Product Details

• Actors: László Borbély, Sándor Boros, Ilaria Borrelli, Philippe Caroit, Ágnes Dávid
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Music Video Distribu
• VHS Release Date: April 12, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B00006ADGN
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,360 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mesmerizing, erotic little gem from Ruggero Deodato, April 12, 2006

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Washing Machine [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Ruggero Deodato reportedly wasn't all that happy with the finished product, but I found The Washing Machine to be somewhat mesmerizing, quite interesting, and just plain weird in a good way. Deodato is best known, of course for his limit-pushing cannibal films (most notably, the infamous Cannibal Holocaust) and extreme exploitation films such as The House on the Edge of the Park. Vortice Mortale (The Washing Machine) is a giallo film from 1993, a weirdly mysterious, twist-heavy, erotic suspense thriller that quite impressed me with its intoxicating atmosphere and unpredictable storyline. It only has limited gore to speak of, which might disappoint fans of Deodato's savage, censor-unfriendly cannibal movies, but there's just something hypnotic about this film that really drew me into the story. Deodato envisioned The Washing Machine as a very intimate film, and I think the secret to its success lies somewhere in that aspect of things.

Set in Budapest, the story revolves around three peculiar sisters (Vida, Ludmilla, and Maria), Vida's boyfriend/pimp Yuri, and a police inspector who is called to the house after Ludmilla reports seeing Yuri's body inside their washing machine. When the police arrive, they find no signs of any dead body whatsoever and pretty much dismiss the whole incident after hearing from Vida and Maria that Ludmilla is an alcoholic and just imagined the whole thing. The case is far from closed, however, as Yuri, the supposed victim, is nowhere to be found, and the sisters keep contacting the inspector with more information and accusations against one another. Alexander quickly finds himself increasingly drawn into the sisters' lives. In fact, he's basically seduced by each one in turn. The deeper he goes, the more he begins to realize that there is much more to each of these girls than meets the eye. He doesn't know the half of it, as a myriad of plot twists await him as well as the viewer before The Washing Machine's spin cycle of erotic suspense reaches its conclusion.

I'm really having a hard time describing the atmosphere of this film. You're fascinated from the start, though, watching Vita and her boyfriend Yuri engage in some hot and cold sexual shenanigans all but inside the refrigerator - as Ludmilla watches from the shadows, no less. Then you have Yuri's hacked-up body in the washing machine, and then it's gone. And things just keep getting weirder and kinkier, especially when the sisters begin seducing Alexander in their own peculiar ways. There's not a great deal of nudity to be found here, but there's no denying the erotic nature of the entire film. Suspense-wise, it keeps you guessing until the very end with characters that are anything but predictable. If you're a fan of Italian giallo, The Washing Machine should be right up your alley. I for one was rather impressed with Deodato's effort on this one.