Satan’s School for Girls

Satan’s School for Girls

Year: 1973

Runtime: 78 mins

Language: English

Director: David Lowell Rich

MysteryHorrorTV MovieHorror the undead and monster classicsTerrifying haunted and supernatural horror

Set within the grim walls of Fallbridge College for Girls, a young woman enrolls under an assumed name to uncover the truth behind her sister's apparent suicide. At the school she discovers a secret coven of witches known as The Five, and learns that she possesses the occult traits they need to unleash their plan to dominate the world.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Satan’s School for Girls (1973)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Satan’s School for Girls (1973). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Los Angeles, The Salem Academy for Women, Elizabeth's sister's lakeside house

The action centers around a lakeside house in Los Angeles and the exclusive Salem Academy for Women, a secluded campus for young women. The academy features a dungeon-like cellar and hidden rooms that become crucial clues in Elizabeth's investigation. The lakeside house provides a domestic counterpoint to the school's gothic atmosphere, grounding the story in tangible, real-world spaces. The campus setting emphasizes secrecy, surveillance, and the power dynamics that govern student life.

🌊 Lakeside setting 🏫 Private women’s academy 🔎 Mystery

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

Main Characters – Satan’s School for Girls (1973)

Meet the key characters of Satan’s School for Girls (1973), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Elizabeth (Pamela Franklin)

Elizabeth is fiercely determined and resourceful, adopting the alias Elizabeth Morgan to infiltrate the Salem Academy. She refuses to accept the police's suicide ruling and relentlessly pursues clues, even when danger closes in. Her courage and skepticism drive the investigation, forcing others to confront uncomfortable truths.

🕵️‍♀️ Investigator 💪 Determined 🧠 Analytical

Roberta Lockhart (Kate Jackson)

Roberta starts as a supportive classmate who becomes a crucial ally in Elizabeth’s investigation. She grows increasingly wary of the academy’s secrets and eventually reveals a darker allegiance to Clampett’s cult. Her shifting loyalties add tension and betrayals within the campus community.

🤝 Ally 🧭 Skeptical 🕸️ Dual loyalties

Debbie Jones (Jamie Smith-Jackson)

Debbie is an emotionally volatile student who paints the dungeon-like background for the mysterious setting. She has a tense temperament and becomes a victim in the string of murders that plague the campus. Her actions hint at the fear and desperation bubbling beneath the surface.

🎨 Artist 😨 Vulnerable 🗡️ Victim

Jody Keller (Cheryl Ladd)

Jody is one of the campus’s popular students who wades into the occult intrigue. She gradually aligns with Clampett and participates in the cult's activities. Her popularity and loyalty to the group complicate Elizabeth’s effort to uncover the truth.

🎯 Influential 🔗 Loyal to cult 🤐 Secretive

Mrs. Jessica Williams (Jo Van Fleet)

The headmistress is a figure of control who worries about the influence of the new girl and the school's reputation. Her authority masks a deteriorating grip on reality as the events spiral and she ultimately descends into insanity. She becomes an unreliable ally as the truth comes to light.

🏫 Authority 🧭 Control 🌀 Unstable

Professor Delacroix (Lloyd Bochner)

Delacroix is an eccentric and mildly sadistic professor whose behavior alienates students and feeds suspicion. He fears something supernatural stalking him and meets a violent end at the hands of the students who are not what they seem. His death underscores the campus’s danger and the blurred lines between science and superstition.

🧪 Eccentric 🕷️ Detached 🗡️ Victim

Dr. Joseph Clampett (Roy Thinnes)

Clampett is the mastermind behind the killings, secretly leading a Satanic cult within the academy. He manipulates authority figures and students alike, presenting himself as a savior while orchestrating murder. Even after the fire, his supposed demise remains ambiguous as he disappears, hinting at a lasting evil.

🧿 Mastermind 🧠 Manipulative 🔥 Cult Leader

Lucy Dembrow (Gwynne Gilford)

Lucy is Martha’s roommate who becomes entangled in the campus’s dark events. She succumbs to the mounting pressure and ultimately commits suicide, a tragic reminder of the fear that grips the school. Her death foreshadows the danger lurking behind the academy's polished facade.

💃 Classmate 😵 Tragic ⚰️ Victim

Martha Sayers (Terry Lumley)

Martha is the initial victim whose pursuit by a mysterious figure sets the plot in motion. Her death triggers Elizabeth’s investigation and reveals the dangerous undercurrents of the academy. Although physically gone early, Martha’s fate drives the narrative’s sense of peril and mystery.

🧭 Catalyst 🎭 Victim 🕊️ Tragic

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

Major Themes – Satan’s School for Girls (1973)

Explore the central themes of Satan’s School for Girls (1973), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕯️ Occult

A yet unseen Satanic cult operates within the academy, driving the murders and creating a sense of supernatural dread. The plot blends ritualistic imagery with real-world danger, suggesting dark forces at work behind closed doors. Clampett’s manipulation and the students’ complicity reveal how fear and power can fuel religious-like devotion to a charismatic leader. The investigation uncovers the cult’s reach and the deadly consequences of its beliefs.

🏫 School Dynamics

The Salem Academy functions as a closed social system where authority figures exert strict control and students navigate rigid hierarchies. The headmistress and faculty prioritize conformity and order, often masking their vulnerabilities behind a veneer of polish. Secrets, rumors, and peer pressure shape behavior and loyalty within the campus. Elizabeth’s intrusion disrupts this balance and exposes the fragility of institutional power.

🔍 Investigation

Elizabeth embarks on a dangerous pursuit of truth after uncovering inconsistencies in her sister's death and the academy’s odd happenings. Clues emerge from the painting in the cellar, the hidden rooms, and the sudden deaths of several students. The story pits reason against fear as she confronts a propagandized worldview held by others. The climax—the fire and Clampett’s mysterious survival—tests whether truth can outlive deception.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:13

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Satan’s School for Girls Summary

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Satan’s School for Girls Summary

Satan’s School for Girls Timeline

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Satan’s School for Girls Timeline

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