This bizarre slice of "Drive-In" cinema takes obvious influence from films such as Psycho, and handles the graphic and unsettling themes of incest, rape, torture and necrophilia. The film wallows in its sadistic nature, and it's rather unsurprising that Schoolgirls in Chains has suffered banning in several countries, including the UK (although it's not an official Video Nasty). It has to be said, however, that it really isn't all that good; as while the themes comes across in a way that is as sick and as sleazy as possible; the whole piece is actually rather boring on the whole. If you go into this film expecting something along the lines of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Last House on the Left, you will no doubt come out disappointed; as Donald M. Jones' film is as good as neither notorious film. The plot follows the antics of two deranged brothers who take delight in holding schoolgirls captive by chaining them up in their basement. However, they're not content with merely holding the girls; as the brothers' sick and sadistic nature means that they have to subject the girls to a number of humiliating games.

As you would expect from a film with a title like "Schoolgirls in Chains", the atmosphere is very sleazy; and shots that see the young, innocent girls wearing a collar pretty much sum the film up. Director Donald M. Jones (probably a pseudonym) stays away from making the film overly erotic, however, and it's probably a good thing that Schoolgirls in Chains doesn't depict the actions of its lead characters in a favourable light. Jones' direction is solid, but since this film was made for the drive-in, you can't expect any directorial brilliance - and this film doesn't have any. The acting is similar in that it's nothing to write home about, although both Gary Kent and John Stoglin get to have fun in their absurd roles. Stoglin plays the retarded side of the pair of brothers, but it's Gary Kent who wins most of the plaudits where the acting is concerned for his portrayal of the more subdued side of the pair. The locations are well used, and the house in which most of the film takes place is suitably rural and isolated. Overall, this film isn't bad and will no doubt appeal to exploitation fans; but it's not as great as similar seventies genre efforts such as The Last House on the Left and House on Straw Hill.

The 1970s was the era of cheap 'n' sleazy chicks-in-peril movies that saw dozens of often unknown, unremarkable starlets being menaced by sweaty, swarthy, ugly men. All across the backwoods of America, low-budget film-makers were churning out these 'grindhouse' releases for the masses, to disgust discerning viewers and entertain perverts. Seen today, these movies seem a little sad, a little desperate to grab the viewer's attention. Their sole purpose is to shock, to titillate and disgust. Wes Craven's LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is the best known, but many other, virtually forgotten movies came out in its wake and this is one of them.

From the beginning, the most obvious influence on this film is PSYCHO. Though it's never shown explicitly, there's a guy who dresses up as his deceased mother to retain control over his household. The acting is pretty much what you'd expect from the amateur nature of the proceedings, but that's not to say the film isn't realistic: it is. Sometimes too realistic, especially in the kinky game that the child-minded brother likes to play with his victims, which invariably involve the young women undressing. There's a little action, including the inevitable chased-through-the-woods-by-a-psycho moments, but it's mainly saved for the admittedly decent climax. John Stoglin overacts as you'd expect, playing a maniac with a child's mind, but his brother is played by a professional actor, Gary Kent, who gives a good performance.

I did enjoy this film's photography – the camera-work is well-handled and the various scenes well staged, with interesting points of view. Unfortunately, what music exists is diabolical. One chase seen has somebody howling "run" on the soundtrack, which completely fails to have the intended effect and instead proves to be a laughable scene. A distasteful rape scene is made ten times worse by the inclusion of cheesy romantic music on the soundtrack! I mean, who in their right mind would add that? Although the film isn't really very violent, it is unpleasant thanks to the conversations about incest and scenes such as the one where a young girl is stripped down and has a syringe stuck in her bottom. Not something anyone would want to see, I imagine, but it was the 1970s and anything went.

Sullen, reserved Frank (excellently played with brooding intensity by Gary Kent, who also doubled as the movie's production manager) and his retarded, infantile brother John (a genuinely creepy portrayal by John Stoglin) are a couple of severely misogynistic wackos who get their sick kicks abducting lovely young ladies and holding them hostage in the dingy basement of their remote countryside home. Of course, the decidedly unwholesome sibling pair treat said gals like complete animals and play all sorts of depraved games with them (John in particular likes to play twisted adult versions of doctor and leapfrog with the girls). Writer/director Donald M. Jones does a bang-up job of creating and sustaining a dark, grim, and seamy tone that never lets up for a minute and stays bitterly true to itself right until the perfectly depressing bummer ending. While not that graphic, this film still manages to cast a powerfully bleak and unsettling spell because of its unsparingly harsh and gloomy oppressive atmosphere: A pervasive sense of foul dread and unease hangs heavy throughout like some kind of wretched invisible fog. The uniformly sound acting from the capable cast helps out a whole lot: Veteran B-movie thespian Kent delivers a bravura characterization as a soft-spoken psycho who's prone to frightening sudden mood swings, "Macon County Line" 's Cheryl Waters (Cheryl appears in this flick under the pseudonym Leah Tate),Merrie Lynn Ross (Perry King's pregnant wife in "Class of 1984"),and Suzanne Lund are solid and credible as the brothers' hapless and scared victims, Stafford Morgan does well as likable college professor hero Robert Matthews, and Stoglin makes your skin crawl with his full-bore lunacy as the single most unnervingly unbalanced man-child fruitcake this side of Sid Haig in "Spider Baby." Jones' script covers all the necessary slimy bases: We've got rape (the scene with Frank forcing himself sexually on one of the ladies is pretty ugly and upsetting stuff),nudity, incest, perversion, voyeurism, soft-core sex, and cold-blooded murder. Ron Garcia's rough, yet lively cinematography gives the picture a properly grainy and unpolished look. Josef Powell's offbeat score neatly alternates between groovy jazz and droning atonal weirdness. Highly recommended viewing for 70's exploitation cinema buffs.