The Washing Machine

Ruggero Deodato is, of course, best known for the exploitation classic Cannibal Holocaust; but he's directed a few lesser known films that aren't too far behind in quality - and this stylish, sexy romp is certainly one of them! It's true that I like good sleaze more than most people, but I can honestly say that if you've been intrigued by Giallo's such as Silvio Amandio's Amuck or Luciano Ercoli's Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, The Washing Machine is sure to delight! The focus with this film is purely on the sex scenes, and Deodato has managed to create a thriller that is surprisingly erotic, as he makes great use of his actress' assets! The film focuses on three sisters (intriguing enough on its own), who have to call the police when the body of a pimp named Yuri is found in their washing machine. However, when the inspector arrives, the body disappears - but this is a copper that doesn't let a case go easily, and after taking the decision to devote all of his free time to both the case and the three sisters in question, he soon finds himself a part of their sex games.

Given the plot and the fact that it stars three very sexy women, you would be forgiven for thinking that The Washing Machine is merely soft-core porn. Director Ruggero Deodato apparently said that he made this film purely for the money, but I find that hard to believe as great care and attention seems to have been put into the film. The lighting in many scenes is fantastic, while the score and lush Gothic locations enhance the surreal plot. Even the acting isn't bad, which is a huge rarity for Italian cinema. The three ladies make up the backbone of the film, and as you might expect; every scene that features them is a treat. The girls' look sexy whether they're dressed or not, and I'm pleased to say that all three of them spend more time in the latter state! The story plays second fiddle to the sex scenes, but it's admirable that a movie like this has a story at all. Deodato ensures that the movie flows well, and that there's always something of interest when none of the characters are having sex. Overall, The Washing Machine is extremely sleazy and surprisingly erotic; and while I may be praising it too highly, I've got to say that I really enjoyed the film and recommend it to anyone that likes their sleazy horror films!

I wasn't expecting too much from this movie-this is surely no "Cannibal Holocaust",but a decent erotic thriller from infamous Ruggero Deodato.It's very well-made,atmospheric and it has some really sensual sex scenes.The acting is pretty good(Polish actress Katarzyna Figura shines here as one of three sisters)and there's an unexpected and rather gross dismemberment scene which reminds me brilliant "Cannibal Holocaust".My evaluation:7 out of 10.Recommended!

In first few minutes of "The Washing Machine," Vida (busty Katarzyna Figura) has make up sex with her gangster boyfriend/pimp Yuri (Yorgo Voyagis) in front of an open refrigerator. Watching from the stairs is one of Vida's two sisters she shares the apartment with, Ludmilla (Barbara Ricci). Ludmilla hikes up her nightgown and spreads her legs to give us a perfect view of her white panties. Then she starts playing a triangle (no, that isn't a euphemism), Vida and Yuri seemingly oblivious to her musical accompaniment, until Vida looks over her shoulder to give her sister a knowing smile.

Things get weirder later that night when Ludmilla discovers Yuri's body hacked to pieces and stuffed inside the washing machine (hence the awful English title). Or did she? By the time the police arrive the next morning there is no body, because what's a giallo without a mysteriously disappearing corpse? But Ludmilla and her sisters Vida and Sissy report a murder anyway. Inspector Stacev (Philippe Caroit) dismisses the women as cranks, only to be drawn into conducting an investigation when the sisters contact him separately, alternately trying to seduce him (or flat out forcing themselves on him like Vida does) and tease him with information that might prove Yuri was murdered.

The plot of "The Washing Machine" doesn't withstand close scrutiny and often revelations are made as if screenwriter Luigi Spagnol just thought of them the day of filming (e.g., Ludmilla having a drinking problem, Stacev being into S/M). But with such crazy set pieces as Sissy (Ilaria Borrelli) having sex with Stacev in the middle of a museum while blind students wander around them, who cares?

"The Washing Machine" promises a sleazy good time and almost delivers. Where it disappoints is how it handles its numerous trashy elements. It's not that it goes too far; it often doesn't go far enough. Given that the movie is directed by Ruggero Deodato, the man who gave us "Cannibal Holocaust," it's downright tame. Breasts are exposed every 10 minutes or so, but the numerous sex scenes aren't terribly creative or explicit. The women seldom get totally naked (only Borrelli does full frontal) and the men all have sex completely clothed. There are Shannon Tweed vehicles that push the envelope further than this movie does. Deodato is less restrained with the gory moments, but there are few of those. For me, "The Washing Machine" is summed up in its opening scene: kinky and weird but refusing to take off its underwear.

I recently watched Umberto Lenzi's TV movie House of Lost Souls, in which a boy is decapitated by a a possessed washing machine. Knowing nothing about Ruggero Deodato's The Washing Machine, I half expected a film full of such appliance-based craziness, but was surprised by a distinct lack of killer kitchen equipment. The washing machine in this late giallo from the director of Cannibal Holocaust remains lifeless and doesn't kill anyone; it is merely the receptacle for the dismembered body of a murdered man. Or is it?

Inspector Alexander Stacev (Philippe Caroit) is called to investigate the suspected murder of pimp Yuri Petkov (Yorgo Voyagis), as reported by luscious lush Ludmilla Kolba (Barbara Ricci), who claims that she saw the man's gory remains stashed in the washing machine in the apartment that she shares with her two sisters, buxom call-girl Vida (Katarzyna Figura) and seductive cutie Maria (Ilaria Borrelli). Of course, by the time Stacev arrives at the girls' home, the body has disappeared, leaving the cop to believe that Ludmilla imagined everything, the hallucinations of an alcoholic. Ludmilla continues to press the cop to investigate, and not one to say no to a beautiful woman (or three), he does so, his police procedure involving having sex with all three Kolba sisters (not at the same time - he's not THAT lucky!).

Often, when a giallo goes down the sleazy route, there's some indication of the sordid content in the title: Strip Nude For Your Killer, Naked You Die, Perversion Story, French Sex Murders... you get the idea. Not so here... hidden behind a misleadingly innocuous title lies an endless procession of semi-clothed or naked babes, Deodato filling the screen with as much tempting female flesh as possible: barely a minute goes by without some kind of gratuitous nudity, whether it be from the three sisters, or one of the random strippers that plug the gaps. The film's twisty-turny plot is fairly routine for the genre, and there are no elaborately staged death scenes, so it's a real bonus that there's so much top-notch Italian totty on display, the raunchiness really helping to hold one's interest.

Towards the end of the film, Deodato throws in a wonderfully messy scene in which Vida hacks away at a mutilated corpse, shoving her hand inside to pull out its organs, which will go some way to satisfying gore-hounds, but this film is all about the sexiness, and in that it definitely succeeds.

7/10. Take it for a spin!

....when you can rent movies like "The Washing Machine"? Deodato's erotic thriller has (almost) everything you're looking for in a soft-core film, plus...a story! Of course the story lags at times, to allow for some very sexy moments (all three sisters are scorching hot), and the more you think about it, the less sense it makes. But the film does have two effective (if perhaps incomprehensible) twist endings, and a terrific music score. (**1/2)