin the murder on sweet little May and she won’t rat out her sister. April isn’t around as her sister gets sent off to the nasty women’s prison. Anita Linn gives a fierce performance as Officer Oregon in the prison. This seems to be her only role which is a shame. The only credit is also true for Christi Engel who plays the warden and gives a great “welcome to my prison” talk to all the new inmates after they have all been stripped down. As the girls are reminded, “Everything is my property now!” The first thing May must learn is shower room etiquette. April has a plan to spring May from prison, and it doesn’t involve hiring an attorney to tell the true story of why their dad deserved to die.
Caged Hearts (1995 – 95 minutes) has Tané McClure (Legally Blonde & Stripshow) and her friend Carrie Genzel (Watchmen & Virtual Seduction) done with aerobics and ready for a fun night. Before the party can get started Tané runs into a previous bad date guy. He goes psycho on her. Carrie ends up shooting the guy in the parking lot. Both ladies don’t have the money for a fancy lawyer (since they blew the cash on aerobics classes) and must rely on a public defender. Off to prison they go for 30-year sentences. How will they stay fit behind bars? Warden Loren McBride (Call Girl‘s Taylor Leigh) is all about teaching obedience in her prison. She has a reward program that involves good girls getting moved to Ward A that’s also known as The Hotel. Turns out the “model prisons” are chosen less for conduct and more for looking like models. While the regulars are dressed in oversized blue t-shirts, the girls of the Hotel look like they just went shopping at the malls for hot outfits. After a rough day on the yard, the inmates need to soap up and shower away their felonious sweat. Things get rough under the water for Carrie. The ladies learn the dark secret of who visits the girls assigned to The Hotel. Tané and Carrie see joining the Hotel as their only chance at escape. Annie Wood has a supporting role here, but as a different character.
Director Henri Charr and his team really deliver on these low budget women’s prison films. They saved money by not making this a realistic portrait of life behind bars. Charr just wants to give us the viewing pleasures of the penal system. In Cellblock Sisters, instead of prison uniforms, the ladies are wearing long blue t-shirts and nothing else. During a riot, the guards hose them down so it’s like a wet t-shirt contest behind bars. Caged Hearts also has that cheap, trashy and tawdry feel with the classic “women’s prison as a brothel” theme. Even with a low budget, they had enough for a great guard on fire stunt. Both films seem to be shot in the same prison location. Several of the non-speaking prisoners appear to be the same ladies. The movies are different enough to work back to back. Cellblock Sisters / Caged Hearts SkinMax Double Feature is perfect way to locked down night. Although you might want to take a shower afterward for all the that bad behavior.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame for Cellblock Sisters and 1.78:1 for Caged Hearts. This was from the era of the box TV. While there’s no notes on the transfer, the erotic films from this era were shot on film and edited on standard definition video. The gritty feel works well for the grey walls of the joint. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for both films. You’ll hear all the action in the shower room. The movies are subtitled.
No bonus features.
SkinMax presents Cellblock Sisters / Caged Hearts SkinMax Double Feature. Directed by Henri Charr. Screenplay by Robert Newcastle & Taesung Yim. Starring Annie Wood, Gail Thackray, Jenna Bodnar, Dean Howell, Sherwin Ace Ross, Jamie Donahue, Carrie Genzel, Tane McClure, Nick Wilder and Dink O’Neal. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on 1 DVD. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: November 25, 2025.
