Ruggero Deodato was a late comer to the 'Giallo' genre with the half cooked 'Off Balance' (1988), deciding to make a move away from the shock tactic films he had made a name for himself with; namely 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1979) 'The House On The Edge Of The Park' (1980), and 'Cut And Run' (1985). 'The Washing Machine,' set in Budapest, begins with Vida and her businessman boyfriend Yuri arguing about an engagement ring he has given her (it has the wrong name on it), Vida is displaying an awesome amount of cleavage which forms a large part of the character she plays. That night, Ludmilla claims to have found Vida's boyfriend chopped up and stuffed inside her washing machine, and thus Police Inspector Stacev is called to the house of the three Kolba sisters; Vida, Ludmilla, and Maria. Upon his arrival the body is gone without a trace and Ludmilla is accused by her siblings of being a drunkard with a far too lively an imagination. However it is obvious something happened, as individually they approach the inspector with strange tales of what happened that night. Resistant at first, he can't help himself from being drawn in as they one by one seduce him;"Why do you think she spied on us, half naked, every time we came home… we could see her watching us, which only made it more exciting. We'd do things for her alone… That night we gave her quite a show… Does this excite you Inspector?"Dialogue such as this lends the film a strange sort of eroticism (not Eros, not Mania, but I would say Ludus).Of course the Inspector is caught in the 'eye of the storm' of the sisters' erotic games. This is too much for his partner Irina, who commits suicide after he opens a closet (literally) revealing his secret passion for sado-machosism. This suicide does not seem to trouble him though, actually the viewer becomes unsure if it actually happened, or if Irina just disappeared from the film. The youngest sister Maria is in a favourite scene as a volunteer with the blind, she takes them on an outing to a museum. The scene becomes very 'black' as silently Maria and the Inspector 'make out' in full view, and the blind whose care she is charged with panic thinking she has left them stranded. A darkly humorous and erotically charged 'Giallo' sequence, that would be at home in the seventies heyday. This voyeurism is well served by Deodato's use of high angled shots looking either up or down on the action throughout the film. Deodato came late to the 'Giallo,' indeed waiting until the genre was passed its prime. In order to make a Dario Argento style film, Deodato involved people with 'Giallo' credentials. Cinematographer Sergio D'Offizi shot Lucio Fulci's 'Giallo' Don't Torture A Duckling (1972), and Argento collaborator Claudio Simonetti of 'Goblin' fame composed the score.Short on strong 'Giallo' themes, like seeing and not seeing, the 'gaze,' (although strong on voyeurism), and not containing gender confusion (although strong on Ludus), the film is essentially an exercise in Argento style.

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.

In multiple reviews I read that the director wasn't too happy with the end result. I only can imagine what he had envisioned but I completely disagree.The Washing Machine is an extremely enjoyable modern giallo that is stylish and offers thrills ranging from sexy to freaky. The viewer will get tricked multiple times.Which is a pleasure since most is done by three beautiful and immensely seductive sisters.One hornier than the other.They way they use their sexuality not only offers very titillating and arousing scenes but at the same time really do have a function in the sordid plot.The plot is filled with so many surprises that it is a joy to see what happens next.Not without flaws though.Some developments are left open and maybe only were present to give details about the main character. What I liked most about The Washing Machine that it keeps you guessing about the characters.Once you think you figured them out they do something completely opposite.One last remark,contrary to what the director thought the relatively unknown actresses accomplish what very few can do which is engage the viewer.Absolutely a rewarding viewing experience!

A total waste of time, this sorry excuse for a soft porn (that doesn't dare enough, anyway) is a botched thriller, with a Budapest scenario, where three sexy, perverted sisters try to lure a naive police inspector (falling to all three of them - well he has his reasons to not resist to these sirens) in making him believe none of them is guilty of the killing of the husband of one of them. Apart from a couple of interesting nightmarish sequences (very gory and cannibalistic, a trademark of the director, Deodato) and the well exposed graces of the ladies involved, the movie stinks as a thriller, even as a late example of Italian giallo, the plot is crude and convoluted, and the result is a mess. To watch only with fast forward.