Play Motel

You hear that? That's the sound of the giallo scraping the bottom. Actually, this is part of what had become a general trend in the giallo genre by the late 1970's--rampant softcore (and in some versions, hardcore) sex in the place of the traditional thriller or mystery elements. Gialli always had a lot of sex in them, of course, and as early as "Slaughter Hotel" in 1971 some of them had pretty much crossed into softcore porn territory, but by this time the genre had pretty much passed the point of no return and eventually would be come indistinguishable from the dismal "erotic thriller" genre that is still with us today in Italy and America.

That being said, this movie still has a few things going for it. It does have a genuine plot(even if it's brought to a dead halt periodically for a long sex scene or nude modelling scene). The action centers around the titular "Play Motel" where wealthy customers are being secretly photographed during their rendevouzs and blackmailed, which of course, as it always does, leads to murder. After a body is dumped in the trunk of their car while they're enjoying some "afternoon delight" in the motel, an attractive young couple (Ray Lovelock and Anna-Maria Rizzoli) decide to go undercover and investigate (with the active encouragement of the police--I guess they do things differently in Italy). We thereby get to witness such perverted spectacles as a guy dressed as devil giving it to a prostitute dressed as a nun, and a guy dressed as a priest getting it on with the voluptuous Patrizia Webley (from "Malabimba"). The hardcore version also features Maria Franjese aka Marina Lotar doing what she does best. The plot does hold together surprisingly well, however, given all the momentum-killing sex scenes. This is a better movie than the the similar "Sister of Ursula", released the same year (although, for better or worse, it does lack the tasteless "death by dildo" plot). It's certainly better than the vast majority modern-day erotic thrillers even if it's pretty damn lame for a giallo.

This is probably Ray Lovelock's worst movie, but it is a rare chance for non-Italians to see Anna-Maria Rizzoli, who otherwise appeared only in obscure Italian sex comedies that never made it out of Italy. She has a great body,of course, but also is genuinely pretty--more in the class of Edwige Fenech or Femi Benussi than that of her sexy but skanky co-stars Webley and Lotar. The movie is definitely sleazy, but not THAT sleazy, which might be good or bad depending on what you're looking for.

Down in the bottom of the barrel of Italian exploitation cinema is the subgenre of shocks and pornography. "Play Motel" aint filled with clumsy inserts of the Joe D'amato school, the actors 'perform' their deeds quite nicely both verbally and otherwise. And the cinematography is top notch. It's really a simple murder/revenge story but pretty well made, I might add. The hardcore scenes are thrown at you within 4 min. but the pace goes down in the last hour...still, a must for jaded fans of Italo smut!! Get the uncut version.

P.S. If anybody read DELIRIUM: Guide to Italian Exploitation Cinema 1974-79, the backphoto of the book (the red devil with horns & a whip + the naked nun) is from "Play Motel".

Eat your heart out, Norman Bates! Your uncanny motel only has a dead mother in the basement whereas, at Play Motel, there's kinky sex, severe blackmail and sadistic killing going on. This movie is a strange little outcast in the wonderful Italian sub genre of gialli. It honestly has a murder-story to tell, but it's more than obviously inferior to the incredibly large portions of rancid, gratuitous and semi-pornographic sex on display! Wealthy persons, mostly married but physically unsatisfied, gather here to make ALL their sexual fantasies come true. This includes dressing up like Satan and nuns, but also S&M and even intercourse with a bottle of champagne! However, these poor little perverts are unaware that the motel is also the home base of a blackmailing-network. Shortly after their visits, the guests receive incriminating photographical evidence of their little sleazy escapades and a demand to pay huge sums of money or else the pictures will be handed over to the media. When murder inevitable follows, the police (unorthodoxly, I may add) instructs a couple of actors to go undercover and infiltrate inside the dubious motel. This is an odd but strangely addictive movie, completely without suspense or surprises, yet extremely entertaining. The murder-plot and the killer's identity are the by far the most predictable I've ever seen, but you never seem to bother about this as the film introduces – oh yes – numerous gorgeous and naked women! The music, particularly the title song that can be heard whenever a couple checks into room number 4, is very catchy and fun. "Play Motel" is 100% pure and genuine TRASH, but a definite must for fans of Italian cult cinema. Hard to find, but give it your best shot (pun intended).

After finding the dead body of a woman in the trunk of their car, aspiring actor Roberto Vinci (Ray Lovelock) and his girlfriend Patrizia (stunning blonde Anna Maria Rizzoli) are recruited by the police to investigate a motel where the rich and powerful go to indulge in S&M themed sex games.

Play Motel's weak murder/blackmail plot-line just about qualifies this shameless smut-fest as a giallo, but the movie is far removed from the more acclaimed examples of the genre, films that frequently fused sex with violence but rarely allowed the nudity and nookie to be the driving force. Here, death, intrigue and suspense definitely play second fiddle to the abundant bumping and grinding, with even the occasional hardcore shot thrown in for good measure. Argento this is not! Needless to say, the stylish visuals, bloody set-pieces and snazzy soundtracks synonymous with the giallo are completely absent, replaced by an excess of writhing naked flesh, a couple of pedestrian strangulations, and a wonderfully cheesy theme song that kicks in every time the characters get jiggy—which is a lot.

The movie's dreadful narrative and shoddy direction mean that it is unlikely to appeal to serious connoisseurs of the giallo genre, but if the Euro-sleaze of Joe D'amato and Jess Franco has somehow found a way into your collection, then Play Motel, with its bevy of gorgeous babes and copious scenes of kinky sex, should be a no-brainer.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

A blackmail is the spark that starts this movie which, however, turns out to be rather weak even if not completely to be thrown away. Something is saved from the direction and the actors but overall the movie does not reach sufficiency.