![Ragazza1963Bava01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Ragazza1963Bava01.png)
In
Italian cinema
The cinema of Italy (, ) comprises the films made within Italy or by Italian directors. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. Italy is one of the birthplaces of art cinema and the stylistic aspect of film ha ...
, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from
''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of
mystery fiction
Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually prov ...
and
thrillers
Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...
that often contains
slasher
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...
,
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
,
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and co ...
,
psychological horror
Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequent ...
,
sexploitation
A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit s ...
, and, less frequently,
supernatural horror
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. A ...
elements.
This particular style of Italian-produced
murder mystery
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
* Horror film, a film genre
*Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
-
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
usually blends the atmosphere and suspense of
thriller fiction
Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. S ...
with elements of
horror fiction
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...
(such as slasher violence) and
eroticism
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
(similar to the French ''
fantastique
''Fantastique'' is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
The ''fantastique'' is a substantial genre within French literature. Arguably dating back further than English lan ...
'' genre), and often involves a mysterious killer whose identity is not revealed until the final act of the film. The genre developed in the mid-to-late 1960s, peaked in popularity during the 1970s, and subsequently declined in commercial mainstream filmmaking over the next few decades, though examples continue to be produced. It was a predecessor to, and had significant influence on, the later American
slasher film
A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...
genre.
Literature
In the Italian language, ''giallo'' is a genre of novel including any literary genre involving crime and mystery, with all its sub-genres such as crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery or thriller-horror.
The term ''
giallo
In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...
'' ("yellow") derives from a series of crime-mystery
pulp novels
Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
entitled ''
Il Giallo Mondadori
''Il Giallo Mondadori'' is an Italian series of mystery/crime novels published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore since 1929.
Their original title was ''I libri gialli'', where ''giallo'' in Italian means "yellow", a reference to the color of the co ...
'' (''Mondadori Yellow''), published by
Mondadori
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy.
History
The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...
from 1929 and taking its name from the trademark yellow cover background. The series consisted almost exclusively of Italian translations of mystery novels by British and American writers. These included
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
,
Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...
,
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
,
Ed McBain
Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film ''Blackbo ...
,
Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...
,
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
and
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
.
Published as cheap paperbacks, the success of the ''giallo'' novels soon began attracting the attention of other Italian publishing houses. They published their own versions and mimicked the yellow covers. The popularity of these series eventually established the word ''giallo'' as a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
in Italian for a mystery novel. In colloquial and media usage in Italy, it also applied to a mysterious or unsolved affair.
Film
In the film context, for Italian audiences ''giallo'' refers to any kind of murder mystery or horror thriller, regardless of its national origin.
Meanwhile, English-speaking audiences have used the term ''giallo'' to refer specifically to a genre of Italian-produced thriller-horror films known to Italian audiences as ''giallo all'italiana''.
In the English-speaking world, Italian ''giallo'' films are also sometimes referred to as ''Spaghetti Thrillers'' or ''Spaghetti
Slashers'', in a similar manner in which Italian Western films and ''
poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime film, crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'i ...
'' films from the same period have been referred to as ''
Spaghetti Western
The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
s'' and ''Spaghetti crime films'', respectively.
The Italian film subgenre began as literal adaptations of the original ''giallo'' mystery novels (see ''
Giallo (1933 film)
''Giallo'' is a 1933 Italian comedy thriller film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Assia Noris, Sandro Ruffini and Elio Steiner. It is based on the 1928 play '' The Man Who Changed His Name'' by Edgar Wallace in which a young wife begins ...
''). Directors soon began taking advantage of modern cinematic techniques to create a unique genre that retained the
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
and
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
elements of ''giallo'' novels but veered more closely into the
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and co ...
or
psychological horror
Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequent ...
genres. Many of the typical characteristics of these films were incorporated into the later American
slasher
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...
genre.
Characteristics
![Eye in the Labyrinth (1972)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Eye_in_the_Labyrinth_%281972%29.png)
Most critics agree that the ''giallo'' represents a distinct category with unique features, but there is some disagreement on what exactly defines a ''giallo'' film.
Gary Needham wrote:
By its very nature, the ''giallo'' challenges our assumptions about how non-Hollywood films should be classified, going beyond the sort of Anglo-American taxonomic imaginary that "fixes" genre both in film criticism and the film industry in order to designate something specific. ...however, despite the ''giallos resistance to clear definition, there are nevertheless identifiable thematic and stylistic tropes.
These distinct "thematic and stylistic tropes" constitute a loose definition of the genre which is broadly consistent, though various critics have proposed slightly differing characteristic details (which consequently creates some confusion over which films can be considered gialli).
Author Michael Mackenzie has written that ''gialli'' can be divided into the male-focused ''m. gialli'', which usually sees a male outsider witness a murder and become the target of the killer when he attempts to solve the crime; and ''f. gialli'', which features a female protagonist who is embroiled in a more sexual and psychological story, typically focusing on her sexuality, psyche and fragile mental state.
Although they often involve crime and detective work, gialli should not be confused with the other popular Italian crime genre of the 1970s, the ''
poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime film, crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'i ...
'', which includes more
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
-oriented films about violent
law enforcement officer
A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a Public sector, public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the Law enforcement, enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialist ...
s (largely influenced by gritty American films such as ''
Bullitt
''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner ...
'', ''
Dirty Harry
''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates ...
'', ''
Death Wish
Death Wish or Deathwish may refer to:
Common meanings
*Suicidal ideation, term for thoughts about killing oneself
*Death drive, term in Freudian psychiatry
Arts and entertainment Radio
*"Death Wish", a 1957 episode of the radio series ''X Minus ...
'', ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...
'', ''
Serpico
''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by Peter ...
'', and ''
The French Connection''). Directors and actors often moved between both genres and there is some overlap between them. While most poliziotteschi dealt with organized crime and police responses to it, some early examples of the genre focused instead on murder investigations, and especially on cases where a woman had been murdered in sexual circumstances. These films were more psychological than action-driven, and borrowed various themes and motifs from gialli. Examples include ''
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
''Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion'' ( it, Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto) is a 1970 Italian crime drama film directed by Elio Petri, starring Gian Maria Volonté and Florinda Bolkan. It is a psychological, blac ...
'' (1970) and ''
No, the Case Is Happily Resolved
''No, the Case Is Happily Resolved'' ( it, No il caso è felicemente risolto) is a 1973 Italian crime drama film written and directed by Vittorio Salerno and starring Enzo Cerusico, Riccardo Cucciolla and Martine Brochard. The finale of the film ...
'' (1973). Some films could even be considered under the banner of either genre, such as
Fernando Di Leo
Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – 2 December 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, script writer. He made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985.
Biography
Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in ...
's ''
Naked Violence'' (1969) and
Massimo Dallamano
Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976), sometimes credited as Max Dillman, Max Dillmann or Jack Dalmas, was an Italian director and director of photography.
Life and career
Born in Milan, Dallamano began in the 1940s as camera ...
's 1974 film ''La polizia chiede aiuto'' (''
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?
''What Have They Done to Your Daughters?'' ( it, La polizia chiede aiuto , lit=The police ask for help) is a 1974 Italian ''giallo'' and ''poliziotteschi'' film directed by Massimo Dallamano.
Plot
Police officers investigated the death of 14-yea ...
'').
Structure
![The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/The_Iguana_with_the_Tongue_of_Fire.png)
Giallo films are generally characterized as gruesome murder-mystery thrillers that combine the suspense elements of
detective fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
with scenes of shocking
horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
* Horror film, a film genre
*Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
, featuring excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and often jarring musical arrangements. The
archetypal
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
''giallo'' plot involves a mysterious, black-gloved psychopathic killer who stalks and butchers a series of beautiful women.
While most gialli involve a human killer, some also feature a
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
element.
The typical ''giallo''
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
is an outsider of some type, often a traveller,
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
, outcast, or even an alienated or disgraced
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
, and frequently a young woman, often a young woman who is lonely or alone in a strange or foreign situation or environment (gialli rarely or less frequently feature
law enforcement officer
A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a Public sector, public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the Law enforcement, enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialist ...
s as chief protagonists, which would be more characteristic of the
poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime film, crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'i ...
genre).
The protagonists are generally or often unconnected to the murders before they begin and are drawn to help find the killer through their role as a
witness
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
to one of the murders.
The mystery is the identity of the killer, who is often revealed in the
climax
Climax may refer to:
Language arts
* Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work
* Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance
Biology
* Climax community, a biological community th ...
to be another key character, who conceals his or her identity with a
disguise
A disguise can be anything which conceals or changes a person's physical appearance, including a wig, glasses, makeup, fake moustache, costume or other items. Camouflage is a type of disguise for people, animals and objects. Hats, glasses, chan ...
(usually some combination of hat, mask, sunglasses, gloves, and trench coat).
Thus, the literary
whodunit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
element of the ''giallo'' novels is retained, while being filtered through horror genre elements and Italy's long-standing tradition of
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
and staged
grand guignol
''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Quartier Pigalle, Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it spe ...
drama. The structure of ''giallo'' films is also sometimes reminiscent of the so-called "
weird menace
Weird menace is a subgenre of horror fiction and detective fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s. The weird menace pulps, also known as shudder pulps, generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted a ...
" pulp magazine horror mystery genre alongside
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
and
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
.
It is important to note that while most gialli feature elements of this basic
narrative structure
Narrative structure is a literary element generally described as the structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which a narrative is presented to a reader, listener, or viewer. The narrative text structures are the plot and the ...
, not all do. Some films (for example
Mario Bava
Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...
's 1970 ''
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
''Hatchet for the Honeymoon'' ( it, Il rosso segno della follia, lit=The Red Sign of Madness) is a 1970 giallo film directed by Mario Bava and starring Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, and Femi Benussi. The story follows John Harri ...
'', which features the killer as the protagonist) may radically alter the traditional structure or abandon it altogether and still be considered gialli due to stylistic or thematic tropes, rather than narrative ones.
A consistent element of the genre is an unusual lack of focus on coherent or logical narrative storytelling. While most have a nominal mystery structure, they may feature bizarre or seemingly nonsensical plot elements and a general disregard for
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
in
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
,
dialogue
Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...
and character motivation.
As Jon Abrams wrote, "Individually, each
'giallo''is like an improv exercise in murder, with each filmmaker having access to a handful of shared props and themes. Black gloves, sexual ambiguity, and psychoanalytic trauma may be at the heart of each film, but the genre itself is without consistent narrative form."
Content
While a shadowy killer and mystery narrative are common to most gialli, the most consistent and notable shared trope in the ''giallo'' tradition is the focus on grisly death sequences.
The murders are invariably violent and gory, featuring a variety of explicit and imaginative attacks. These scenes frequently evoke some degree of
voyeurism
Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature.
The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...
, sometimes going so far as to present the murder from the
first-person perspective
A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-teller, ...
of the killer, with the black-gloved hand holding a knife viewed from the killer's
point of view
Point of view or Points of View may refer to:
Concept and technique
* Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something
* Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the pronou ...
.
The murders often occur when the victim is most vulnerable (showering, taking a bath, or scantily clad); as such, ''giallo'' films often include liberal amounts of nudity and sex, almost all of it featuring beautiful young women. Actresses associated with the genre include
Edwige Fenech
Edwige Fenech (, ; born 24 December 1948) is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian actress and film producer. She is mostly known as the star of a series of ''commedia sexy all'italiana'' and ''giallo'' films released in the 1970s, which turned her ...
,
Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach, Lady Starkey (born Barbara Goldbach in 1947) is an American actress and model. She played the Bond girl Anya Amasova in ''The Spy Who Loved Me''. She is married to former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
Early life
Bach is a nat ...
,
Daria Nicolodi
Daria Nicolodi (19 June 1950 – 26 November 2020) was an Italian television and film actress and screenwriter.
Early life and career
Daria Nicolodi was born in Florence on 19 June 1950. Her father was a Florentine lawyer and her mother, Fu ...
,
Mimsy Farmer
Merle "Mimsy" Farmer (born February 28, 1945) is an American actress, artist and sculptor. She began her career appearing in several Hollywood studio films, such as ''Spencer's Mountain'' (1963) and ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965), followed b ...
,
Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...
,
Suzy Kendall
Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 1 January 1937 ) is a British retired actress best known for her film roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Personal life
Born in Belper, Derbyshire, Kendall attended Derby & District College of A ...
,
Ida Galli
Ida Galli is an Italian film actress best known for her roles in Spaghetti Western and giallo films in the 1960s and 1970s. Galli has appeared under several pseudonyms, including Arianna, Evelyn Stewart and Isli Oberon.
