Product: Chained Heat 3:Hell Mountain [VHS]
Rating: 3.0
Not your father's women-in-prison flick
In some indefinite future scenario, society is divided into two groups: an evil, tech-savvy, militaristic elite and the remainder, who look and act like Eastern Europeans from the 19th century. The story is told mainly from the point of view of two young village women, Shira (Nicole Nieth) and pickpocket Ariel (Kate Rodger), who, along with other women, are forced into slave labor in the dreaded Hell Mountain mines. (The fact that they do not recruit big husky men to do the job is somewhat explained by the fact that there is a weight restriction on who gets drafted).Shira's boyfriend attempts to spring her from the mountain prison by enlisting the help of the last of the 'teachers', apparently the only non-elite holdout left who is acquainted with the fine arts of shooting guns, blowing things up, and using high-tech equipment.However, the flick works best when the women are on the screen. Like most WIP films, this one features lesbianism, a sadistic female overseer (who takes a whip to Ariel), the mandatory 'hose-down', and a snarly queen bee (portrayed in over-the-top fashion by Sarah Douglas, in the kind of role she was born to play). But these gals don't just loll around in their make-up and Frederick's of Hollywood outfits--they've got work to do. The film presents gritty images of every detail of the women's arduous manual labor (although why such a high-tech society can't use more sophisticated mining methods is never explained). Oh well, all the better to catch liberal glimpses of female flesh through the holey, ragged work clothes they are issued.Unfortunately, the movie falls short when it comes to the breakout attempt. The ending seems rushed and cheap, as if the production crew started to run out of money and time near the end of filming. So viewers don't get the big emotional payoff we've been waiting for.The settings also seems oddly out of joint. 'Hell Mountain', when seen at a distance, resembles the opening credits background painting for Paramount Pictures (can they get sued for that?). Close up, the outside of the mountain looks like a cheesy school science project.Still, the inside of the mine is appropriately cramped, and makes a sharp contrast to the cavernous passages of the evil overlords. The lead actresses are appealing (especially Kate Rodger), and I give the flick credit for being different. Just don't mistake it for a Pam Grier epic.