ILSA, TIGRESS OF SIBERIA
Genre
Horror, Action
Language
VOA
Duration
91
Rating
Synopsis
LES NUITS DE LA 4e DIMENSION PRESENTS
ILSA, THE TIGRESS OF SIBERIA
Canadian Premiere of the New 4K Restoration!
It only took four feature films to elevate the terrifying ‘Ilsa’ to the status of ‘B’ movie icon. Often imitated but never equaled, this controversial character embodies an entire segment of exploitation cinema. Always played by the colossal Dyanne Thorne, this globetrotter causes chaos wherever she stomps her boots. She even made her mark on Quebecois cinema with the deviant ILSA, THE TIGRESS OF SIBERIA!
This 1977 film, directed by Jean Lafleur (the infamous ‘Astar the Robot’ commercial!) and produced by Cinépix (with Roger Corman and Ivan Reitman under pseudonym), would be the last of the Ilsa series, and was filmed entirely in Quebec. Even better, the second act takes place in Montreal! The film has an undeniable local flavour, with a hockey match at the old Forum, as well as montage scenes of snowmobile chases.
Continuity is not important, as Ilsa is first found at the head of a Gulag camp in the middle of the Soviet tundra. By day, she makes life difficult for the imprisoned political dissidents. By night, she revels in orgies where the vodka flows freely. But Ilsa’s reign of sexual terror is soon threatened by the arrival of a new prisoner who dares to stand up to her. Thus begins the gory odyssey that will take the despot to the banks of the St. Lawrence River.
Featuring a man-eating beast, an equally voracious snowblower, and a grotesque ancestor of virtual reality, ILSA, THE TIGRESS OF SIBERIA aims itself at cinephiles who are not easily intimidated. This gem of midnight cinema impresses as much with its excess of bloodshed as with its bawdy buffoonery. Les nuits de la 4e dimension is honoured to host the Canadian premiere of the 4K restoration, an initiative of Kino Lorber.
Release year
1977
Release date
February 19, 2026
Directed by
Jean LaFleur
Country
Canada (Québec)
Actors
Dyanne Thorne, Michel-René Labelle, Jean-Guy Latour, Gilbert Beaumont, Ray Landry