Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Ilsa - The Mad Butcher Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 4, 2015

Jess Franco's "Ilsa: The Mad Butcher" a.k.a. "Greta - Haus ohne Männer" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Ascot Elite Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival interview with the Spanish director and writer/director/producer Erwin C. Dietrich; and a collection of promotional materials for the film. In English, German, Italian, or French, with optional English and Japanese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Ilsa

Jess Franco’s Ilsa: The Mad Butcher is typically grouped with the other two very popular Ilsa films, Don Edmonds’ Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS and Ilsa, Haremkeeper of the Oil Sheik, but technically it was actually never meant to be an Ilsa film. In fact, in various territories it was marketed with its original title, Greta - Haus ohne Männer a.k.a. Greta, the Mad Butcher. However, after the first two films Dyanne Thorne’s character became so popular that Swiss writer/director/producer Erwin C. Dietrich and Franco had absolutely no problem allowing their film to be marketed under various alternative titles. Ilsa: The Mad Butcher is one of these alternative titles that was regularly used in North America and select European territories. (Thorne also appeared in Jean LaFleur’s Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia, but this film really is nothing more than one big and very odd misfire that should be kept away from the three films mentioned above).

The plot is simple: Ilsa (Thorne) is the warden in a secluded medical facility where young and beautiful women with various sexual dysfunctions are getting help from a team of medical specialists. A patient disappears and her sister, Abby Philips (Tania Busselier), forces Dr. Arcos (Franco) to use his connections and get her admitted to the facility under a false name. Once inside, Abby quickly discovers that the women are used in dangerous sexual experiments which are routinely filmed and sold to collectors around the world. She attempts to alert Dr Arcos but fails, and when Ilsa’s lover, No. 10 (Lina Romay), reveals to her that Abby is on a secret mission, all hell breaks loose.

To enjoy the Ilsa films one absolutely has to approach them with the right attitude. They go places most ‘serious’ films rarely visit and promote a very particular type of cheap thrills which a large number of viewers typically find rather problematic.

Franco’s Ilsa: The Mad Butcher does not aim to offend, but it does not have a meaningful message either. To a certain extent it rehashes all of the key themes from the Spanish director’s Barbed Wire Dolls, while at the same time it relies on Thorne to give it an entirely new identity. Admittedly, Ilsa: The Mad Butcher goes a few steps further with the torture and humiliation, but it is still very easy to compare to Barbed Wire Dolls.

So why would one want to see this film?

I can think of two reasons. First, assuming that one has enjoyed Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS and Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks there is an excellent chance that one would also like what Ilsa: The Mad Butcher has to offer -- the man behind the camera is different but the atmosphere and the thrills are very similar. Second, out of the many women-in-prison films and those in which beautiful women are mistreated that Franco directed Ilsa: The Mad Butcher is arguably one of the very best. Possibly because Franco had a very good budget to work with, this film is not only unusually well lensed, but surprisingly well edited as well.

The exotic soundtrack was created by Swiss composer Walter Baumgartner, who scored many of Franco’s edgier films, including Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Downtown, and The 1000 Shades of Doriana Grey.

Ilsa - The Mad Butcher Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jess Franco's Ilsa: The Mad Butcher arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Ascot Elite Home Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a pre-existing master, most likely one that was produced around 2002 when a number of Jess Franco and Erwin C. Dietrich films were remastered. Excluding some traces of fading and a few uneven transitions, the film looks quite good in high-definition. Indeed, well-lit close-ups boast good depth, while the outdoor shots convey good fluidity (see screencaptures #2 and 7). Contrast levels remain stable. Colors appear natural, but color balance is a bit uneven. I must speculate, however, that the existing master probably isn't graded properly (screencapture #10 shows signs of aging as well). Additionally, there is extra footage that most likely comes from an entirely different surviving element (see screencapture #20). Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, while there is some unevenness and it is clear that age has definitely left its mark, this is certainly a very pleasing organic presentation of Jess Franco's film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Ilsa - The Mad Butcher Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), and French: Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Ascot Elite Home Entertainment have provided optional English and Japanese subtitles for the main feature.

The English track has good depth and clarity is pleasing. Because some overdubbing was done, minor balance fluctuations are present. However, there are no odd interactions between the music and the dialog. Additionally, there are no pops, cracks, distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Ilsa - The Mad Butcher Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this archival video interview, Jess Franco and Swiss writer/director/producer Erwin C. Dietrich discuss the production history of Ilsa: The Mad Butcher. In German and English, with optional English and German subtitles. (11 min).

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for other films from the Jess Franco Golden Goya Collection.

• Fotogalerie - a collection of promotional materials for Ilsa: The Mad Butcher.

Ilsa - The Mad Butcher Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jess Franco's women-in-prison films are not for everyone, but they definitely have various odd charms that make them rather fascinating to behold. I think that Ilsa: The Mad Butcher is one of the Spanish director's best films, but you should keep in mind that these are niche films and they are typically assessed differently. There is some room for improvement on Ascot Elite Home Entertainment's release, but the film has a very nice organic appearance. Franco fans will be pleased. RECOMMENDED.