The Student Body

source: The Student Body

A product of its time, THE STUDENT BODY has a rather absurd premise that was standard for the exploitation genre of the Seventies. Three female inmates, all young and sexy, agree to participate in an experiment at the local university on aggression. The girls are released from jail, but are monitored and have to live with the brainchild of the study, Dr. Blalock (Warren Stevens) and his cash cow wife played by Judith Roberts. This being exploitation cinema, the Blalocks have a strapping college-aged son (Peter Hooten) who takes a shine to the blond, Carrie (Jillian Kesner), while our daft professor assigns three of his horniest male students to monitor each girl individually. The stage is set for plenty sex, but the film, unlike others of this genre, actually veers toward the story rather than the nubile bodies. STORY ($$): The script is trite, with a few messages tossed in about control and rebellion, but the focus is more on the changes in the three girls as they ingest Dr. Blalock's experimental pills. The pills have a different effect on each girl, making Carrie more confrontational, as she seems to develop a need to argue. Mitzi (June Fairchild) becomes overly emotional, almost regressing to a childlike state, while Chicago (Janice Heiden) becomes uncontrollably concupiscent. Early in the film there was relatively equal treatment between the three female leads, but as the movie progressed, Chicago became the forgotten character. ACTING ($$$): Nobody really stands out in this film, either by giving a great performance or a terrible one. The three female leads are all fine in their roles. At times it seems that June Fairchild is overacting when Mitzi has one of her flighty fits, but I'd argue that it works for the character. SEX/NUDITY ($$$): This starts out with all the makings of a grindhouse skin-flick, with June Fairchild skinny-dipping, a group of jealous coeds bathing topless, and Peter Hooten admiring Jillian Kesner's torso, but the movie slowing edges away from the flesh exhibition and focuses on the change in the girls' behavior.

Three nubile young prison inmates -- fiery Carrie (slinky blonde Jillian Kesner), sassy Chicago (lovely eyeful Janice Heiden), and fragile Mitzi (foxy brunette June Fairchild) -- are chosen for an unorthodox college study on human behavior that's being conducted by shrink Professor Blalock (a solid turn by Warren Stevens). Unbeknownst to the gals, they are really being used as guinea pigs for an experimental drug that causes all of them to become more exceedingly hostile and unstable: Mitzi steals a giant stuffed penguin from a toy store display window, Chicago becomes aggressively libidinous, and Carrie suddenly develops a moral conscience. Ably directed with flair to spare by underrated 70's B-movie master Gus ("Nashville Girl") Trikonis, with a pleasing plenitude of tasty distaff nudity, a smidgen of soft-core sex, several cool set pieces (highlights include a rough'n'tumble catfight in an all-girls juvenile penitentiary, a rowdy pool party, and a smoky back alley high stakes craps game), a tight'n'trim 75 minute running time, profane dialogue, a pertinent central message about the dangers of unethical unregulated drug testing, and a winningly raunchy sense of breezy'n'easy irreverent humor, this flick serves up loads of infectiously trashy grindhouse fun. The three lady leads are hot, sexy and attractive (Fairchild in particular is absolutely adorable), plus they all are pretty capable actresses. This movie further benefits from spirited acting by an enthusiastic supporting cast: Peter Hooten as Blalock's hunky nice guy son Carter, Judith Roberts as the shrewish Ms. Blalock, Vic Jolley as the girls' uptight guardian Vernon, David Ankrum as the nerdy Leroy, and Faith Barnhart as the snippy Sharon. The always reliable Gary Graver's typically proficient cinematography does the trick. The groovy 70's cop show-style disco score by Don Bagley and Steve Michaels likewise hits the funky spot. A hugely entertaining and unjustly overlooked exploitation blast.

I've only actually seen this film because it was part of the 'Dupe Troop Summer' (long story). However, for a low budget, no audience kind of film it has a few bright spots. The scene where one of the girls starts to turn into a penguin and flaps around in a swimming pool is most amusing.