Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS
US theatrical release poster
Directed by	Don Edmonds
Written by	John C.W. Saxton (as Jonah Royston)
Produced by	David F. Friedman (as Herman Traeger)
Starring	Dyanne Thorne
Cinematography	Glenn Roland
Edited by	Kurt Schnit
Production companies	Aeteas Filmproduktions Cinépix Film Properties
Distributed by	Cinépix Film Properties
Release date	January 1975 (1975-01) (Boston)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS is a 1975 Canadian nazisploitation film about a sadistic and sexually voracious Nazi prison camp commandant. The film is directed by American filmmaker Don Edmonds and produced by David F. Friedman for Cinépix Film Properties in Montreal. The film stars Dyanne Thorne in the title role, who is loosely based on Ilse Koch, a convicted war criminal and overseer at the Buchenwald concentration camp.^[1]

Upon its release in early 1975, the film was immediately met with widespread controversy and critical derision, with Gene Siskel calling it "the most degenerate picture I have seen to play downtown". Particular criticism was directed at the film's graphic violence, which includes depictions of castration, flagellation, human experimentation, and many other forms of torture. Word of mouth quickly spread, and the film was a considerable financial success, becoming a staple of grindhouse and drive-in theaters.

The popularity of the film led to the creation of three sequels, each of which saw Thorne reprise her role. The film's infamy eventually evolved into a considerable cult following, with the character of Ilsa becoming a pop cultural icon ubiquitous with "strong, aggressive" female authority.^[2][3] The film is considered one of the prominent entries of the Nazi exploitation sub-genre, and to a lesser degree the sexploitation sub-genre.