The Goddesses of Underground Cinema: Dyanne Thorne

American actress and fellow libra Dyanne Thorne was primarily active through the 1960s and 1970s. One of Thorne’s earliest roles and my personal favorite was as Yvette Talman in Joe Sarno’s 1964 film Sin in the Suburbs. Thorne appeared in a handful of sexploitation flicks like Lash of Lust and Love Me Like I do and had feature roles in Blood Sabbath and Point of Terror before starring in the role she would become best known for. Dyanne Thorne starred as Ilsa in the 1975 films Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS which would spawn two official sequels; Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976) and Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977). Cashing in on the popularity of the Ilsa character Jess Franco cast Thorne as Greta, the Mad Butcher aka Ilsa, the Wicked Warden. Thorne has a few credits in the 1980s but had retired from the acting scene by the end of the decade. Thorne has a PhD in Comparative Religion and along with husband actor Howard Maurer became ordained ministers and are currently living in Las Vegas where they run their own wedding service. Thorne made a brief return to film in 2013 with House of Forbidden Secrets and House of the Witchdoctor. I had a chance to meet the charsmatic Thorne in 2016 at Horrorama in Toronto. More petite than I would have imagined and full of energy; she looked amazing for a woman in her 70s! She was happy to chat about her roles and I loved that she got into character for photos! Hubby Howard Maurer was also in attendance signing autographs and posing with and without his wife. Such a personable couple who seemed to still be very fond of each after 43 years of marriage! If I ever get married again I definitely want to be married by these two.

“There have been so many broken hopes and false promises in my career. But I just keep on keeping on. It’s my versatility that has kept me alive — not necessarily my talent, but my willingness to try anything. I know I’ve brought pleasure to a certain group of people. If I had been in more conventional Hollywood films, perhaps I would have been lost in the shuffle.”

There is definitely a group of folks who love you Dyanne Thorne; you are without a doubt one of The Goddesses of Underground Cinema!

Dyanne Thorne plays Yvette Talman in Joe Sarno’s aptly named Sin in the Suburbs. Thorne is superb as the naughty Yvette; the entire cast is great! Read my review of the film HERE.

In Point of Terror Dyanne Thorne plays Andrea Hilliard, the wife of a wheelchair bound record producer. She falls for a lounge singer who she lures into a relationship in exchange for a record contract. Thorne is the highlight in this one as the bitchy and conniving Andrea. I have no clue why this film is called Point of Terror, obviously a marketing thing, as there is zero terror outside of having to hear another one of the lounge singer character’s songs.

Dyanne Thorne as Greta in Greta, The Mad Butcher aka Ilsa The Wicked Warden aka Wanda, the Wicked Warden oversees a women’s psychiatric hospital with a heavy hand. A woman poses as a patient to learn what has happened to her sister and discovers the warden’s ugly secrets. Nudity, sex, torture, everything you would expect from an Ilsa film or a Franco film for that matter. Thorne stars with Franco staples Lina Romay and Tania Busselier; hubby Howard Maurer plays Thorne’s lover. An entertaining outing though not as brutish as I would have liked it to be.

Dyanne Thorne stars as Alotta: Queen of the Witches in Blood Sabbath. Sort of a mash up of The Little Mermaid and Snow White but with nudity. A Vietnam vet is resting in the forest when he is chased away by a gaggle of nude broads. In the process he trips on a rock and is knocked unconscious. He is awoken by a water nymph and the two fall in love much to the chagrin of Alotta, queen of the witches. A bit of a red hot mess this one, but it is alright for some shits and giggles. Thorne once again is the highlight; I loved her mocking contempt for all those who tried to challenge her authority!

I watched Wam Bam Thank You Spaceman during my 2013 SWV project and it was a bit of a task getting through it. I attempted to watch the hardcore adult version for this segment but Eek! Could not do it, 25 minutes was enough of that hairy debacle! Dyanne Thorne Plays a nameless hooker in Wam Bam Thank You Spaceman that is “probed” by one of the aliens whose goal it is to impregnate earth women.

Ilsa She Wolf of the SS

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks

Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia

The Ilsa Files

No feature on Dyanne Thorne would be complete without highlighting her role as the nefarious Ilsa! The original script for Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS was written by André Link and John Dunning of Canadian film company Cinepix, David F. Friedman produced and Don Edmonds directed. Ilsa is a sadistic commander in a Nazi prison camp intent on proving woman can tolerate more pain than men. Horny and barbarous her cruelty knows no bounds. Torture, violence and more sex and nudity than you can shake a whip at. Ilsa finds herself new employment working for an oil sheik in Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. Kidnapping desirable women from all over the world for the purpose of sex slaves. Americans arrive to make a deal with the sheik; Ilsa inevitably falls for the commander which needless to say complicates her position. This one also features Russ Meyer regulars Uschi Digard and Haji. Holy exploding diaphragms Batman! Less salty than the original Ilsa film but still lots of nudity and violence, it is my personal favorite of the trio. Ilsa’s next adventure takes her to Siberia where she supervises a gulag towards the end of Stalin’s reign. The Siberia section of  Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia is lively and Ilsa-esque; torture, sex with guards, feeding prisoners to her tiger etc. It loses some lustre when the action movies to a bordello in Montreal. Not without some entertaining bits and bites I just found it to be an anti-climatic end to the trio of films.

Images for all three Ilsa Films are courtesy of  the fabulous Wrong Side of the Art the best spot on the net to find exploitation posters and lobby cards!

Dyanne Thorne Filmography/TV Credits

House of the Witchdoctor (2013)
House of Forbidden Secrets (2013)
Real Men (1987)
Aria (1987)
La nieve del sur (1985)
Hellhole (1985)
Space (TV Mini-Series) (1985)
Pleasure Palace (TV Movie) (1980)
Up Yours (1979)
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (TV Series) (1979)
B.J. and the Bear (TV Series) (1979)
Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977)
Wanda, the Wicked Warden (1977)
The Gulag Massacre (Short) (1976)
Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy (1976)
Lollipop Palace (1976)
Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976)
Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975)
Beyond Fulfillment (1975)
The Swinging Barmaids (1975)
Alias Big Cherry (1975)
Wam Bam Thank You Spaceman (1975)
Blood Sabbath (1972)
Point of Terror (1971)
Pinocchio (1971)
Snatched Women (1971)
Love Me Like I Do (1970)
Star Trek (TV Series) (1968)
The President’s Analyst (1967)
The Felony Squad (TV Series) (1966)
Encounter (Short) (1965)
Sin in the Suburbs (1964)
Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)
Lash of Lust (1962)
Who Was That Lady? (1960)