“Imagine the nerve involved when the quintessence of exploitation turns to ‘women in prison' as the subject of its next cinematic venture. The selection seems a natural if you consider that the multiplicity of camera angle options is surpassed only by the number of situational possibilities - all intent on hyperbolizing to the nth degree tales of institutional sadism and lesbian solace. Introduce into this context the sensitive ethical issue of authorized experimental brain surgery, and the opportunities for outraging audiences know no limits. This is the premise of Caged Heat, Jonathan Demme's first project with Roger Corman, and it stands out as one of the finest and funniest exponents of the exploitation genre. Four women, incarcerated in a penitentiary, band together in defiant solidarity after an initial confrontation which one critic likened to the ‘customary Hawks male bonding ritual' (Film Comment). Two of the inmates escape, terrorize the outside world, and return to rescue their two friends, one of whom is destined for the lobotomy table.
“Demme's handling of the formula's inherent parody is matched by a technical sophistication sometimes lacking in similar films. Where a director such as Russ Meyer might have indulged a voyeuristic proclivity, Demme treats the actresses and script in a manner which extrapolates the action's hilarity without completely denegrating women. In this arena of repressed sexuality, it is the absurdities of the macho ethic with its mean virility which become the target of the director's lampooning.” --L.A. Thielen