Don't listen to the negative reviews

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Massage Parlor Murders! (1973)** (out of 4) Mildly entertaining exploitation movie has a couple detectives trying to track down the person who is murdering massage parlor ladies. Soon one of the detectives gets involved with one of the girls and you just know who the killer is going to go after next.MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS!, also known as MASSAGE PARLOR HOOKERS, isn't the greatest exploitation film ever made but as long as you go into it with rather low expectations there's enough here to keep you entertained throughout its 80-minute running time. Obviously, if you're looking for a well-made picture then it's probably best that you watch something else but if you enjoy these types of low-budget, odd-ball movies then pull up a chair and enjoy.The film benefits from having some very attractive ladies throughout the film and yes there's plenty of nudity from them. The nudity factor is never distasteful and it really just plays out as business as usual. The performances are obviously all over the place but it's interesting to see George Dzundza pop up a few years before THE DEER HUNTER. The violence and gore level is rather low, although the first murder is actually well-staged. I'd also argue that the ending played out nicely and delivers a good outcome for our creep.

The Massage Parlor Murders!. Exactly what it sounds like. Typical 1970s drive-in yarn from the 42nd St. grind house fare offering a LOT of medium local talent and a lack of budget for proper coverage of actors, AND dubbing.So many scenes are MOS, it suggests the problem of NOT having enough dough to re-shoot, or ADR. Still, these particular films from that segmented era of time bring forth some of the most fascinating artifacts. For starters, the mark of vintage NYC in the day when things couldn't have been for in-your-face blunt. There is certainly that. Also, it is commendable what some filmmakers can accomplish with such limited resources. There's plenty of ambiance and character (by character I mean NYC itself) to provide the common viewer with fascinating elements beside the random thrills.What we have is, naturally, a homicidal nut , preying on the sleazy, lustful, and unfortunate looking women working Massage Parlors in the Times Square area. The premise alone could have been grounds for an ABC or CBS movie-of-the-week (MOW), however, the production company, big-wigs, whom-ever and however you wish to refer to them, needed a quota on nudity and cheap violence. Naturally, directors Chester Fox and Alex Stevens pad out the running time with said filler content to the point that it becomes predictable and boring. That's not always a bad thing, except that naked women with fake blood poured on their bodies hardly makes an impression. Onto more positive aspects, we have a few great lead performances.George Spencer as lead Detective Rizotti. He's honest and straight-forward with a slight humor to him. Right out of a typical cop show of the times, thrust into the degrading and cheap sex and violence. As most films are time capsules, he is never-the-less entertaining and endearing in his own right. John Moser displays absolute charisma as side-kick Det. O'Mara. He has movie star looks, ferocious physical attributes, and a sensitive demeanor. A perfect leading man, who, baffling enough, only has an alleged "Dallas" episode as his following credit on this site! (?) It's a shame he didn't carry this one through as the head detective, and other higher budgeted projects like it. Then there's the always remarkable Sandra Peabody (nee Cassell) of original 'The Last House on the Left (1972') fame. It's assuredly criminal that she, herself, never rose above such tawdry affairs as this. She always displayed perfect commitment to pathos in every role she had in her short B-Movie career. Each performance finely tuned to fit not only the character, but the script and intentions themselves. Fans of her, and they are many, will be satisfied by this aspect alone, if nothing else.The rest of the cast consist of obvious raw, inexperienced NY talent that bring forth endearing ambiance, which says a lot considering there isn't too much credibility among the rest of the production values amid the pedestrian circumstances. 'Massage Parlor Murders!' is none-the-less a film to be loved by it's adorning fans despite it's stance in a long line of sub par drive in fare which remains mediocre at best. Really, it's no higher than a Roger Corman picture from New World Pictures at that same time, yet all those films resonate positively and still hold up to this day. "Massage" and it's peer titles do not.

MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS! is a cheap and scuzzy exploitation horror movie with that gritty, on the street vibe. No matter that most of the story takes place in the same room simply dressed up to look different each time, this is a film that delivers the good for fans of 1970s grindhouse cinema. The story is about a psycho working his way through the girls at a massage parlour, offing them in particularly grisly ways, while the cops (including one guy who looks like a cross between George Peppard and Kevin Costner) track him down.It's a simple film simply told, one that manages to cram in as much exploitative material as is humanly possible. Filming in the streets of New York circa 1973 is a treat for fans of the era. The acting is quite horrible, but the film manages to fit no less than two cameos from well-known actors; George Dzundza and Brother Theodore both shine as potential suspects, the latter in particular with a hilarious monologue. MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS! manages to fit a ton of nudity into the running time, although not as much sex as you'd expect. Add in cheesy music, a random scene of an overweight guy dancing in a tutu, a car chase, and a series of sloppy but nasty gore murders in the H.G. Lewis vein, and you have a perfectly acceptable piece of exploitation fare.

A deranged and ferocious killer terrorizes the sordid red light district of Times Square in New York City by savagely bumping off the lovely young ladies who work at massage parlors located throughout the area. It's up to grouchy veteran detective Rizotti (solid George Spencer) and his more cheerful younger partner O'Mara (likable John Moser) to figure out the maniac's identity and apprehend the fiend before he strikes again. Directors Chester Fox and Alex Stevens do a sound job of creating and sustaining a perfectly sleazy tone from start to finish, deliver oodles of tasty female nudity, stage a wild car chase with rip-roaring gusto, and offer a marvelously seamy time capsule of dirty'n'dingy 70's New York complete with foul backrooms in seedy massage parlors, grungy fleapit theaters (check out those incredible double bills on the marquees!), raunchy newsstands with issues of Penthouse for sale (keep 'em peeled for issues of Screw magazine as well!), filthy back alleys, and even a swingin' naked orgy at a public pool. The murder set pieces not only are quite ugly, brutal, and twisted, but also have a nifty religious motif concerning the seven deadly sins that predates "Seven" by over two decades. The game acting by a sturdy cast of familiar exploitation cinema faces keeps things humming: The delectable Sandra Peabody of "The Last House on the Left" fame projects an utterly winsome charm as the sweet Gwen, adorable blonde pixie John Sarno soft-core regular Chris Jordan makes the most out of her regrettably brief screen time as the lunatic's first victim Rosie, Anne Gaybis has a brash ball as the sassy Sunny, the singular Brother Theodore contributes a stand-out loopy'n'lively turn as wacko astrologer Theodore, and, best of all, there's even an early appearance by a very young and then unknown George Dzundza as pervy client Mr. Creepy. Victor Petrashevic's rough and unpolished cinematography provides a suitably scroungy look. The funky-throbbing score hits the get-down groovy spot. Good scuzzy fun.