Satan's School for Girls (1973)

Satan's School for Girls is a 1973 made-for-tv horror film directed by David Lowell Rich, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The film has been named as one of the most memorable TV movies of the 1970s

The film opens with a mysterious person chasing a student, Martha Sayers (Terry Lumley). The same day, the police and her sister Elizabeth (Pamela Franklin) find her hanged in her room. The police overrule her death as an unmotivated suicide, but Elizabeth refuses to believe this and goes into further investigation. She is planning on visiting the exclusive academy which Martha attended, the Salem Academy for women, despite warnings of Martha's roommate Lucy Dembrow (Gwynne Gilford). Under the assumed name of Elizabeth Morgan, she enrolls at the college, where she is welcomed by her classmates Roberta Lockhart (Kate Jackson), Debbie Jones (Jamie Smith Jackson) and Jody Keller (Cheryl Ladd).


Elizabeth quickly notices the strange occurrences in school. After one of the unusual classes, Debbie has an outburst in the middle of school. Meanwhile, the feared headmistress, Mrs. Jessica Williams (Jo Van Fleet), is worried about 'the new girl', Elizabeth. When word comes out that Lucy has committed suicide, Elizabeth resumes her investigation. She becomes intrigued with a painting from Debbie of Martha in a dungeon-like room. Debbie is terrified of the painting and claims she made up the background, but Elizabeth finds an identical setting in the cellar of the campus. There, she runs away when she spots a person with a sharp weapon, who turns out to be Professor Delacroix (Lloyd Bochner). The next night, Elizabeth returns to the cellar with Roberta, who is now suspicious as well. They locate a hidden room in which they find the dead body of Debbie, who earlier that evening tried to leave the campus. Elizabeth suspects that Delacroix is responsible, considering his odd behavior and an experiment in class in which he drives mice to their deaths. Elizabeth thinks Delacroix is doing the same with the students and breaks into his office, only to find him in a deranged state, with a gun in his hand. He fears something supernatural is after him and jumps through the window. After running around, he ends up helpless in a swamp, where he is beaten with sticks by some of the students, including Jody. Meanwhile, the otherwise popular Dr. Joseph Clampett (Roy Thinnes) reveals himself as the person responsible for all the murders to the headmistress, and he orders her to evacuate the school, leaving behind Elizabeth and Roberta. When she hears some cars driving away, Elizabeth runs outside, only to find the body of a brutally murdered Delacroix. She and Roberta turn to

 Williams for help, but she has gone insane as well, fearing for a woman named Abigail. When they are unsuccessful in calling the police, Elizabeth and Roberta go to the cellar to find a gun. There, they find the satanic cult of Clampett. Among his followers believing that he is Satan are Jody, and Roberta reveals herself as his loyal servant. Elizabeth is able to escape when Clampett sets the school on fire, and she is able to take Williams with her. The girls, however, stay behind to sacrifice themselves, as does Clampett, who, actually being supernatural, is later seen outside, then disappearing.



SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
DAVID LOWELL RICH  (1973)
ABC TELEVISION
83 MIN
USA