Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

SS Experiment Camp Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 21, 2016

Sergio Garrone's "SS Experiment Camp" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original Italian opening and ending for the film and trailers for other releases. Also included with this release is a collectible poster artcard. In Italian or English, with English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-B "locked".

The doctor

I am a firm believer that viewing bad films from time to time is a very healthy habit. First, it helps you gain a greater appreciation for the good ones. There is a fair chance that in some of these bad films you are going to see some of your favorite actors who struggled early in their careers before they became stars. You will discover a different side of their personalities which in present days they can no longer reveal. Second, a lot of the older bad films can also be fascinating time capsules. You will learn about the era in which they were made and the various rules and standards that defined it. Third, there is a pretty good chance that you will also discover that amongst the many bad films that have been rejected by critics and even the studios that produced them there are actually some real gems.

Sergio Garrone’s SS Experiment Camp is without a doubt one of the top bad films that you can see. It has been banned (and unbanned) so many times and dismissed in so many articles that I honestly doubt that anyone who is old enough to remember the big independent video stores that Blockbuster and Netflix killed hasn’t heard about it. It is a legendary film, though one that has been dismissed for all the right reasons.

So why is this film so bad? I will tell you why I don’t think highly of it, but I am convinced that if you decide to research it you will discover many more valid reasons why it isn’t considered a masterpiece.

It is a period piece that tells a very simple and very silly story. It makes very little sense, but admittedly some of the material is good enough to rub people who believe that these types of films should be taken seriously the wrong way. (This is a very, very old recipe which has been used to produce plenty of poor films). In a WW2 camp, some Nazis begin a series of idiotic experiments with beautiful women so that eventually the commandant can get a new pair of testicles (!) The focus of attention is on the sexual acts and the tortures, which is why a long time ago the film appeared on the notorious 'video nasty' list in the United Kingdom.

While some of the visuals are appropriately repulsive, the overwhelming majority of the material is mediocre at best. Many of the actors look and sound utterly ridiculous, very much as if they are participating in a testing session for which they showed up unprepared. A few of the more ambitions ones are clearly trying to improvise but the improvisations are so poor that they can be used as a great example how not to act even during a rehearsal.

The sets and costumes are also very cheap. Tinto Brass must have seen this film at some point because it was released in 1976 when he completed his similarly themed Salon Kitty and I am convinced that he must have had a good long laugh. Brass’ film features some absolutely astonishing designs from the legendary Ken Adam (Diamonds Are Forever, Barry Lyndon) and impeccable costume designs by Jost Jacob (Paprika) that basically make Garrone’s film look like a genuine amateur project.

The film was lensed by Maurizio Centini, whose credits also include Alberto Cavallone’s equally controversial horror thriller Blue Movie.

SS Experiment Camp 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, Sergio Garrone's SS Experiment Camp arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films.

The release is sourced from an older master with plenty of obvious limitations. Indeed, shadow definition is frequently problematic. Clarity and especially image depth are also unconvincing. There are obvious traces of filtering corrections, though some of the softness appears to have been inherited from the element that was used to produce the master. The good news here is that there are no traces of recent sharpening corrections. There is a limited range of color tonalities, though stability is satisfactory. Image stability is good, but there are a few shaky transitions and a couple of bumps. Smalld damage marks and spots are visible. All in all, it is very clear that this film should look a lot better, but given its reputation and history I do not think that it is realistic to expect a better presentation. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

SS Experiment Camp Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 2.0 and English LPCM 2.0. English subtitles are provided for the Italian track. (They cannot be used on the English track).

I viewed the film with the Italian track. It is rather uneven, but I am not terribly surprised as the film's original sound design appears to be quite average. The dialog isn't difficult to follow, but some of the voices/exchanges sound a bit thin. Clarity is good. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

SS Experiment Camp Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Italian Opening - (2 min).

• Original Italian Ending - (2 min).

• Collectible Poster Artcard -

• Sleeve - original sleeve with original UK 'video nasty' art.

• Trailers - trailers for other 88 Films releases.

SS Experiment Camp Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sergio Garrone's SS Experiment Camp is one of the top bad films from the notorious 'video nasty' list, but it is one of the weakest entries in the naziploitaiton genre. If you wish to explore the genre I would recommend seeing Tinto Brass' Salon Kitty, which was a big project with some very serious talent. Liliana Cavani's excellent drama The Night Porter is frequently grouped with these films as well, but it has a completely different mindset and needs to be approached with very different expectations.