Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable



Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973) is the third entry in the original Female Convict Scorpion series, all of which star Meiko Kaji as Nami, revenge-driven guest of the Japanese penal system. The series is exploitation trash, but with enough arty touches that your soul doesn't feel permanently soiled by watching them. At least, that how I felt about the first two entries, Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion (1972) and Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972). Beast Stable ups the perversion level a great deal. Just the first quarter hour of the movie features a murder, a dismemberment, incest, prostitution and a hint of cannibalism. That's efficiency!


He's been disarmed. Ha ha ha ha! I've got a million of 'em, folks!

Nami has escaped from prison again. Two plainclothes detectives catch up to her on a subway car. Nami immediately slits the throat of one, then runs for an open door. The remaining detective, Kondo, handcuffs himself to Nami, which is a bit of a strategic error on his part. As the subway door closes Nami hacks Kondo's arm off with her knife, then goes running through the busy city streets with the dismembered appendage flapping behind her.


Death by Warhol.

Later a prostitute named Yuki (who has a retarded brother -- she has sex with him to keep him calm) finds Nami in a graveyard. It almost looks like Nami is gnawing on Kondo's arm, but the movie doesn't dwell on this. A few days later Nami starts a new life as a seamstress, but Yuki's pimp spots her and gives Nami an ultimatum: be his girl or he'll turn her into the police. In yet another strategic error he misses a third option: Nami kills his dumb ass. His death does not go unnoticed and Nami is kidnapped by the local prostitution ring, which in turn is run by Katsu, a woman who knows Nami from prison. In the third strategic error of the movie Katsu decides to torture Nami rather than killing her outright, because that's worked so well the 15 times previous times people have tried it. I shouldn't have to tell you Nami escapes and goes on a killing spree.


Seven days after reading this caption, you will die.

Beast Stable has plenty of perversion, but it doesn't have as much artistic merit as the previous films. There are still a few shots done with weird filters and effects, but it's not enough to wash away the feeling that this movie was not good my moral health. The plot sags in the second half, though there is a really impressive scene, decades before it's time, of Nami outrunning fireballs in the sewers. The ending is really silly, with the notorious Nami somehow getting herself incarcerated on a minor charge without anyone realizing who she is, just to get at Katsu.

Posted: Mon - January 24, 2005 at      

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