‘Die Weibchen,’ aka “The Females,” is a 1970 horror drama film directed by Zbynek Brynch. The film centers around an attractive 24-year-old Eve (played by Uschi Glas) who is mentally exhausted and close to a nervous breakdown. She travels to an exclusive health spa for women for a six-week treatment on her doctor’s advice.
Upon her arrival, a woman carrying Valerie Solanas’ radical feminist SCUM Manifesto greets her. This gives her the first indication of the world she is about to enter. All the other women then greet her in succession, and we catch a glimpse of Adam, the gardener, a rather freakish-looking large man with scars across his face (played by Fred Coplan). The spa is where women from all over the world, who are carefully selected patients, come to recover and regenerate under the care of Dr. Barbara (played by Gisela Fischer).
Eve’s nightmare begins when, one day, she discovers a man in a closet with a knife in his back. As the film progresses, Eve suspects that the female spa guests are using the men present for their sexual adventures, only to kill them after making love, leaving her horrified and afraid. She tries to warn the remaining unsuspecting men about the “man-devouring” females, but no one believes her.
One day, Eve discovers a pair of shoes that belonged to one of the victims when, in fact, it appears Adam was in the middle of burying the evidence. As she picks up the shoe, Adam grabs her arm, and a chase ensues, only to be intercepted by a nurse who, in turn, then comforts her. Eve then finds the business card that was given to her by the cab driver at the beginning of the film; Eve phones to get her to pick her up and take her to the police station, only to be greeted by Dr. Barbabra, where she is drugged and taken back to the spa. When she wakes up, she spots Adam carrying an object draped in a cloth and decides to follow. She discovers it in a greenhouse, and upon a reveal, we cut to a praying mantis devouring its mate; we then intercut the praying mantis and with her shock and horror before she flees in panic.
There is then a strange women’s lib moment where all the women get excited and remove their bras; Eve uses this moment to warn the other men, while the mob of primarily topless women seemingly attack a Franciscanian priest. This leads to a pool party scene where, again, the women attack a lone male in attendance and appear to drown him.
In the penultimate scene, Eve crosses the road at the garage, where some of the women are cutting up a male victim using a buzz saw. She casually watches from the doorway where there suddenly seems to be an air of calm around Eve. We then see the detective, with whom clearly some sort of sexual favor has been set up, but we know that now Eve has been converted. The film ends as Eve greets a new guest arriving at the spa. She is now a greeter.
The film explores the relationship between women and men in society. It plays off the concept that an emancipated young girl who is struggling with mental health is deemed weak and not taken seriously; what further complicates this dynamic is the fact that the women that she is surrounded by seem to have, in turn, resorted to animalistic behavior in the name of feminism.
“Die Weibchen,” aka “The Females,” not only reflects on the societal expectations placed on women but also comments on the dangers of conformity and the suppression of individuality.
The Other Cinema 