Extremely prolific, som ...
and
Anita Strindberg
Anita Strindberg (born 19 June 1937) is a Swedish former actress who appeared in numerous Italian ''giallo'' films in the 1970s.
Strindberg appeared as Anita Edberg in two Swedish films in the late 1950s. She started her career in gialli with Luc ...
.
Due to the titillating emphasis on explicit sex and violence, gialli are sometimes categorized as
exploitation cinema
An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or Exploitation fiction, lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical ...
.
The association of female sexuality and brutal violence has led some commentators to accuse the genre of
misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...
.
Themes
Gialli are noted for psychological themes of madness, alienation, sexuality, and
paranoia
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...
.
The protagonist is usually a witness to a gruesome crime but frequently finds their
testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.
Etymology
The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness.
La ...
subject to
skepticism
Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...
from authority figures, leading to a questioning of their own
perception
Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...
and authority. This ambiguity of memory and perception can escalate to
delusion
A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...
,
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
, or delirious paranoia. Since gialli protagonists are typically female, this can lead to what writer Gary Needham calls, "...the giallo's inherent pathologising of femininity and fascination with "sick" women."
The killer is likely to be mentally-ill as well; ''giallo'' killers are almost always motivated by insanity caused by some past psychological trauma, often of a sexual nature (and sometimes depicted in flashbacks).
The emphasis on madness and subjective perception has roots in the ''giallo'' novels (for example,
Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.
Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...
's ''
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
''Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key'' ( it, Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Sergio Martino. The picture stars Edwige Fenech, Luigi Pistilli, and Anita Strindberg. ...
'' was based on
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's short story "
The Black Cat", which deals with a psychologically unstable narrator) but also finds expression in the tools of cinema. Writer Mikel J. Koven posits that gialli reflect an ambivalence over the social upheaval modernity brought to Italian culture in the 1960s.
"The changes within Italian culture... can be seen throughout the ''giallo'' film as something to be discussed and debated -- issues pertaining to identity, sexuality, increasing levels of violence, women's control over their own lives and bodies, history, the state -- all abstract ideas, which are all portrayed situationally as human stories in the ''giallo'' film.
Production
![Colette Descombes 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Colette_Descombes_1.jpg)
Gialli have been noted for their strong cinematic technique, with critics praising their
editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
,
production design
In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wor ...
,
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
and visual style even in the marked absence of other facets usually associated with critical admiration (as gialli frequently lack
characterization
Characterization or characterisation is the representation of persons (or other beings or creatures) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include direct methods ...
, believable dialogue, realistic performances and logical coherence in the narrative).
Alexia Kannas wrote of 1968's ''
La morte ha fatto l'uovo
''Death Laid an Egg'' ( it, La morte ha fatto l'uovo) is a 1968 ''giallo'' film directed by Giulio Questi. Written by Questi and Franco Arcalli, the film stars Ewa Aulin, Gina Lollobrigida and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Plot
Married couple Anna an ...
'' (''Death Laid an Egg'') that "While the film has garnered a reputation for its supreme narrative difficulty (just as many art films have), its aesthetic brilliance is irrefutable", while Leon Hunt wrote that frequent gialli director
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
's work "vacillate
between strategies of art cinema and exploitation".
Visual style
Gialli are frequently associated with strong technical
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
and stylish visuals. Critic Maitland McDonagh describes the visuals of ''
Profondo rosso
''Deep Red'' ( it, Profondo rosso), also known as ''The Hatchet Murders'', is a 1975 Italian Thriller film, thriller- giallo film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Bernardino Zapponi. It stars David Hemmings as a musician wh ...
'' (''Deep Red'') as, "vivid colors and bizarre camera angles, dizzying pans and flamboyant tracking shots, disorienting framing and composition, fetishistic close-ups of quivering eyes and weird objects (knives, dolls, marbles, braided scraps of wool)..."
Critic Roberto Curti describes the visual style of gialli in relation to the
counterculture era as, "a pop delirium filled with psychedelic paraphernalia". In addition to the iconic images of shadowy black-gloved killers and gruesome violence, gialli also frequently employ strongly stylized and even occasionally
surreal
Surreal may refer to:
*Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art
* "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki
* ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze
*Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor
...
uses of color. Directors
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
and Mario Bava are particularly known for their impressionistic imagery and use of lurid colors, though other ''giallo'' directors (notably
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...
) employed more sedate, realistic styles as well.
Due to their typical 1970s milieu, some commentators have also noted their potential for visual
camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
, especially in terms of
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
and
decor
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...
.
Music
Music has been cited as a key to the genre's unique character;
critic Maitland McDonagh describes ''
Profondo rosso
''Deep Red'' ( it, Profondo rosso), also known as ''The Hatchet Murders'', is a 1975 Italian Thriller film, thriller- giallo film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Bernardino Zapponi. It stars David Hemmings as a musician wh ...
'' (''Deep Red'') as an "overwhelming visceral experience...equal parts visual...and aural."
Writer
Anne Billson Anne Billson (born 1954) is a writer, photographer, and film critic who was born in Southport, England. Her fiction is characterized by the combination of horror with satire and includes the novels ''Suckers'' (1993), ''Stiff Lips'' (1997), ''The Ex ...
explains, "The Giallo Sound is typically an intoxicating mix of groovy lounge music, nerve-jangling discord, and the sort of soothing lyricism that belies the fact that it's actually accompanying, say, a slow motion decapitation", (she cites as an example
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
's score for 1971's ''
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
''Four Flies on Grey Velvet'' ( it, 4 mosche di velluto grigio) is a 1971 '' giallo'' film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film concerns Roberto Tobias ( Michael Brandon), who accidentally kills a man and is then tormented by someone w ...
'').
Many notable giallo soundtracks feature multi-instrumentalist,
Alessandro Alessandroni
Alessandro Alessandroni (18 March 1925 – 26 March 2017) was an Italian musician and composer. He played multiple
instruments, including the guitar, mandolin, mandolincello, sitar, accordion and piano, and composed more than 40 film scores and ...
, his vocal group, ''I Cantori Moderni'' and vocalist
Edda Dell'Orso
Edda Dell'Orso (born Edda Sabatini; February 16, 1935) is an Italian singer known for her collaboration with composer Ennio Morricone, for whom she provided wordless vocals to a large number of his film scores. Dell'Orso also provided vocals to ...
, including Morricone's score for ''
Autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
'', and
Bruno Nicolai
Bruno Nicolai (20 May 1926 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film music composer, orchestra director and musical editor most active in the 1960s through the 1980s.
While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, ...
's score for ''
All the Colors of the Dark
''All the Colors of the Dark'' ( it, Tutti i colori del buio) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton and George Rigaud. The film was also released under the alternate titles ''Day of the M ...
'', which has been described as, "a balance of psychotic free jazz, aggressive bass driven beats, schizoid Eastern motifs, and childlike lullabies".
Composers
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Classical music, Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
E ...
of note include Morricone, Nicolai, and the Italian band
Goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
. Other important composers known for their work on ''giallo'' films include
Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani (17 July 1926 – 14 February 2001) was an Italian composer of film scores.
Biography
Umiliani was born in Florence, Tuscany. Like many of his Italian colleagues at that time, he composed the scores for many exploitation fil ...
(composer for ''
Five Dolls for an August Moon
''Five Dolls for an August Moon'' (Italian: ''5 bambole per la luna d'agosto'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Mario Bava. It concerns a group of people who have gathered on a remote island for fun and relaxation. One of the guests is ...
)'',
Riz Ortolani
Riziero Ortolani (; 25 March 192623 January 2014) was an Italian composer, conductor, and orchestrator, predominantly of film scores. He scored over 200 films and television programs between 1955 and 2014, with a career spanning over fifty year ...
(''
The Pyjama Girl Case
''La ragazza dal pigiama giallo'' (Italian for ''The Girl in the Yellow Pyjamas'') is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Flavio Mogherini, distributed internationally as ''The Pyjama Girl Case''.
Film information
The film is based on a real ...
''),
Nora Orlandi
Nora Orlandi (born 28 June 1933; pseudonym: Joan Christian) is an Italian pianist, violinist, soprano vocalist, composer and occasional actress. As the first female composer, female film composer of Italian cinema, she composed scores for Spaghet ...
(''
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
''The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh'' (Italian: ''Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh'') is a 1971 ''giallo'' mystery film directed by Sergio Martino, and starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Ivan Rassimov, and Alberto de Mendoza. Its plot follo ...
''),
Stelvio Cipriani
Stelvio Cipriani (20 August 1937 – 1 October 2018), also known as Viostel, was an Italian composer, mostly of motion picture soundtracks.
Biography
Though not raised with a strong musical upbringing, as a child Cipriani was fascinated by his ...
(''
The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire'') and
Fabio Frizzi
Fabio Frizzi (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian musician and composer. Born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, he is best known for his film scores and was a frequent collaborator with horror director Lucio Fulci.
Frizzi is the older brother of the ...
(''
Sette note in nero
''Sette note in nero'' () is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. ''Sette note in nero'' stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film i ...
'' a.k.a.''The Psychic'').
Titles
Gialli often feature lurid or
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
titles, frequently employing animal references or the use of numbers.
Examples of the former trend include ''
Sette scialli di seta gialla
''Sette scialli di seta gialla''/ ''Seven Shawls of Yellow Silk''Luther-Smith,Adrian (1999). ''Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies''. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd. p. 25 (International title: ''Crimes of the Bla ...
'' (''Crimes of the Black Cat''), ''
Non si sevizia un paperino'' (''Don't Torture a Duckling''), ''
La morte negli occhi del gatto
''Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye'' ( it, La morte negli occhi del gatto) is a 1973 Gothic horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti.
Plot
Set in Scotland, the film opens with a man being murdered by an unknown killer with a razor. The killer dra ...
'' (''Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye'') and ''
La tarantola dal ventre nero'' (''Black Belly of the Tarantula''); while instances of the latter include ''
Sette note in nero
''Sette note in nero'' () is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. ''Sette note in nero'' stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film i ...
'' (''Seven Notes in Black'') and ''
The Fifth Cord
''The Fifth Cord'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Giornata nera per l'ariete'', lit. "Black Day for Aries") is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Luigi Bazzoni. The film's Italian title reprises Dario Argento's practice of using animals in the ...
''.
History and development
The first ''giallo'' novel to be adapted for film was
James M. Cain
James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction.
His novels ''The Postman Always Rings Twice ...
's ''
The Postman Always Rings Twice'', adapted in 1943 by
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...
as ''
Ossessione
''Ossessione'' (, English: ''Obsession'') is a 1943 Italian film based on the 1934 novel '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' by James M. Cain. Luchino Visconti’s first feature film, it is considered by many to be the first Italian neorealist fi ...
''.
Though the film was technically the first of
Mondadori's ''giallo'' series to be adapted, its
neo-realist style was markedly different from the stylized, violent character which subsequent adaptations would acquire. Condemned by the fascist government, ''Ossessione'' was eventually hailed as a landmark of neo-realist cinema, but it did not provoke any further ''giallo'' adaptations for almost 20 years.
In addition to the literary ''giallo'' tradition, early gialli were also influenced by the German "
krimi
Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist and playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions.
British adaptations
His works were adapted for the silent screen as early as 1916, and continued ...
" films of the early 1960s.
Produced by Danish/German studio
Rialto Film
Rialto Film is a German motion-picture production company headquartered in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make ...
, these black-and-white crime movies based on
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
stories typically featured whodunit mystery plots with a masked killer, anticipating several key components of the ''giallo'' movement by several years and despite their link to ''giallo'' author Wallace, though, they featured little of the excessive stylization and gore which would define Italian gialli.
The Swedish director
Arne Mattsson
Arne Mattsson (2 December 1919 – 28 June 1995) was a Swedish film director.
Biography
Born in Uppsala, the early films of Mattsson were mostly comedies. His biggest success was '' Hon dansade en sommar'' (1951, aka. ''One Summer of Happiness ...
has also been pointed to as a possible influence, in particular his 1958 film ''
Mannequin in Red
''Mannequin in Red'' ( sv, Mannekäng i rött) is a 1958 Swedish crime/ thriller film directed by Arne Mattson and written by Folke Mellvig.
Starring film couple Karl-Arne Holmsten and Annalisa Ericson as the investigating detective couple John ...
''. Though the film shares stylistic and narrative similarities with later ''giallo'' films (particularly its use of color and its multiple murder plot), there is no direct evidence that subsequent Italian directors had seen it.
![Sei donne per l'assassino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Sei_donne_per_l%27assassino.png)
The first "true" ''giallo'' film is usually considered to be Mario Bava's ''
The Girl Who Knew Too Much'' (1963).
Its title alludes to
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's classic ''
The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934, remade by Hitchcock in 1956), highlighting the early link between gialli and Anglo-American crime stories. Though shot in black and white and lacking the lurid violence and sexuality which would define later gialli, the film has been credited with establishing the essential structure of the genre: in it, a young American tourist in Rome witnesses a murder, finds her testimony dismissed by the authorities, and must attempt to uncover the killer's identity herself. Bava drew on the krimi tradition as well as the Hitchcockian style referenced in the title, and the film's structure served as a basic template for many of the gialli that would follow.
Bava followed ''The Girl Who Knew Too Much'' the next year with the stylish and influential ''
Blood and Black Lace
''Blood and Black Lace'' ( it, 6 donne per l'assassino, lit=6 Women for the Murderer) is a 1964 ''giallo'' film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house ...
'' (1964). It introduced a number of elements that became emblematic of the genre: a masked stalker with a shiny weapon in his black-gloved hand who brutally murders a series of glamorous fashion models. Though the movie was not a financial success at the time, the tropes it introduced (particularly its black-gloved killer, provocative sexuality, and bold use of color) would become iconic of the genre."
[Lucas, Tim. ''Blood and Black Lace'' DVD, ]Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 ...
, 2005, liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
. ASIN: B000BB1926
![One on Top of the Other (1969)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/One_on_Top_of_the_Other_%281969%29.jpg)
Several similarly-themed crime/thriller movies followed in the next few years, including early efforts from directors
Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different film ...
(''Nude... si muore''
'Naked You Die''">Naked_You_Die.html" ;"title="'Naked You Die">'Naked You Die''in 1968), Romolo Girolami (''Il dolce corpo di Deborah'' [''The Sweet Body of Deborah''] in 1968),
Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
(''
Orgasmo
''Orgasmo'' is a 1969 giallo film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker, Lou Castel, and Colette Descombes. It follows a wealthy American socialite who finds herself preyed upon by two nefarious young siblings who indulge her in s ...
'' in 1969, ''Paranoia'' [''
A Quiet Place to Kill
''A Quiet Place to Kill'' ( it, Paranoia) is a 1970 ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi.
Plot
Helen, a racecar driver whose personal and professional life is rapidly declining, is invited by her ex-husband Maurice's new wife Constance to ...
''] and ''Così dolce... così perversa''
' ''">So Sweet... So Perverse">'So Sweet... So Perverse''in 1969),
So Sweet... So Perverse''">So Sweet... So Perverse">'So Sweet... So Perverse''in 1969), Riccardo Freda (''A doppia faccia">Riccardo Freda">So Sweet... So Perverse''">So Sweet... So Perverse">'So Sweet... So Perverse''in 1969), Riccardo Freda (''A doppia faccia'' [''Double Face''] in 1969) and
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...
(''
Una sull'altra
''One on Top of the Other'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Una sull'altra''), also known as ''Perversion Story'', is a 1969 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci. Written by Fulci and Roberto Gianviti, the film stars Jean Sorel, Marisa Mell, ...
''
'One on Top of the Other''in 1969), all of whom would go on to become major creative forces in the burgeoning genre. But it was
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
's first feature, in 1970, that turned the ''giallo'' into a major cultural phenomenon. That film, ''
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'' () is a 1970 giallo film directed by Dario Argento, in his directorial debut. The film has been credited with popularizing giallo, an Italian genre of thriller developed in the 1960s. It is the first in what ...
'', was greatly influenced by ''
Blood and Black Lace
''Blood and Black Lace'' ( it, 6 donne per l'assassino, lit=6 Women for the Murderer) is a 1964 ''giallo'' film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house ...
'', and introduced a new level of stylish violence and suspense that helped redefine the genre. The film was a box office smash and was widely imitated.
Its success provoked a frenzy of Italian films with stylish, violent, and sexually provocative murder plots (Argento alone made three more in the next five years) essentially cementing the genre in the public consciousness. In 1996, director
Michele Soavi
Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi (born 3 July 1957)Baldassarre, Angela (1999) "The Great Dictators: Interviews with Filmmakers of Italian Descent", Guernica Editions, is an Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter best known fo ...
wrote, "there's no doubt that it was Mario Bava who started the 'spaghetti thrillers'
utArgento gave them a great boost, a turning point, a new style...'new clothes'. Mario had grown old and Dario made it his own genre... this had repercussions on genre cinema, which, thanks to Dario, was given a new lease on life."
The success of ''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'' provoked a decade which saw multiple gialli produced every year. In English-language film circles, the term ''giallo'' gradually became synonymous with a heavy, theatrical and stylized visual element.
Popularity and legacy
![Amuck 1972](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Amuck_1972.png)
The ''giallo'' genre had its heyday from 1968 through 1978. The most prolific period, however, was the five-year timespan between 1971 and 1975, during which time over 100 different gialli were produced (see filmography below). Directors like Bava, Argento, Fulci, Lenzi, Freda and Margheriti continued to produce gialli throughout the 70s and beyond, and were soon joined by other notable directors including
Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.
Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...
,
Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara (4 July 1926 – 7 August 1982) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is best known for collaborating with Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco E. Prosperi on the 1962 mondo film ''Mondo Cane'', and for directing the ficti ...
,
Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...
,
Ruggero Deodato
Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor.
His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known fo ...
and Bava's son
Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film ''La Venere d'Ille'' with his father and in ...
. The genre also spread to Spain by the early 70s, resulting in films like ''
La residencia
''The House That Screamed'' ( es, La residencia), also released as ''The Boarding School'', is a 1969 Spanish horror film written and directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador. The film stars Lilli Palmer as Señora Fourneau, the headmistress of a ni ...
'' (''The House That Screamed'') (1969) and ''
Los Ojos Azules de la Muñeca Rota
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...
'' (''Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll'') (1973) which had unmistakable ''giallo'' characteristics but feature Spanish casts and production talent. Though they preceded the first ''giallo'' by a few years, German krimi films continued to be made contemporaneously with early gialli, and were also influenced by their success. As the popularity of krimis declined in Germany,
Rialto Film
Rialto Film is a German motion-picture production company headquartered in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make ...
began increasingly pairing with Italian production companies and filmmakers (such as composer
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
and director, cinematographer
Joe D'Amato
Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres (westerns, decamerotici, peplum, war films, ...
, who worked on later krimi films following their successes in Italy). The overlap between the two movements is extensive enough that one of Rialto's final krimi films, ''
Cosa avete fatto a Solange?
''What Have You Done to Solange?'' ( it, Cosa avete fatto a Solange?) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Joachim Fuchsberger, Cristina Galbó, and Camille Keaton. The plot follows a series ...
'' (''What Have You Done to Solange?''), features an Italian director and crew and has been called a ''giallo'' in its own right.
Gialli continued to be produced throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but gradually their popularity diminished and film budgets and production values began shrinking. Director
Pupi Avati
Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...
satirized the genre in 1977 with a slapstick ''giallo'' titled ''Tutti defunti... tranne i morti''.
Though the ''giallo'' cycle waned in the 1990s and saw few entries in the 2000s, they continue to be produced, notably by Argento (who in 2009 released a film actually titled ''
Giallo
In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...
'', somewhat in homage to his long career in the genre) and co-directors
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are husband-and-wife filmmakers based in Brussels, Belgium. They have worked as a writing and directing team for their entire professional film careers.
Their most acclaimed works include ''Amer (film), Amer'' (20 ...
, whose ''
Amer
Amer may refer to:
Places
* Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant
* Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain
* Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state
** Am ...
'' (which uses music from older giallis, including tracks by Morricone and
Bruno Nicolai
Bruno Nicolai (20 May 1926 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film music composer, orchestra director and musical editor most active in the 1960s through the 1980s.
While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, ...
) received a positive critical reception upon its release in 2009.
To a large degree, the genre's influence lives on in the
slasher
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...
films which became enormously popular during the 1980s and drew heavily on tropes developed by earlier gialli.
Influence
The ''giallo'' cycle has had a lasting effect on horror films and murder mysteries made outside Italy since the late 1960s as this cinematic style and unflinching content is also at the root of the gory
slasher
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film) ...
and
splatter film
A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...
s that became widely popular in the early 1980s. In particular, two violent shockers from Mario Bava, ''
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
''Hatchet for the Honeymoon'' ( it, Il rosso segno della follia, lit=The Red Sign of Madness) is a 1970 giallo film directed by Mario Bava and starring Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, and Femi Benussi. The story follows John Harri ...
'' (1970) and ''
Twitch of the Death Nerve
''A Bay of Blood'' ( Italian: ''Ecologia del delitto'', lit. "Ecology of Crime", later retitled ''Reazione a catena'' it. "Chain Reaction" (also known as ''Carnage'', ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' and ''Blood Bath'') is a 1971 Italian giallo sl ...
'' (1971) were especially influential.
Early examples of the ''giallo'' effect can be seen in the British film ''
Berserk!
''Berserk!'' is a 1967 British horror-thriller film starring Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors and Judy Geeson in a macabre mother-daughter tale about a circus plagued with murders. The screenplay was written by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel ...
'' (1967) and such American mystery-thrillers as ''
No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), the Oscar-winning ''
Klute
''Klute'' is a 1971 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula, written by Andy and Dave Lewis, and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, and Roy Scheider. The film follows a high-priced ca ...
'' (1971), ''
Pretty Maids All in a Row
''Pretty Maids All in a Row'' is a 1971 American sexploitation film that is part black comedy, part sex comedy, and part murder mystery. Starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, and Telly Savalas, it was released on April 28, 1971. Roger Vadim dire ...
'' (1971, based on an Italian novel),
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
Frenzy
''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squar ...
'' (1972), Vincent Price's ''
Madhouse'' (1974), ''
Eyes of Laura Mars
''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled '' ...
'' (1978)
and
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
's ''
Dressed to Kill'' (1980).
''
Berberian Sound Studio
''Berberian Sound Studio'' is a 2012 British psychological horror film. It is the second feature film by British director and screenwriter Peter Strickland. The film, which stars Toby Jones, is set in a 1970s Italian horror film studio.
Plot
B ...
'' (2012) offers an affectionate tribute to the genre.
Director
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...
has called the ''giallo'' "one of my favorite, favorite subgenres of film," and specifically cited Sergio Martino's ''
Torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human ...
'' (''I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale'') (along with the Spanish horror film ''
Who Can Kill a Child?'') as influential on his 2005 film ''
Hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...
'', writing, "...these seventies Italian giallos start off with a group of students that are in Rome, lots of scenes in piazzas with telephoto lenses, and you get the feeling they're being watched. There's this real ominous creepy feeling. The girls are always going on some trip somewhere and they're all very smart. They all make decisions the audience would make."
Filmography
1960s
* ''
The Girl Who Knew Too Much'' (
Mario Bava
Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...
, 1963; Italian: ''La ragazza che sapeva troppo'') a.k.a. ''Evil Eye''
* ''
Blood and Black Lace
''Blood and Black Lace'' ( it, 6 donne per l'assassino, lit=6 Women for the Murderer) is a 1964 ''giallo'' film directed by Mario Bava and starring Eva Bartok and Cameron Mitchell. The story concerns the brutal murders of a Roman fashion house ...
'' (Mario Bava, 1964; Italian: ''Sei donne per l'assassino'' / ''Six Women for the Murderer'') a.k.a. ''Fashion House of Death''
* ''
The Monster of London City
''The Monster of London City'' (german: Das Ungeheuer von London-City) is a 1964 West German ''krimi'' crime film directed by Edwin Zbonek and starring Hansjörg Felmy, Marianne Koch, and Dietmar Schönherr.Reimer & Zachau p.160
The film's se ...
'' (
Edwin Zbonek
Edwin Zbonek (28 March 1928 – 29 May 2006) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 14 films between 1960 and 1982. His film ''Man and Beast (1963 film), Man and Beast'' was entered into the 13th Berlin International Fil ...
, 1964) German krimi film that predated the Italian ''giallo'' format
* ''
''The Embalmer'''' (Dino Tavella, 1965; Italian: ''Il mostro di Venezia'' / ''The Monster of Venice'')
* ''
Libido
Libido (; colloquial: sex drive) is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual activity. Libido is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Biologically, the sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act up ...
'' (
Ernesto Gastaldi
Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular gen ...
, 1965)
* ''
The Possessed'' (
Luigi Bazzoni
Luigi Bazzoni (25 June 1929 - 1 March 2012) was an Italian director and screenwriter.
Born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, Bazzoni was the elder brother of the film director and cinematographer Camillo Bazzoni and a cousin of the Academy Award w ...
and Franco Rossellini, 1965; Italian: ''La donna del lago'' / ''The Lady of the Lake'') a.k.a. ''Love, Hate and Dishonor''
* ''
Night of Violence
''Night of Violence'' ( it, Le notti della violenza) is a 1965 Italian film directed by Roberto Mauri and starring Helene Chanel and Marilu Tolo. It was initially banned in Italy on the time of its release, and released in France first as ''Call ...
'' (
Roberto Mauri
Roberto Mauri (born 1924) is an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born Giuseppe Tagliavia in Castelvetrano, Trapani, Mauri began his career as a film actor in low-budget films, occasionally even playing main roles. He d ...
, 1965; Italian: ''Le notti della violenza'' / ''Nights of Violence'') a.k.a. ''Call Girls 66''
* ''
The Third Eye'' (
Mino Guerrini
Mino Guerrini (16 December 1927 – 10 January 1990) was an Italian director, screenwriter, journalist, actor and painter.
Biography
Born in Rome as Giacomo Guerrini, Guerrini entered the cinema industry in 1954 as screenwriter in Marcello Pagli ...
, 1966; Italian: ''Il terzo occhio'')
* ''
A... For Assassin'' (Angelo Dorigo, 1966; Italian: ''A... come Assassino'')
* ''
The Murder Clinic
''The Murder Clinic'' ( it, La lama nel corpo, lit=The Knife in the Body) is a 1966 horror giallo film directed by Lionello De Felice and Elio Scardamaglia. It was produced by Elio Scardamaglia, Francesco Scardamaglia and Luciano Martino;. The scr ...
'' (Elio Scardamaglia, 1966; Italian: ''La lama nel corpo'' / ''The Knife in the Body'') a.k.a.''Nights of Terror'', a.k.a.''Revenge of the Living Dead''
* ''Date for a Murder'' (Mino Guerrini, 1966; Italian: ''
Omicidio per appuntamento
''Omicidio per appuntamento'' is a 1966 giallo film directed by Mino Guerrini. The film stars George Ardisson, Günther Stoll and Ella Karin. Adapted from a novel by Franco Enna, the film has been described as "stylish" and "flamboyant", and has ...
''/ ''Murder by Appointment'')
* ''
The Murderer with the Silk Scarf
''The Murderer with the Silk Scarf'' (german: Der Mörder mit dem Seidenschal) is a 1966 German-Italian crime film produced and directed by Adrian Hoven (who also appeared in the film), and starring Carl Möhner, Folco Lulli, Helga Liné and Haral ...
'' (Adrian Hoven, 1966; German: ''Der Mörder mit dem Seidenschal'') starring Helga Line
* ''Killer Without a Face'' (Angelo Dorigo, 1967; Italian: ''Assassino senza volto'') starring Janine Reynaud
* ''
Deadly Sweet
''Col cuore in gola'' () is a 1967 ''giallo'' film directed by Tinto Brass. It is loosely based on the novel ''Il sepolcro di carta'' ( The Paper Tomb) written by Sergio Donati. The film used storyboards from cartoonist Guido Crepax. It has bee ...
'' (
Tinto Brass
Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...
, 1967; Italian: ''Col cuore in gola''/ ''With Heart in Mouth'') a.k.a. ''I Am What I Am''
* ''
The Sweet Body of Deborah
''The Sweet Body of Deborah'' ( it, Il dolce corpo di Deborah) is a 1968 ''giallo'' film directed by Romolo Girolami and starring Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel. It was written by Ernesto Gastaldi based on a story by Gastaldi and producer Luciano ...
'' (
Romolo Guerrieri
Romolo Guerrieri, aka ''Romolo Girolami'' (born 5 December 1931) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1961 and 1992.
Selected filmography
;Director
* '' Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre'' (1966)
* '' ...
, 1968; Italian: ''Il dolce corpo di Deborah'')
* ''
Death Laid an Egg
''Death Laid an Egg'' ( it, La morte ha fatto l'uovo) is a 1968 ''giallo'' film directed by Giulio Questi. Written by Questi and Franco Arcalli, the film stars Ewa Aulin, Gina Lollobrigida and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Plot
Married couple Anna an ...
'' (
Giulio Questi
Giulio Questi (18 March 1924 – 3 December 2014) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.Marco Giusti, Dizionario dei film italiani stracult, Roma, Frassinelli, 2004.
Questi was born in Bergamo. He wrote short stories and filmed se ...
, 1968; Italian: ''La morte ha fatto l'uovo'') a.k.a.''Plucked'', a.k.a.''A Curious Way to Love''
* ''
A Quiet Place in the Country
''A Quiet Place in the Country'' ( it, Un tranquillo posto di campagna, french: Un coin tranquille à la campagne) is a 1968 giallo thriller film directed by Elio Petri, and starring Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave. Based on the short story "Th ...
'' (
Elio Petri
Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film director, screenwriter, theatre director, and critic associated with the political cinema in the 1960s and '70s. His film ''Investigation ...
, 1968; Italian: ''Un tranquillo posto di campagna'')
* ''
The Young, the Evil and the Savage
''The Young, the Evil and the Savage'' ( it, Nude... si muore, lit=Naked... you die) is a 1968 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Antonio Margheriti.
Plot
A woman is drowned in a bathtub and then placed in a trunk that lands in a pickup truck ...
'' (
Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different film ...
, 1968; Italian: ''Nude... si muore''/ ''
Naked... You Die!'') a.k.a. ''The Schoolgirl Killer''
* ''
Deadly Inheritance
''Deadly Inheritance'' ( it, Omicidio per vocazione), is a 1969 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Vittorio Sindoni.
Plot
An old man named Oscar is "accidentally" run over by a train in France. According to his will, his heirs must wait until t ...
'' (
Vittorio Sindoni
Vittorio Sindoni (born 21 April 1939) is an Italian director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Capo d'Orlando, Sicily, Sindoni started his career on stage directing the theater group "Il Collettivo" ("The Collective") in Rome, and work ...
, 1968; Italian: ''L'assassino ha le mani pulite'' / ''The Killer has Clean Hands'')
* ''
Run, Psycho, Run
''Run, Psycho, Run'' ( it, Più tardi, Claire… più tardi/ translation: ''Later, Claire....Later'') is a 1968 film directed by Brunello Rondi. The film stars Gary Merrill, Elga Andersen and Georges Rivière. Although filmed in the mid 1960s, ''R ...
'' (Brunello Rondi, 1968; Italian: ''Più tardi Claire, più tardi...'') starring Janine Renaud
* ''
A Black Veil for Lisa
''A Black Veil for Lisa'' ( it, La morte non ha sesso, lit. "Death has no sex") is a 1968 thriller film directed by Massimo Dallamano.
Plot
When a narcotics detective finds out that his beautiful wife (who is an ex-criminal) is cheating on him ...
'' (
Massimo Dallamano
Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976), sometimes credited as Max Dillman, Max Dillmann or Jack Dalmas, was an Italian director and director of photography.
Life and career
Born in Milan, Dallamano began in the 1940s as camera ...
, 1968; Italian: ''La morte non ha sesso'' / ''Death Has No Sex'')
* ''
Interrabang'' (
Giuliano Biagetti
Giuliano Biagetti (12 April 1925 – 29 March 1998) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in La Spezia into a family of Pisan origins, Biagetti studied medicine at the university of Pisa, and during this time he f ...
, 1969)
* ''
A Complicated Girl
''Una ragazza piuttosto complicata'' (internationally released as ''A Complicated Girl'') is a List of Italian films of 1968, 1968 Cinema of Italy, Italian giallo film directed by Damiano Damiani. For her performance in this film and in ''Metti una ...
'' (Damiano Damiani, 1969; Italian: ''Una ragazza piuttosto complicata''/ ''A Rather Complicated Girl'') starring Florinda Bolkan
* ''
So Sweet...So Perverse'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1969; Italian: ''Così dolce...così perversa'')
* ''
The Doll of Satan'' (Ferruccio Casapinta, 1969; Italian: ''La bambola di Satana'')
* ''
One on Top of the Other
''One on Top of the Other'' (Italian: ''Una sull'altra''), also known as ''Perversion Story'', is a 1969 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci. Written by Fulci and Roberto Gianviti, the film stars Jean Sorel, Marisa Mell, Elsa Martinelli ...
'' (
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...
, 1969; Italian: ''Una sull'altra'') a.k.a.''Perversion Story''
* ''Murder by Music'' (Julio Buchs, 1969; Spanish: ''Las trompetas del apocalipsis''/ ''Trumpets of the Apocalypse''); starring Brett Halsey, Marilu Tolo
* ''
The House That Screamed'' (
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (also known as Chicho Ibáñez Serrador or Luis Peñafiel; 4 July 1935 – 7 June 2019) was a Spanish film, television and theater director, actor and screenwriter.
Biography
Serrador was born in 1935 in Montevideo a ...
, Spanish, 1969) a.k.a.''La residencia'', a.k.a. ''The Boarding School''
* ''
Death Knocks Twice
''Death Knocks Twice'' ( it, La morte bussa due volte), german: Blonde Köder für den Mörder), is a 1969 Italian-German detective film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Dean Reed, Fabio Testi and Adolfo Celi. It also starred Anita Ekberg ...
'' (
Harald Philipp
Harald Philipp (1921–1999) was a German film director, screenwriter and actor.
Selected filmography
* ''The Old Forester House'' (1956)
* ''The Csardas King'' (1958)
* ''A Thousand Stars Aglitter'' (1959)
* ' (1960)
* ''Brandenburg Division'' ...
, 1969; Italian: ''La morte bussa due volte'') a.k.a.''Blonde Bait for the Murderer'', a.k.a.''Hard Women'', a.k.a.''The Blonde Connection''
* ''
Double Face
''Double Face'' ( it, A doppia faccia, german: Das Gesicht im Dunkeln/ translation: ''The Face in the Dark'') is a 1969 thriller film directed by Riccardo Freda and starring Klaus Kinski, Christiane Krüger and Annabella Incontrera. It is part ...
'' (
Riccardo Freda
Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films.
Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...
, 1969; Italian: ''A doppia faccia'') a.k.a.''Liz et Helen''
* ''Macabre'' (
Javier Setó
Javier Setó (1926–1969) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
Selected filmography
* ''Forbidden Trade'' (1952)
* '' Bronze and Moon'' (1953)
* ''Bread, Love and Andalusia'' (1958)
* ''Pelusa'' (1960)
* ''The Castilian'' (1963)
* '' The ...
, 1969; Spanish: ''Viaje al vacío'' / ''Journey to Emptiness'') a.k.a.''The Invisible Assassin'', a.k.a.''Shadow of Death''
* ''
Orgasmo
''Orgasmo'' is a 1969 giallo film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker, Lou Castel, and Colette Descombes. It follows a wealthy American socialite who finds herself preyed upon by two nefarious young siblings who indulge her in s ...
'' (
Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
, 1969) released in USA as ''Paranoia''
1970s
* ''
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'' () is a 1970 giallo film directed by Dario Argento, in his directorial debut. The film has been credited with popularizing giallo, an Italian genre of thriller developed in the 1960s. It is the first in what ...
'' (
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
, 1970; Italian: ''L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo'') a.k.a.''Phantom of Terror'', a.k.a.''The Gallery Murders''
* ''
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
''Hatchet for the Honeymoon'' ( it, Il rosso segno della follia, lit=The Red Sign of Madness) is a 1970 giallo film directed by Mario Bava and starring Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, and Femi Benussi. The story follows John Harri ...
'' (Mario Bava, 1970; Italian: ''Il rosso segno della follia'' / ''The Red Mark of Madness'') a.k.a.''Blood Brides''
*
''Paranoia'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1970) released in USA as ''
A Quiet Place to Kill
''A Quiet Place to Kill'' ( it, Paranoia) is a 1970 ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi.
Plot
Helen, a racecar driver whose personal and professional life is rapidly declining, is invited by her ex-husband Maurice's new wife Constance to ...
''
* ''
Five Dolls for an August Moon
''Five Dolls for an August Moon'' (Italian: ''5 bambole per la luna d'agosto'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Mario Bava. It concerns a group of people who have gathered on a remote island for fun and relaxation. One of the guests is ...
'' (Mario Bava, 1970; Italian: ''5 bambole per la luna d'agosto'') a.k.a.''Island of Terror''
* ''
Death Occurred Last Night
''La morte risale a ieri sera'' (translation: ''Death occurred last night'') is a 1970 crime film directed by Duccio Tessari. The film was written by Tessari and Biagio Proietti and based on the novel '' I milanesi ammazzano al sabato'' (translati ...
'' (
Duccio Tessari
Duccio Tessari (11 October 1926 – 6 September 1994) was an Italian director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the fathers of Spaghetti Westerns.
Born in Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian re ...
, 1970; Italian: ''La morte risale a ieri sera''
* ''
A Suitcase for a Corpse
''A Suitcase for a Corpse'' ( es, Una maleta para un cadáver) is a 1970 Italian-Spanish giallo film directed by Alfonso Brescia.
The film's Italian title, ''Il tuo dolce corpo da uccidere'', translates as ''Your Sweet Body to Kill''.
Plot
Aft ...
'' (
Alfonso Brescia
Alfonso Brescia (6 January 1930 – 6 June 2001) was an Italian film director. Brescia began working in film against his father's wishes, and eventually directed his first film '' Revolt of the Praetorians'' in 1964. Brescia worked in several gen ...
, 1970; Italian: ''Il tuo dolce corpo da uccidere'' / ''Your Sweet Body to Murder'')
* ''
Your Hands on My Body
''Le tue mani sul mio corpo'' (translation: ''Your Hands on My Body''), aka ''Schocking'', is a List of Italian films of 1970, 1970 Cinema of Italy, Italian giallo film directed by Brunello Rondi.
Plot
A young neurotic dedicates his life to hara ...
'' (Brunello Rondi, 1970; Italian: ''Le tue mani sul mio corpo'') a.k.a. ''Schocking''
* ''
Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
''Le foto proibite di una signora per bene'', also known as ''Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion'', is a 1970 giallo film directed by Luciano Ercoli. Written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Mahnahén Velasco, the film stars Pier Paolo Capponi, Si ...
'' (
Luciano Ercoli
Luciano Ercoli (October 19, 1929 – March 15, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer and unit production manager. Ercoli's career spanned approximately two decades before his retirement in the late 1970s, and saw him direct ...
, 1970; Italian: ''Le foto proibite di una signora per bene'')
* ''
Kill the Fatted Calf and Roast It
''Uccidete il vitello grasso e arrostitelo'' (internationally released as ''Kill the Fatted Calf and Roast It'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Salvatore Samperi.
Plot
A young man returns home from his father's funeral, after which he b ...
'' (
Salvatore Samperi
Salvatore Samperi (26 July 1944 – 4 March 2009) was an Italian film director. His 1973 film '' Malicious'' was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival and his 1979 film ''Ernesto'' was entered into the 29th Berlin In ...
, 1970; Italian: ''Uccidete il vitello grasso e arrostitelo'')
* ''
In the Folds of the Flesh
In the Folds of the Flesh ( it, Nelle pieghe della carne) is a 1970 Italian / Spanish giallo film produced and directed by Sergio Bergonzelli. The screenplay was co-written by Fabio De Agostini and Bergonzelli, from a story outline by Mario Caiano. ...
'' (
Sergio Bergonzelli
Sergio Bergonzelli (25 August 1924 – 24 September 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter, producer and actor.
Life and career
Born in Alba, Cuneo, Bergonzelli graduated in Philosophy, then he started working as an actor with the stage ...
, 1970; Italian: ''Nelle pieghe della carne'')
* ''
The Weekend Murders
''The Weekend Murders'' ( it, Concerto per pistola solista, also known as ''The Story of a Crime'') is a 1970 Italian giallo film directed by Michele Lupo. It starred Ida Galli, Beryl Cunningham, Anna Moffo and Orchidea De Santis.
Plot
A family g ...
'' (
Michele Lupo
Michele Lupo (4 December 1932 – 27 June 1989) was an Italian film director. He directed 23 films between 1962 and 1982. He was born in Corleone, Italy, and died in Rome, Italy.
Selected filmography
* ''Colossus of the Arena'' (1962)
* ...
, 1970; Italian: ''Concerto per pistola solista'') a.k.a.''The Story of a Crime''
* ''
The Man with Icy Eyes
''L'uomo dagli occhi di ghiaccio'' (internationally released as ''The Man with Icy Eyes'') is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Alberto De Martino. It starred Barbara Bouchet, Antonio Sabato, Keenan Wynn, Faith Domergue and Victor Buono. I ...
'' (
Alberto De Martino
Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...
, 1971; Italian: ''L'uomo dagli occhi di ghiaccio'')
* ''
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
''A Lizard in a Woman's Skin'' ( it, Una lucertola con la pelle di donna) is a 1971 ''giallo'' film directed by Lucio Fulci and produced by Edmondo Amati and Robert Dorfmann. It stars Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Leo Genn, and Anit ...
'' (Lucio Fulci, 1971; Italian: ''Una lucertola con la pelle di donna'') a.k.a.''Schizoid''
* ''
The Fifth Cord
''The Fifth Cord'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Giornata nera per l'ariete'', lit. "Black Day for Aries") is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Luigi Bazzoni. The film's Italian title reprises Dario Argento's practice of using animals in the ...
'' (
Luigi Bazzoni
Luigi Bazzoni (25 June 1929 - 1 March 2012) was an Italian director and screenwriter.
Born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, Bazzoni was the elder brother of the film director and cinematographer Camillo Bazzoni and a cousin of the Academy Award w ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Giornata nera per l'ariete'' / ''Black Day for the Ram'') a.k.a.''Evil Fingers''
* ''
Oasis of Fear
''Oasis of Fear'' ( it, Un posto ideale per uccidere, lit=An Ideal Place to Kill) is an Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Irene Papas, Ornella Muti and Ray Lovelock. It was produced by Carlo Ponti.
The film was releas ...
'' (
Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Un posto ideale per uccidere'' / ''An Ideal Place to Kill'') a.k.a. ''Dirty Pictures''
* ''
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
''The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh'' (Italian: ''Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh'') is a 1971 ''giallo'' mystery film directed by Sergio Martino, and starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Ivan Rassimov, and Alberto de Mendoza. Its plot follo ...
'' (
Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.
Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh'') a.k.a.''Blade of the Ripper'', a.k.a.''Next!'', a.k.a.''The Next Victim''
[Notebook Soundtrack Mix #10: The Black Belly of Giallo on Notebook, MUBI](_blank)
/ref>
* ''The Case of the Scorpion's Tail
''The Case of the Scorpion's Tail'' (Italian: ''La coda dello scorpione'' / ''Tail of the Scorpion'') is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Sergio Martino, produced by Luciano Martino and co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Eduardo Maria Broch ...
'' (Sergio Martino, 1971; Italian: ''La coda dello scorpione'' / ''Tail of the Scorpion'')
* ''Black Belly of the Tarantula
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
'' (Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara (4 July 1926 – 7 August 1982) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is best known for collaborating with Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco E. Prosperi on the 1962 mondo film ''Mondo Cane'', and for directing the ficti ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La tarantola dal ventre nero'')
* ''The Cat o' Nine Tails
''The Cat o' Nine Tails'' ( it, Il gatto a nove code) is a 1971 ''giallo'' film written and directed by Dario Argento, adapted from a story by Dardano Sacchetti, Luigi Cozzi, and an uncredited Bryan Edgar Wallace. It stars Karl Malden, James Fran ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1971; Italian: ''Il gatto a nove code'')
* ''The Bloodstained Butterfly
''The Bloodstained Butterfly'' ( it, Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate) is a 1971 ''giallo'' film directed by Duccio Tessari. It starred Helmut Berger and Ida Galli.
Plot
A young French woman named Françoise Pigaut (Carole André) meets ...
'' (Duccio Tessari, 1971; Italian: ''Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate'') a.k.a. ''Secret of the Black Rose''
* ''Four Flies on Grey Velvet
''Four Flies on Grey Velvet'' ( it, 4 mosche di velluto grigio) is a 1971 '' giallo'' film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film concerns Roberto Tobias ( Michael Brandon), who accidentally kills a man and is then tormented by someone w ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1971; Italian: ''4 mosche di velluto grigio'')
* ''Marta
Marta may refer to:
People
* Marta (given name), a feminine given name
* Märta, a feminine given name
* Marta (surname)
:István Márta composer
* Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer
Places
* Marta (river), an ...
'' (José Antonio Nieves Conde
José Antonio Nieves Conde (22 December 1911http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/45978/jose-antonio-nieves-conde José Antonio Nieves Conde. Diccionario biográfico español. Real Academia de la Historia. Access 15 february 2020. in Segovia, Castilla y Le ...
, 1971; Italian: ''...dopo di che, uccide il maschio e lo divora'' / ''Afterwards, It Kills and Devours the Male'')
* '' The Double'' (Romolo Guerrieri, 1971; Italian: ''La Controfigura'') a.k.a. ''Love Inferno''
* ''Cross Current
''Cross Current'' ( it, Un omicidio perfetto a termine di legge/ ''A Perfect Murder According to Law''), ( es, Homicidio al límite de la ley), is a 1971 Italian-Spanish giallo film directed by Tonino Ricci, starring Ivan Rassimov and Rosanna Yann ...
'' (Tonino Ricci
Tonino Ricci (23 October 1927 – 9 March 2014), sometimes credited as Anthony Richmond, was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Ricci was born Teodoro Ricci in Rome on October 23, 1927. He began working in film as an assistant director in ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Un Omicidio perfetto a termine di legge'' / ''A Perfect Murder According to Law'')
* '' The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire'' (Riccardo Freda
Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films.
Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...
, 1971; Italian: ''L'iguana dalla lingua di fuoco'')
* ''A Bay of Blood
''A Bay of Blood'' (Italian: ''Ecologia del delitto'', lit. "Ecology of Crime", later retitled ''Reazione a catena'' it. "Chain Reaction" (also known as ''Carnage'', ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' and ''Blood Bath'') is a 1971 Italian giallo sla ...
'' (Mario Bava, 1971; Italian: ''Reazione a catena'' / ''Chain Reaction'') a.k.a.''Twitch of the Death Nerve'', a.k.a.''Ecologia del delitto'' / ''Ecology of Crime'', a.k.a.''Last House on the Left Part 2''
* ''They Have Changed Their Face
''They Have Changed Their Face'' ( it, ...Hanno cambiato faccia) is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Corrado Farina and starring Adolfo Celi. The film won the Golden Leopard award for the Best First Feature at the Locarno International Film ...
'' (Corrado Farina
Corrado Farina (18 March 1939 – 11 July 2016) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. He directed two feature films in the 1970s, many documentaries and commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed t ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Hanno cambiato faccia'')
* ''The Designated Victim
''The Designated Victim'' ( it, La vittima designata, also known as '' Slam Out'') is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Maurizio Lucidi.
Cast
* Tomas Milian as Stefano Augenti
* Pierre Clémenti
Pierre André Clémenti (28 September 19 ...
'' (Maurizio Lucidi
Maurizio Lucidi (1932–2005) was an Italian director, screenwriter and editor, sometimes credited as Mark Lender.
Born in Florence, Lucidi started his career as film editor in the early 1960s. In 1964 he was assistant director for Pier Paolo P ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La vittima designata'') a.k.a.''Murder by Design''
* ''Slaughter Hotel
''Slaughter Hotel'' ( it, La bestia uccide a sangue freddo, "The beast kills in cold blood"), also known as ''Asylum Erotica'' and ''Cold Blooded Beast'', is a 1971 Italian giallo horror film directed by Fernando Di Leo and starring Klaus Ki ...
'' (Fernando Di Leo
Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – 2 December 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, script writer. He made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985.
Biography
Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La bestia uccide a sangue freddo'' / ''The Beast Kills in Cold Blood'') a.k.a.''Asylum Erotica'', a.k.a.''The Cold-Blooded Beast''
* ''The Fourth Victim'' (Eugenio Martín
Eugenio Martín (born 15 May 1925) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He is known for the low-budget genre films he made in the 1960s and 1970s, including ''Bad Man's River'', ''The Bounty Killer'', and ''Horror Express'', the latter be ...
, 1971; Italian: ''In fondo alla piscina'' / ''At the Front of the Pool'') a.k.a.''Death at the Deep End of the Pool'', a.k.a.''La ultima senora Anderson'' / ''The Last Mrs. Anderson'', starring Carroll Baker
* ''The Devil Has Seven Faces
''The Devil Has Seven Faces'' ( it, Il diavolo a sette facce, also known as ''The Devil with Seven Faces'') is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed and co-written by Osvaldo Civirani. It starred George Hilton, Carroll Baker and Luciano Pigozzi. ...
'' (Osvaldo Civirani
Osvaldo Civirani (19 May 1917 - 20 February 2008) was an Italian still photographer, producer, director, cinematographer, screenwriter and author.
Until 1963, Civirani worked mainly as still photographer on over two hundred films.
From 1963 un ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Il diavolo ha sette facce'') a.k.a.''The Devil with Seven Faces''
* ''Seven Murders for Scotland Yard
''Seven Murders for Scotland Yard'' (Spanish:''Jack el destripador de Londres'' / ''Jack the Ripper of London'') is a 1971 Italian-Spanish giallo film directed by José Luis Madrid and starring Paul Naschy, Patricia Loran and Renzo Marignano. Nasc ...
'' (José Luis Madrid
José Luis Madrid (11 April 1933 – 19 July 1999) was a Spanish screenwriter, producer and film director.Goble p.292
Selected filmography
* ''Ruthless Colt of the Gringo'' (1966)
* '' Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy'' (1967)
* ''Seven M ...
, 1971; Spanish: ''Jack el destripador de Londres''/ ''Jack the Ripper of London'') a.k.a. ''Seven Corpses for Scotland Yard''
* ''Death Walks on High Heels
''La morte cammina con i tacchi alti'' (International title: ''Death Walks on High Heels'') is a 1971 giallo film directed and co-produced by Luciano Ercoli. It starred Frank Wolff and Susan Scott, co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi, with music by St ...
'' (Luciano Ercoli, 1971; Italian: ''La morte cammina con i tacchi alti'')
* '' The Short Night of the Glass Dolls'' (Aldo Lado
Aldo Lado (born 5 December 1934) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and writer. Lado was born in Fiume, Italy (today Rijeka, Croatia). Lado wrote the screenplays for 21 films between 1968 and 2004 and directed 14 films between 1971 and 19 ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La corta notte delle bambole di vetro'') a.k.a.''Paralyzed''
* ''Cold Eyes of Fear
''Cold Eyes of Fear'' ( it, Gli occhi freddi della paura) is a 1971 Italian-Spanish thriller film directed by Enzo G. Castellari, starring Fernando Rey.
Plot
A handsome young playboy (Gianni Garko) picks up a pretty Italian girl (Giovanna Ralli) ...
'' (Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo Girolami Castellari (born 29 July 1938) is an Italian director, screenwriter and actor.
Life and career Early life
Castellari was born in Rome into a family of filmmakers. His father was a boxer turned film maker Marino Girolami. His uncle ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Gli occhi freddi della paura'') a.k.a.''Desperate Moments''
*''Human Cobras'' (Bitto Albertini
Adalberto "Bitto" Albertini (1924–1999) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Career
He began his film career as a camera operator and as a cinematographer. In 1974 Albertini directed ''Black Emanuelle'' starring the then almost unk ...
, written by Ernesto Gastaldi
Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular gen ...
, 1971; Italian: ''L'uomo più velenoso del cobra'')
* ''In the Eye of the Hurricane'' (José María Forqué
José María Forqué Galindo (8 March 1923 – 17 March 1995) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
Biography
He was the father of the actress Verónica Forqué and the director Álvaro Forqué. He died on 17 March 1995 in Madrid ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La volpe dalla coda di velluto'' / ''The Fox with a Velvet Tail'')
* '' The Glass Ceiling'' (Eloy de la Iglesia
Eloy de la Iglesia (1 January 1944 – 23 March 2006) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
De la Iglesia was an outspoken gay socialist filmmaker who is relatively unknown outside Spain despite a prolific and successful career in his ...
, 1971; Spanish: ''El techo de cristal'') stars Patty Shepard
Patricia Moran Shepard (October 1, 1945 – January 3, 2013) was an American film actress based in Madrid, Spain. She appeared in more than fifty Spanish, Italian and French films from the 1960s to the 1980s, notably several cult horror films.
...
and Emma Cohen
Emmanuela Beltrán Rahola (21 November 1946 – 11 July 2016) better known as Emma Cohen was a Spanish actress, director, producer, and writer. She appeared in many Spanish language films. She portrayed ''Gallina Caponata'' in Barrio Sésamo, a ...
* ''Two Males for Alexa''/ ''Due maschi per Alexa'' (Juan Logar, 1971; Spanish: ''Fieras sin jaula''/ ''Cageless Beasts'') stars Rosalba Neri
Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1939) is a retired Italian actress.
Early life
Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ca ...
and Emma Cohen
Emmanuela Beltrán Rahola (21 November 1946 – 11 July 2016) better known as Emma Cohen was a Spanish actress, director, producer, and writer. She appeared in many Spanish language films. She portrayed ''Gallina Caponata'' in Barrio Sésamo, a ...
* ''The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave
''The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave'' ( it, La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba) is a 1971 Italian ''gothic'' film directed by Emilio Miraglia.
Plot
Alan (Anthony Steffen) is a wealthy aristocrat who has just been released from a mental i ...
'' (Emilio Miraglia
Emilio Paolo Miraglia (1 January 1924 – 26 August 1982) was an Italian film director. He began working in film as a director's assistant and technician and worked on many B movies.
Miraglia is known for his two early 1970s giallo films, ''The ...
, 1971; Italian: ''La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba'')
* '' The Great Swindle'' (José Antonio Nieves Conde
José Antonio Nieves Conde (22 December 1911http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/45978/jose-antonio-nieves-conde José Antonio Nieves Conde. Diccionario biográfico español. Real Academia de la Historia. Access 15 february 2020. in Segovia, Castilla y Le ...
, 1971; Spanish: ''Historia de una traición'')
* ''Amuck!
''Amuck!'' ( it, Alla ricerca del piacere, lit=In Pursuit of Pleasure) is an Italian ''giallo'' film written and directed by Silvio Amadio.
Plot
Greta, a beautiful blonde American, is hired as the new secretary to Richard Stuart, a famous novel ...
'' (Silvio Amadio
Silvio Amadio (8 August 1926 – 19 August 1995) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1957 and 1981. His film ''Wolves of the Deep'' was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival. He is kno ...
, 1971; Italian: ''Alla ricerca del piacere'' / ''In Pursuit of Pleasure'') a.k.a.''Maniac Mansion'', a.k.a.''Leather and Whips'', a.k.a.''Hot Bed of Sex''
* '' The Red Headed Corpse'' (Renzo Russo, 1972; Italian: ''La rossa dalla pelle che scotta'') a.k.a.''The Sensuous Doll''
* ''The Case of the Bloody Iris
''The Case of the Bloody Iris'' (Italian: ''Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?'', lit. "Why those strange drops of blood on Jennifer's body?", originally released in the UK as ''Erotic Blue'') is a 1972 Italian giallo film ...
'' (Giuliano Carnimeo
Giuliano Carnimeo (born Carmineo; 4 July 1932 – 10 September 2016) was an Italian director and screenwriter, sometimes credited as Anthony Ascott or Antony Ascot.
Life and career
Born in Bari, Carmineo started his career as assistant direct ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?'' / ''What Are Those Strange Drops of Blood on Jennifer's Body?'')
* ''Don't Torture a Duckling
''Don't Torture a Duckling'' ( it, Non si sevizia un paperino) is a 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Florinda Bolkan, Tomas Milian and Barbara Bouchet. The plot follows a detective investigating a series of child murders ...
'' (Lucio Fulci, 1972; Italian: ''Non si sevizia un paperino'') a.k.a.''The Long Night of Exorcism''
* ''Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why?
''Who Killed the Prosecutor and Why?'' ( it, Terza ipotesi su un caso di perfetta strategia criminale) is a 1972 Italian thriller film directed by Giuseppe Vari and starring Lou Castel. The hardcore inserts were edited for some foreign markets. '' (Giuseppe Vari
Giuseppe Vari (9 March 1924 – 1 October 1993) was an Italian film director, editor and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Segni, Rome, Vari started his career as an editor of films and documentaries, collaborating among others with Fed ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Terza ipotesi su un caso di perfetta strategia criminale'' / ''Third hypothesis about a perfect criminal strategy case'')
* ''Death Walks at Midnight
''La morte accarezza a mezzanotte'' (''Death Walks at Midnight''Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Luciano Erco ...
'' (Luciano Ercoli, 1972: Italian: ''La morte accarezza a mezzanotte
''La morte accarezza a mezzanotte'' (''Death Walks at Midnight''Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Luciano Erco ...
''/ ''Death Caresses at Midnight'') a.k.a.''Cry Out in Terror''
* ''Alta Tension''/ ''High Tension'' (Julio Buchs, 1972; Spanish: ''Doppia coppia con Regina'') starring Helga Line, Marisa Mell
* ''An Open Tomb...An Empty Coffin'' (Alfonso Balcázar
Alfonso Balcázar (2 March 1926 – 28 December 1993) was a Spanish screenwriter, film director and film producer, producer. He wrote for 46 films between 1958 and 1983. He also directed 30 films between 1960 and 1984. He was born and died ...
, 1972; Spanish: ''La casa de las muertas vivientes'' / ''House of the Living Dead Women'') aka ''The Nights of the Scorpion''
* '' Who Saw Her Die?'' (Aldo Lado
Aldo Lado (born 5 December 1934) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and writer. Lado was born in Fiume, Italy (today Rijeka, Croatia). Lado wrote the screenplays for 21 films between 1968 and 2004 and directed 14 films between 1971 and 19 ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Chi l'ha vista morire?'')
* ''My Dear Killer
''My Dear Killer'' ( it, Mio caro assassino) is a 1972 Italian-Spanish giallo film directed by Tonino Valerii and starring George Hilton (actor), George Hilton, Marilù Tolo, Patty Shepard, Helga Line, Salvo Randone and William Berger (actor), Wil ...
'' (Tonino Valerii
Tonino Valerii (20 May 1934 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian film director, most known for his Spaghetti Westerns. Tonino (Antonio) Valerii started his film career as an assistant director on Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars'', before mo ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Mio caro assassino'')
* '' Spirits of Death'' (Romano Scavolini
Romano Scavolini (born 18 June 1940) is an Italian film director and the younger brother of screenwriter Sauro Scavolini.
Career
He has been directing since the 1960s. Most of his films are shot independently and with an experimental style. His ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Un bianco vestito per Marialé''/ ''A White Dress for Mariale
''Spirits of Death'' ( it, Un bianco vestito per Marialé/ translation: ''A White Dress for Mariale'') is a 1972 Italian film directed by Romano Scavolini and starring Ida Galli, Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli. The film was also released as ''Exo ...
'') a.k.a.''Exorcisme Tragique''
* ''Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
''Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key'' ( it, Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Sergio Martino. The picture stars Edwige Fenech, Luigi Pistilli, and Anita Strindberg. ...
'' (Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.
Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave'') a.k.a.''Gently Before She Dies'', a.k.a.''Eye of the Black Cat'', a.k.a.''Excite Me!''
* ''The French Sex Murders
''The French Sex Murders'' (Italian: ''Casa d'appuntamento'' (Translation: ''House of Rendezvous'') is a 1972 giallo film directed by Ferdinando Merighi under the pseudonym "F. L. Morris", and edited by Bruno Mattei. It was released as ''The Fre ...
'' (Ferdinando Merighi, 1972; Italian: ''Casa d'appuntamento''/ ''The House of Rendezvous'') a.k.a.''The Bogey Man and the French Murders''
* ''Death Falls Lightly'' (Leopoldo Savona
Leopoldo Savona (1922–2000) was an Italian actor, director, choreographer, and screenwriter. He directed 18 films between 1954 and 1976. He was sometimes credited as Leo Colman or Leo Coleman.
Life and career
Born in Lenola, Latina, he sta ...
, 1972; Italian: ''La morte scende leggera'')
* ''Smile Before Death
''Smile Before Death'' ( it, Il sorriso della iena/ translation: ''Smile of the Hyena'') is a 1972 Italian giallo film written and directed by Silvio Amadio, and starring Rosalba Neri.
Plot
Marco, a bankrupt nobleman, is unhappily married to the ...
'' (Silvio Amadio, 1972; Italian: ''Il sorriso della iena''/ ''Smile of the Hyena'')
* ''What Have You Done to Solange?
''What Have You Done to Solange?'' ( it, Cosa avete fatto a Solange?) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Joachim Fuchsberger, Cristina Galbó, and Camille Keaton. The plot follows a series ...
'' (Massimo Dallamano, 1972; Italian: ''Cosa avete fatto a Solange?'') a.k.a.''Secret of the Green Pins'', a.k.a.''Who's Next?'', a.k.a.''Terror in the Woods''
* ''Knife of Ice
''Il coltello di ghiaccio'' ( English: ''Knife of Ice'') is a 1972 giallo film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker, Evelyn Stewart, and George Rigaud. Both Baker and Stewart featured in several other films helmed by Lenzi. The ...
'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1972; Italian: ''Il coltello di ghiaccio'')
* ''Eye in the Labyrinth
''Eye in the Labyrinth'' ( it, L'occhio nel labirinto) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Mario Caiano and starring Rosemary Dexter, Sybil Danning, Alida Valli, and Adolfo Celi.
Plot
Julie (Rosemary Dexter) is disturbed by the disappearance ...
'' (Mario Caiano
Mario Caiano (February 13, 1933 – September 20, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, art director and second unit director.
Career
Born in Rome, he directed nearly 50 films between 1961 and 2001 and wrote some 27 f ...
, 1972; Italian: ''L'occhio nel labirinto'') a.k.a. ''Blood'', starring Alida Valli
* ''Murder Mansion'' (Francisco Lara Polop, 1972; Italian: ''Quando Marta urlò dalla tomba'' / ''When Marta Screamed from the Grave'') a.k.a.''The House in the Fog''
* ''All the Colors of the Dark
''All the Colors of the Dark'' ( it, Tutti i colori del buio) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton and George Rigaud. The film was also released under the alternate titles ''Day of the M ...
'' (Sergio Martino, 1972; Italian: ''Tutti i colori del buio'') a.k.a.''Day of the Maniac'', a.k.a.''They're Coming to Get You!''
* ''The Killer is on the Phone
''The Killer Is on the Phone'' ( it, L'assassino... è al telefono) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Alberto De Martino. It was released in the U.S. in July, 1975.
The film is set in Bruges, Belgium, and stars Telly Savalas and Anne Heywood. ...
'' (Alberto De Martino, 1972; Italian: ''L'assassino e' al telefono'') a.k.a.''Scenes From a Murder'', starring Telly Savalas
* ''Tropic of Cancer'' (Edoardo Mulargia, 1972; Italian: ''Al Tropico del Cancro'') a.k.a.''Death in Haiti''
* ''Love and Death in the Garden of the Gods'' (Sauro Scavolini
This is a list of common affixes used when scientifically naming species, particularly extinct species for whom only their scientific names are used, along with their derivations.
*a-, an-: ''Pronunciation'': /ə/, /a/, /ən/, /an/. ''Origin' ...
, 1972; Italian: '' Amore e morte nel giardino degli dei'')
* ''The Dead Are Alive
''The Dead Are Alive'' ( it, L'etrusco uccide ancora / ''The Etruscan Kills Again'') is a 1972 giallo film by Italian director Armando Crispino, with music by Riz Ortolani, and starring Alex Cord, Samantha Eggar and John Marley. It was released i ...
'' (Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...
, 1972; Italian: ''L'etrusco uccide ancora'' / ''The Etruscan Kills Again'')
* ''So Sweet, So Dead
''So Sweet, So Dead'' ( it, Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile, also known as ''The Slasher is the Sex Maniac'' and ''Penetration'' (the US version with hardcore inserts involving Harry Reems and Kim Pope)) is a 1972 ...
'' (Roberto Montero, 1972; Italian: ''Rivelazione di un maniaco sessuale''/ ''Revelations of a Sex Maniac'') a.k.a.''The Slasher is the Sex Maniac'', a.k.a.''Penetration''
* ''Delirium'' (Renato Polselli
Renato Polselli (1922–2006) was an Italian film director and writer. Born in Arce, Lazio on 26 February 1922, Polselli began directing films in Italy in the early 1950s. He is best known for directing and writing the film ''The Vampire and the ...
, 1972; Italian: ''Delirio caldo'')
* ''Seven Blood-Stained Orchids
''Seven Blood-Stained Orchids'' ( it, Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
Plot
A killer is driving around the streets of Italy looking for a specific victim w ...
'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1972; Italian: ''Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso'')
* '' The Crimes of the Black Cat'' (Sergio Pastore, 1972; Italian: ''Sette scialli di seta gialla'' / ''Seven Shawls of Yellow Silk'')
* ''Naked Girl Killed in the Park
''Naked Girl Killed in the Park'' ( it, Ragazza tutta nuda assassinata nel parco, es, Joven de buena familia sospechosa de asesinato) is a 1972 giallo film directed by Alfonso Brescia, co-written by Gianni Martucci and starring Robert Hoffmann ...
'' (Alfonso Brescia, 1972; Italian: ''Ragazza tutta nuda assassinata nel parco'') a.k.a.''Naked Girl Found in the Park''
* ''The Two Faces of Fear
''The Two Faces of Fear'' ( it, I Due Volti della Paura) is a film directed by Tulio Demicheli. The film is an Italian and Spanish co-production between the Rome based company B.R.C. and Tecisa a Madrid based company.
Cast
* George Hilton as Dr. ...
'' (Tulio Demicheli
Tulio Demicheli (born August 15, 1914, Buenos Aires, Argentina - d. May 25, 1992, Madrid, Spain) was an Argentina, Argentine film director, born Spanish film director, screenwriter and film producer of the classic era.
Born as Armando Bartolomé ...
, 1972; Italian: ''I due volti della paura'') a.k.a. ''Two Faces of Terror'', starring Anita Strindberg, George Hilton
* ''The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive
''L'arma, l'ora, il movente'', internationally released as ''The Weapon, the Hour, the Motive'', is a 1972 Cinema of Italy, Italian giallo film produced, co-written and directed by Francesco Mazzei. It is the first giallo that showed a corrupt prie ...
'' (Francesco Mazzei, 1972; Italian: ''L'arma, l'ora, il movente'')
* ''The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
''The Red Queen Kills Seven Times'' ( it, La dama rossa uccide sette volte) is a 1972 ''giallo'' film directed by Emilio Miraglia.
Plot
Two sisters, Kitty and Evelyn, are cursed by a family painting depicting a hundred year-cycle in which a Red Q ...
'' (Emilio Miraglia
Emilio Paolo Miraglia (1 January 1924 – 26 August 1982) was an Italian film director. He began working in film as a director's assistant and technician and worked on many B movies.
Miraglia is known for his two early 1970s giallo films, ''The ...
, 1972; Italian: ''La dama rossa uccide sette volte'') a.k.a.''Blood Feast'', a.k.a.''Feast of Flesh''
* ''The Cat in Heat'' (Nello Rossati
Nello Rossati (15 June 1942 – 16 October 2009) was an Italian director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Adria, Rossati studied at the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and started his career on stage, as assistant director and o ...
, 1972; Italian: ''La gatta en calore'')
* ''A.A.A. Masseuse, Good-Looking, Offers Her Services'' (Demofilo Fidani
Demofilo Fidani (born 8 February 1914 on a steamship bound for Cagliari; died 4 April 1994) was an Italian film director (24 films), set designer (more than 200 films), painter, and a regarded spiritual medium, medium and author.
As director, Fi ...
, 1972; Italian: ''A.A.A. Massaggiatrice bella presenza offresi...'')
* ''Death Carries a Cane
''Death Carries a Cane'' (Italian title: ''Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio''/ ''Dance Steps on the Edge of a Razor''), is a 1973 Italian giallo film directed by Maurizio Pradeaux. It starred Robert Hoffmann, Nieves Navarro and Luciano Rossi. ...
'' (Maurizio Pradeaux, 1973) Italian: ''Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio'' / ''Dance Steps on a Razor's Edge''; a.k.a.''Maniac at Large'', a.k.a.''Tormentor''
* ''Torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human ...
'' (Sergio Martino, 1973; Italian: ''I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale'' / ''The Bodies Show Traces of Carnal Violence'')
* '' The Flower with the Petals of Steel'' (Gianfranco Piccioli
Gianfranco Piccioli (26 February 1944 – 27 November 2022) was an Italian film director, film producer and screenwriter best known for such films as ''The Flower with the Petals of Steel'', ''Beach House'', ''Bix'', and ''The Pool Hustlers''.
...
, 1973; Italian: ''Il fiore dai petali d'acciaio'' / ''The Flower with the Deadly Sting'') starring Carroll Baker
* ''Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye
''Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye'' ( it, La morte negli occhi del gatto) is a 1973 Gothic horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti.
Plot
Set in Scotland, the film opens with a man being murdered by an unknown killer with a razor. The killer d ...
'' (Antonio Margheriti, 1973; Italian: ''La morte negli occhi del gatto'' / ''Death in the Eyes of the Cat'')
*''The Bloodstained Lawn
''Il prato macchiato di rosso'' () is a 1973 Italian film directed by Riccardo Ghione.
Plot
Emilia-Romagna, Italy, early seventies. A Unesco agent discovers that blood is contained in a bottle of wine produced by a well-known Italian winery. A co ...
'' (Riccardo Ghione, 1973; Italian: ''Il prato macchiato di rosso'')
* '' The Sex of the Witch'' (Angelo Pannaccio, 1973; Italian: ''Il sesso della strega'') starring Camille Keaton
* ''Love and Death on the Edge of a Razor'' (Giusseppe Pellegrini, 1973; Italian: ''Giorni d'amore sul filo di una lama'') a.k.a.''Muerte au Rasoir''
* ''The Crimes of Petiot
''The Crimes of Petiot'' (Spanish:''Los crímenes de Petiot'') is a 1973 Spanish giallo film directed by José Luis Madrid and starring Paul Naschy, Patricia Loran and Fernando Marín.Schneider p.78
Cast
* Paul Naschy as Boris Villowa / Padre ...
'' (José Luis Madrid
José Luis Madrid (11 April 1933 – 19 July 1999) was a Spanish screenwriter, producer and film director.Goble p.292
Selected filmography
* ''Ruthless Colt of the Gringo'' (1966)
* '' Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy'' (1967)
* ''Seven M ...
, 1973; Spanish: ''Los crímenes de Petiot'')
* ''Death Smiles on a Murderer
''Death Smiles on a Murderer'' ( it, La morte ha sorriso all'assassino; English title sequence: ''Death Smiles at Murder'') is a 1973 Italian horror film directed by Joe D'Amato and starring Ewa Aulin, Klaus Kinski and Luciano Rossi.
Plot
1906 ...
'' (Joe D'Amato, 1973; Italian: ''La morte ha sorriso all'assassino'')
* ''No One Heard the Scream'' (Eloy de la Iglesia, 1973; Spanish: ''Nadie oyó gritar
''No One Heard the Scream'' (Spanish: ''Nadie oyó gritar'') is a 1973 Spanish horror film directed by Eloy de la Iglesia. The film stars two of the director’s favorite performers: Carmen Sevilla (from de la Iglesia's ''The Glass Ceiling'') and ...
'')
* ''Don't Look Now
''Don't Look Now'' ( it, A Venezia... un Dicembre rosso shocking, lit=In Venice... a shocking red December) is a 1973 English-language film in the thriller genre directed by Nicolas Roeg, adapted from the 1971 short story by Daphne du Mauri ...
'' (Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Jack Roeg (; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing '' Performance'' (1970), ''Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973), ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976 ...
, 1973; Italian: ''A Venezia... un Dicembre rosso shocking'' / ''In Venice... a Shocking Red December'')
* ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black
''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux.
Plot
Silvia (Mimsy Farmer) is ...
'' (Francesco Barilli, 1974; Italian: ''Il profumo della signora in nero'')
* ''Delitto d'autore'' (Mario Sabatini, 1974; translation: ''Copyright Crime'') starring Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina (; born Silvija Košćina, ; 22 August 1933 – 26 December 1994) was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, maybe best remembered for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules ( Steve Reeves) in ''Hercules'' (1958) and ''Hercules Unchai ...
, Luigi Pistilli
Luigi Pistilli (19 July 192921 April 1996) was an Italian actor of stage, screen, and television.
At one time Pistilli was one of Italy's most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. In theater, he was considered one of the country's ...
* ''Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll
''Los Ojos Azules de la Muñeca Rota'' (''The Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll'') is a 1973 Spanish horror-giallo film directed by Carlos Aured and starring Paul Naschy (who also wrote the film), Diana Lorys, Maria Perschy, and Eva Leon. The film ...
'' (Carlos Aured, 1974; Spanish: ''Los ojos azules de la muñeca rota'') a.k.a.''House of Psychotic Women''
* ''Five Women for the Killer
''Five Women for the Killer'' (originally titled ''5 donne per l'assassino'') is an Italian ''giallo'' film directed in 1974 by Stelvio Massi. '' Il Giorno'' wrote "the film has the merit of a quick direction that does not spare chills and twist ...
