Terrifying Girl’s High School:

Lynch Law Classroom

(1972)

directed by Norifumi Suzuki

reviewed by Garrett Cook

02.08.2008

After Tarantino's Kill Bill, America's enthusiasm for Japanese girl gangster cinema started to grow, giving people access to these violent, sexually charged whirlwinds of intensity. But Kill Bill was cleaned up and given a veneer of respectability that goes against everything these movies stood for. Kill Bill is the table wine equivalent of the bathtub moonshine that is true girl boss cinema. Terrifying Girl's High School: Lynch Law Classroom is a great example of this. This amazing film deals with a gang of young girls, the leader of whom is played by Japanese cult star Miki Sugimoto who is sent to a corrupt, sexually exploitative girl's school, where Miki is looking into the death of her former lieutenant at the hands of the school's "Discipline Committee". It goes without saying that this discipline committee is not made up of laid back guitar strumming RA's who you can go to anytime to talk things out or "just chill".

This being Japanese cult cinema from the early seventies, these girls are harsh. Punishments range from public humiliation due to bathroom withdrawal to outright exsanguination. When it comes to discipline, these girls are more Dr. Phibes, these girls are more Dr. Phibes then Dr. Spock. Depending on your personal temperament and cinematic preferences these scenes can be anything from nauseating to sexy. If your idea of a romantic night at home involves popping in Nekromantik, you'll probably go with sexy. If not, the torture and exploitation might be shocking and depraved. Under the threat of such punishment, and seeking to expose the Discipline Committee's crime, Miki and the girls use their wits, their sexuality and their strong convictions to fight back. Terrifying Girl's High School is in this way, not just Japanese cult thrills, but strong social commentary. The girls are put into a dangerous and demeaning world, where corruption reigns and can only be triumphed over by extreme measures. As a commentary on the terrifying and oppressive atmosphere of high schools, it outdoes even the famous school scenes in Pink Floyd's the Wall. Teaming up with a shady reporter and gang rival Reiko Ike, the girls use the press and their seductive wiles to bring down the upper echelons of the school, but it is not until the end in a ballet of poetic violence that they truly succeed. The ending's defiant punk sensibilities, as well as steamy sex scenes will no doubt appeal to the pissed off teenager in all of us. Terrifying Girl's High Schoo, is available in Panik House's Pinky Violence Collection with three other films, which sadly, lack the chaotic abandon, torture and surreal edge that this film has. Still, the collection is a must have for fans of sexually charged Japanese gang cinema.

A shocking, fun, edgy must see.

Buy your copy at Amazon.com: Terrifying Girl’s High School