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.

"Play Motel" is a very sleazy giallo – a good thriller with generous doses of sex.

"Play Motel" is the name of a motel located in Rome. There's a complex web of deceit and blackmail linked to this motel. People belonging to the upper levels of society are attracted to the Play Motel and are photographed while they are engaged in their "games". Suddenly things get out of control and mainly "models", somehow linked to the blackmail scheme, begin to get murdered.

The investigations are led by Detective Inspector de Sanctis (Anthony Steffen), and he's aided by a couple, Roberto (Ray Lovelock) and Patrizia (Anna Maria Rizzoli).

The film is not just sleazy (featuring even some hardcore scenes), but funny and thrilling as well, featuring the always acid Italian humor. There are many pretty women and the sex scenes are very good (and funny too!). I also like the soundtrack (and in particular the film's theme song – "Play Motel").

Stop by the "Play Motel" and have a lot of fun!

Play Motel is something of a cross between Giallo and your standard sleaze film; as the common Giallo theme of sex is revved up, while the other staple of the genre; namely, murder mystery, is pretty much forgotten about in favour of showing as much skin as possible. As you might expect given that premise, the sleaze factor is amazingly high, and director Mario Gariazzo appears to be trying to imitate the likes of Jess Franco with his sex-heavy plot line. The way that the actual plot is lost under all the skin is actually quite comical, as it's clearly there just to take advantage of the (at the time) popular Giallo sub-genre. But then again, you've got to expect that sort of thing from Italian filmmakers! The plot focuses on a place called 'Play Motel'. Sexual activity is rife there, but unfortunately for the guests; Play Motel has a peeping tom on the premises, and he enjoys snapping pictures of love making couples and then blackmailing the wealthy victims with the threat of making the photographs public. We follow a half-assed investigation into the crimes...

The film has something of a reputation among cult fans for being raunchy, but actually the sex is rather soft considering what can be viewed in similar films. That being said, the film is quite a long way away from being clean; and we still get to see various taboos being broken. The music is what really makes this film what it is, as Play Motel features some of the most ridiculous sounds ever to grace a Giallo. The title song is hardly 'Hotel California', and the way some corny music comes on every time two people are about to get it on works well. Despite being trash, Play Motel actually features a rather decent cult cast. Ray Lovelock is the biggest name with regards to the actors, and he receives decent support from Antonio De Teffè, as well as buxom females such as Enzo Fisichella ('Big Alligator River'), Patrizia Webley (The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance) and Marina Hedman (Images in a Convent). The blackmail plot gets resolved at the end, although it's completely uninteresting. However, this film is really all about smut and sleaze; and on that front, Play Motel certainly delivers!

"Play Motel" is a very rare giallo that features Ray Lovelock in a tale of a Motel that has a playroom designed for more interesting sexual liaisons.The place also makes a habit of photographing the sexual encounters and blackmailing the parties involved.Add to this a black gloved killer and some hard core inserts and you have one of the weirdest giallos your ever going to see."Play Motel" by Mario Gariazzo mixes giallo,crime and comedy with plenty of hard core sex.The music is pretty bad,however the addition of black gloved killer is a nice touch.Ray Lovelock and Annamaria Rizzoli are very enjoyable as the two lovers.Overall,I loved this ultra-sleazy giallo and you should too,if you are into Italian smut.9 out of 10.

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.