'' (Stelvio Massi
Stelvio Massi (26 March 1929 – 26 March 2004), sometimes credited "Max Steel", was an Italian director known for his "''poliziotteschi''" films.
Career
Massi entered the cinema industry in 1952 as assistant camera operator, and in 1954 he becam ...
, 1974; Italian: ''Cinque donne per l'assassino'')
* ''Spasmo
''Spasmo'' is a 1974 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Robert Hoffmann and Suzy Kendall.
Plot
A young couple on their nightly hormonal romp decide to go to the beach, where they first meet a mysterious man who is ...
'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1974)
* ''Puzzle
A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...
'' (Duccio Tessari, 1974; Italian: ''L'uomo senza memoria'' / ''The Man Without a Memory'')
* ''The Girl in Room 2A
''The Girl in Room 2A'' (Italian: ''La Casa della Paura'') is a 1974 giallo film directed by William Rose, starring Daniela Giordano and Angelo Infanti.
Synopsis
Margaret Bradley is young girl just paroled from jail who rents a room in house o ...
'' (William Rose, 1974, Italian: ''La casa della paura'' / ''The House of Fear'') a.k.a.''The Perversions of Mrs. Grant''
* ''The Killer Reserved Nine Seats
''The Killer Reserved Nine Seats'' ( it, L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone) is a 1974 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Giuseppe Bennati.
Plot
Patrick Davenant invites a group of friends to visit a theatre inside his villa, a place which ...
'' (Giuseppe Bennati
Giuseppe Bennati (4 January 1921 – 26 September 2006) was an Italian film director and writer.
He directed ''Il microfono è vostro'' (1952), ''Musoduro'' (1954), ''L'amico del giaguaro'' (1958), ''Labbra rosse'' (1960), ''Congo vivo'' (1961) a ...
, 1974; Italian: ''L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone'')
* ''What Have They Done to Your Daughters?
''What Have They Done to Your Daughters?'' ( it, La polizia chiede aiuto , lit=The police ask for help) is a 1974 Italian ''giallo'' and ''poliziotteschi'' film directed by Massimo Dallamano.
Plot
Police officers investigated the death of 14-yea ...
'' (Massimo Dallamano, 1974; Italian: ''La polizia chiede aiuto'' / ''The Police Need Help'') a.k.a.''The Co-ed Murders''
* ''Ciak...si muore'' (Mario Moroni, 1974; rough translation: ''Clack...You Die'' (as in the sound a clapboard makes))
* ''The Killer Is One of the Thirteen'' (Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager who is currently in charge of Spanish team RCD Mallorca.
Aguirre played for Mexico at the 1986 Wo ...
, 1974; Spanish: ''El asesino está entre los trece'')
* ''The Killer Wore Gloves'' ( Juan Bosch, 1974; Spanish: ''La Muerte llama a las diez'' / ''Death Calls at Ten'') a.k.a.''Le calde labbra del carnefice'' / ''The Hot Lips of the Killer''
* ''The Killer With a Thousand Eyes'' (Juan Bosch, 1974; Spanish: ''Los mil ojos del asesino'') a.k.a.''On The Edge''
* ''The Fish With the Gold Eyes'' (Pedro Luis Ramírez, 1974, Spanish: ''El pez del los ojos de oro'') starring Monserrat Prous
* ''Death Will Have Your Eyes'' ( Giovanni D'Eramo, 1974; Italian: ''La moglie giovane''/ ''The Young Wife'') a.k.a. ''Triangle'', a.k.a. ''Infamia''
* ''Eyeball
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...
'' (Umberto Lenzi, 1975; Italian: ''Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro'' / ''Red Cats in a Glass Maze'') a.k.a.''Wide-Eyed in the Dark''
* ''Autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
'' (Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...
, 1975; Italian: ''Macchie solari
''Autopsy'' (original Italian title ''Macchie solari'', also known as ''The Victim'' and ''Corpse'') is a 1975 Italian giallo-horror film directed by Armando Crispino. It achieved a ''cult'' status for its truculent morgue scenes. The Italian ti ...
'' / ''Sunspots'')
* ''The Killer Must Kill Again
''The Killer Must Kill Again'' (Italian: ''L'assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora'') is a 1975 Italian giallo film directed by Luigi Cozzi. Cozzi originally wanted to call the film ''Il Ragno'' (''The Spider'') but it was changed to ''The Ki ...
'' (Luigi Cozzi
is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
, 1975; Italian: ''L'assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora'') a.k.a.''Il Ragno'' (''The Spider''), a.k.a.''The Dark is Death's Friend''
* ''Giochi erotici di una famiglia per bene''/ ''Erotic Games of a Good Family'' (Francesco Degli Espinosa, 1975) starring Erica Blanc
* ''All the Screams of Silence'' (Ramón Barco, 1975, Spanish: ''Todo los gritos del silencio'')
* ''A Dragonfly for Each Corpse'' (León Klimovsky
León Klimovsky (16 October 1906 – 8 April 1996) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer.
Biography
A trained dentist, born in Buenos Aires, his real passion was always the cinema. He pioneered Argentine cultural moveme ...
, 1975; Spanish: ''Una libélula para cada muerto'')
* ''La pelle sotto gli artigli''/ ''The Skin Under the Claws'' (Alessandro Santini, 1975) starring Gordon Mitchell
* '' Footprints on the Moon'' (Luigi Bazzoni, 1975; Italian: ''Le orme''/ ''Footsteps'')
* ''Deep Red
''Deep Red'' ( it, Profondo rosso), also known as ''The Hatchet Murders'', is a 1975 Italian Thriller film, thriller- giallo film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Bernardino Zapponi. It stars David Hemmings as a musician wh ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1975; Italian: ''Profondo rosso'') a.k.a.''The Hatchet Murders''
* ''Strip Nude for Your Killer
''Nude per l'assassino'' (English: ''Strip Nude for Your Killer'') is a 1975 ''giallo'' film directed by Andrea Bianchi. Written by Massimo Felisatti, the film stars Nino Castelnuovo, Edwige Fenech and Solvi Stubing, and features music by Berto ...
'' (Andrea Bianchi
Andrea Bianchi (31 March 1925 – 14 November 2013) was an Italian film Film director, director and writer.
Filmography
* ''Night Hair Child, Diabólica malicia'' (1972) (as Andrew White) (uncredited in English version)
* ''Treasure Island (1972 ...
, 1975) a.k.a. ''Nude per l'assassino''
* ''The Killer is Not Alone'' (Jesus Garcia de Duenas, 1975; Spanish: ''El asesino no está solo'') starring Maria Rohm
Maria Rohm (13 August 1945 – 18 June 2018) was an Austrian actress and producer.
Born Helga Grohmann in Vienna, she started her acting career at the very young age, working at the famous Viennese Burgtheatre as a child actor from ages 4 throug ...
* ''Reflections in Black
''Reflections in Black'' ( it, Il vizio ha le calze nere / ''Vice Wears Black Hose'') is a 1975 Italian giallo film directed by the actor Tano Cimarosa, here at his directorial debut.
Plot
In San Benedetto del Tronto a mysterious murderess kill ...
'' (Tano Cimarosa
Tano Cimarosa, real name Gaetano Cisco, (1 January 1922 – 24 May 2008) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. He participated in more than fifty movies.
He played the "Blacksmith" in the Oscar-winning film ''Cinema Paradiso'' fr ...
, 1975; Italian: ''Il vizio ha le calze nere'' / ''Vice Wears Black Hose'')
* ''The Suspicious Death of a Minor
''The Suspicious Death of a Minor'' ( it, Morte sospetta di una minorenne), a.k.a. ''Too Young to Die'', is a 1975 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Sergio Martino.
Plot summary
Police detective Paolo Germi (Claudio Cassinelli) and the mys ...
'' (Sergio Martino, 1975; Italian: ''Morte sospetta di una minorenne'') a.k.a.''Too Young to Die''
* ''The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance
''The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance'' ( it, La sanguisuga conduce la danza) is a 1975 Italian film directed by Alfredo Rizzo.
Plot
In Ireland in 1902, Count Marnak invites a troupe of actors to perform at his island castle. He is stunned by how ...
'' (Alfredo Rizzo, 1975; Italian: ''La sanguisuga conduce la danza'') a.k.a.''The Passion of Evelyn''
* '' ...a tutte le auto della polizia'' (Mario Caiano
Mario Caiano (February 13, 1933 – September 20, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, art director and second unit director.
Career
Born in Rome, he directed nearly 50 films between 1961 and 2001 and wrote some 27 f ...
, 1975; English: ''Calling All Police Cars'') a.k.a. ''The Maniac Responsible''
* ''Snapshot of a Crime
''Snapshot of a Crime'' ( it, Istantanea per un delitto) is a 1975 Italian giallo film written and directed by Mario Imperoli (here credited as Arthur Saxon).
Plot
Two women, apparently linked by a deep friendship, are involved in an obscure se ...
'' (Mario Imperoli
Mario Imperoli (24 June 1931 - 24 December 1977) was an Italian director, producer, screenwriter and journalist.
Born in Rome, Imperoli started his career as a journalist for several magazines and newspapers. He entered the cinema industry in ...
, 1975; Italian: ''Istantanea per un delitto'')
* ''The Police Are Blundering in the Dark'' (Helia Colombo, 1975; Italian: ''La polizia brancola nel buio'')
* ''The House with Laughing Windows
''The House with Laughing Windows'' ( it, La casa dalle finestre che ridono) is a 1976 Italian ''giallo'' film co-written and directed by Pupi Avati. The film was shot in Lido degli Scacchi in the Ferrara province of the Emilia-Romagna region in n ...
'' (Pupi Avati
Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...
, 1976; Italian: ''La casa dalle finestre che ridono'')
* ''Plot of Fear
''Plot of Fear'' ( it, ...e tanta paura, links=no/ ''Too Much Fear''), also known as ''Bloody Peanuts'', is an Italian giallo movie directed in 1976 by Paolo Cavara. The film also includes a well-known animated erotic insert directed by Gibba in ...
'' (Paolo Cavara, 1976; Italian: ''E tanta paura''/ ''Too Much Fear'') a.k.a. ''Bloody Peanuts''
* ''Death Haunts Monica'' (Ramón Fernández, 1976; Spanish: ''La Muerte Ronda a Monica'') starring Jean Sorel
* ''Death Steps in the Dark
''Death Steps in the Dark'' ( it, Passi di morte perduti nel buio, which translates as ''Death Steps Lost in the Dark'') is a 1977 Italian-Greek giallo film directed by Maurizio Pradeaux. Pradeaux directed only one other giallo, the 1973 ''Death ...
'' (Maurizio Pradeaux, 1977; Italian: ''Passi di morte perduti nel buio'')
* ''Crazy Desires of a Murderer'' (Filippo Walter Ratti
Filippo Walter Ratti (1914–1981) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. After working as an assistant director for several years, he made his directoral debut in 1946. The following year he directed the biopic ''Eleonora Duse (film), ...
, 1977; Italian: ''I vizi morbosi di una governante''/ ''The Morbid Vices of a Housekeeper'')
* ''The Psychic
''Sette note in nero'' () is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. ''Sette note in nero'' stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film i ...
'' (Lucio Fulci, 1977) a.k.a. ''Sette note in nero
''Sette note in nero'' () is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. ''Sette note in nero'' stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film i ...
'') a.k.a.''Murder to the Tune of Seven Black Notes''
* ''The Pyjama Girl Case
''La ragazza dal pigiama giallo'' (Italian for ''The Girl in the Yellow Pyjamas'') is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Flavio Mogherini, distributed internationally as ''The Pyjama Girl Case''.
Film information
The film is based on a real ...
'' (Flavio Mogherini
Flavio Mogherini (25 March 1922 – 23 April 1994) was an Italian production designer, art director and film director. His career spanned from 1947 to 1994.
His daughter Federica Mogherini was High Representative of the Union for Foreign A ...
, 1977; Italian: ''La ragazza dal pigiama giallo'' / ''The Girl in the Yellow Pyjamas'')
* ''Watch Me When I Kill
''Watch Me When I Kill'' ( it, Il gatto dagli occhi di giada/ ''The Cat with the Jade Eyes''), also known as ''The Cat's Victims'' in the UK, is a 1977 Italian giallo film co-written and directed by Antonio Bido. The American prints have an additi ...
'' (Antonio Bido
Antonio Bido (sometimes credited as Tony B. Dodd; born January 8, 1949) is an Italian film director.
Bido is known for such films as ''Watch Me When I Kill'', '' