Meaning “yellow” in Italian,giallois a literary and film genre based on cheap paperback mystery and thriller novels similar to American pulps. After Italian directors began directly adapting giallo novels for the silver screen, it wasn’t long before original stories followed. Blending elements of crime dramas, horror tales, thrillers, and murder mysteries, the giallo genre has led to endless debates about what exactly makes a movie a giallo. However, many fans agree that there are a few conventions common in gialli. Specifically, they usually inolve a shadowy killer going about their gruesome work, typically stalking a victim in the process. The victim, depending on a few factors, either attempts to solve the murder spree or is put through the wringer psychologically, emotionally, and sometimes sexually. There are always exceptions, but certain giallo tropes appear time and time again, creating a common visual style to hearken back to.
For fans of psychological thrillers and horror, a good giallo film may be just what the doctor ordered. Their style is unmistakable, their performances memorable, and their soundtracks excellent. The amalgamated genre’s influence is still felt to this day in modern horror. Watching a film likeJames Wan’sMalignant(2021), viewers can see the cloaked and black-gloved killer and the criminal investigators attempting to snuff them out. There are tons of films that still take inspiration from the likes of great giallo filmmakers likeDario Argento,Lucio Fulci, andMario Bava. Tension, torment, paranoia, alienation, and sexuality are all common themes at play, which have endured the decades since the genre’s heyday.
For fans of the genre or those looking to break themselves in, the good news is streaming services carry more than a few excellent giallo titles in their catalog. Here are seven of the best:
Deep Red (Tubi)
Directed and co-written by Dario Argento,Deep Redis one of the finest examples of the genre. Released at the peak of Italy’s giallo popularity, the film is arguably Argento’s most celebrated work and has inspired countless thriller and horror directors. Centered around the murders of the now-iconic black-gloved killer, a musician (David Hemmings) attempts to investigate the murders and stop the killer’s rampage from continuing. With high-energy camerawork, visceral blood and gore that was highly uncommon for the 1970s, and a soundtrack composed by the progressive rock bandGoblin,Deep Red(1975) is an unforgettable genre staple.
The film also served as a significant turning point for Argento, who began to transition from previous mystery and supernatural titles to become one of the most recognizable names in giallo. The celebrated auteur would truly come into his own in a world of graphic violence, dynamic camera operation, and high-octane rock music during kill scenes. Look around at modern thriller films, andDeep Red’s DNA can be found throughout.
What Have You Done to Solange? (Amazon Prime Video)
An Italian and German co-production released in 1972,What Have You Done to Solange?was based onEdgar Wallace’sThe Clue of the New Pin. Having the distinction of being the first giallo film to be shown in Rome’s renowned Adriano Theater,What Have You Done to Solange?features some truly eerie and disturbing imagery with well-choreographed kill scenes. In an English Catholic college for girls, a student has gone missing, and a murderer begins to target college-age women throughout the campus. However, all the victims seem to have a common thread. Specifically, they had all known a young woman named Solange, a student who vanished without a trace.
Even by giallo standards, sexuality is a huge part of this film. Themes of repression and sexual liberation play against each other as the mystery around the killer unfolds. At the same time, directorMassimo Dallamanoinjects plenty of psychological torment in for its cast, and the film’s final act is quite dark compared to its counterparts. It may be a hair too abrasive for some watchers, but this giallo flick is a strong cup of coffee that plenty of viewers will remember for quite some time.
Related:The Best Horror Film Needle Drops of All Time
The Girl Who Knew Too Much/Evil Eye (Amazon Prime Video)
Considered by many to be the first true giallo film, and with a title nod toAlfred Hitchcock’sThe Man Who Knew Too Much, 1963’sThe Girl Who Knew Too Much(also known asEvil Eyein the west) is a keynote film for the genre directed by Mario Bava, the anointed “Master of Italian Horror.” Featuring the acting talents of the late and greatJohn Saxonand 60s Italian starletLetícia Román, the film follows a string of alphabetical murders that take place over several years. Román portrays a woman named Nora Davis, whose vacation to Rome to visit her ill aunt results in her witnessing a grisly murder. She reports the crime to the authorities, but they discredit her claims, as the alleged body of the victim is nowhere to be found.
Seeking the assistance of Dr. Marcello Bassi (Saxon), who had been caring for Nora’s aunt, the two attempt to follow the killer’s alphabetical pattern in an attempt to finally apprehend them. The film sports a solid twist ending, and the romantic chemistry between Saxon and Román is palpable. One could argue the romance subplot distracts from the mystery, but it also does a good job at raising the stakes. In hindsight, Bava opined that he thought the film wasn’t as grounded as he would have liked, and public reception was positive if muddled. It’s not a perfect film, butThe Girl Who Knew Too Muchis notable for breaking ground for an entire genre that would follow.
Blood and Black Lace (Tubi)
One year afterThe Girl Who Knew Too Muchpremiered, Bava would take another swing at a giallo film, even if the term didn’t quite exist in the film industry the way it does today. Attempting to craft a more believable narrative, Bava and writersMarcello FondatoandGiuseppe Barillaformed the screenplay for 1964’sBlood and Black Lace. The film relied on a smaller budget due to Bava ending his professional relationship with Galatea Film, but, despite these tight fiscal restraints, Bava brought together several cast and crew members from his previous films to create a multilingual tapestry of actors and production staff.
StarringEva BartokandCameron Mitchell, the film expands on themes Bava set forth inThe Girl Who Knew Too Much, following the story of a litany of murders carried out on Roman fashion models. A featureless white-masked assailant in a film noir-style hat and trench coat begins racking up a body count in an attempt to retrieve a diary from the fashion house. The killer clearly wants this diary due to the incriminating information held within, but the question is why? What is their connection? As that answer comes to light, watchers get to enjoy some truly brutal kills. The film also carries over themes of sexuality that were also present inThe Girl Who Knew Too Much(even if the plot ends up being quite different).
Although some early reviews praised the camera work and thrills, most critics either outright ignored the film or found it middling. Only in retrospect has the film become appreciated for both pioneering the giallo genre and being one of its finest examples.
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (Shudder)
DirectorSergio Martino’s take onEdgar Allen Poe’sThe Black Cat,Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key(1972) is lurid in visuals, music, and performance. It’s over the top, but this only plays into the film’s hand as an adaptation of Poe, who had a penchant for melodrama himself. The film revels in keeping watchers guessing and psychologically torturing its well-developed characters. Despite being a short-story adaptation,Your Viceis one of the genre’s most critically-acclaimed films.
The story centers around a drunken writer named Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli) who looks after his late mother’s black cat named Satan. Oliviero’s wife Irina (Anita Strindberg) is terrified of the cat and is often the target of her husband’s wrath during parties where she is abused and humiliated in front of guests. When Oliviero’s mistress Fausta (Daniela Giordano) turns up dead, the authorities look squarely in his direction. The plot thickens substantially when Oliviero’s niece Floriana visits, seemingly with a hidden agenda. More young women are killed, and Oliviero’s prospects dim with every death. Meanwhile, a stranger watches the unfolding events from a distance, asSatan sits at the center of the chaos.
A Bay of Blood (Sling TV)
Also known asTwitch of the Death Nerve,A Bay of Blood(1971) benefits both from Mario Bava’s well-honed direction and special effects by Academy Award-winning FX artistCarlo Rimbaldi. Although Bava’s giallo films are well-known for the violent and gory set pieces,A Bay of Bloodmay take the cake when it comes to murder and viscera. The violence fits the narrative though, as the murders are centered around what else? Money. This film truly speaks to what lengths people will go to in order to get rich.
A sickly countess named Federica Donati (Claudine Auger) is murdered in her bayside manor by her own husband, who had intended to take all of her assets. However, before he can enact his plan, the countess' husband is also killed by an unknown assailant. After cleaning up the crime scene, the killer escapes, leaving the police to find the countess' body. After locating a forged suicide note, the authorities rule the countess' death a suicide and never find her husband’s body. The resulting inheritance dispute leads to the bay where the manor is located exploding in violence.
Multiple characters scheme to inherit the countess' estate, and some don’t mind getting their hands dirty or taking a few heads in the process.A Bay of Bloodmay be one of the most gratuitously violent films of the 1970s, but the characters are so shady and villainous in their pursuits to steal the countess' inheritance that you tend to feel like they had it coming.
Don’t Torture a Duckling (Tubi)
Unapologetically extreme and packed with excellent music, cinematography, and gore,Don’t Torture a Duckling(1972) is an all-time great giallo film from genre icon Lucio Fulci. Playing heavily on the concepts of superstition and paranoia, the film centers on a series of child murders that take place in a reclusive Italian village called Accendura. Beginning as a series of disappearances, the crimes rock the entire country, and media types from all over Italy convene to cover the story, much to the chagrin of the suspicious townsfolk. Regardless, crack Roman journalist Andrea Martelli (Tomas Milian) is dedicated to solving the case and breaking the story wide open in a race to stop any more children from meeting an untimely end.
A sizable canvas of suspects is found within the town. Did Accendura’s resident peeping tom really kill the children? What about the black-magic practitioner who made voodoo dolls in their likeness? Could the local priest have a hand in things? The film does a solid job at keeping watchers guessing. All the while, the lone witness may prove to be a young girl with a mental disability, who has a penchant for removing the heads of dolls. When a headless Donald Duck doll (the inspiration for the film’s title) appears at one of the crime scenes, the outsiders and authorities investigating the murders begin to piece everything together, leading to a climactic third act that reveals the killer and their maligned intentions.
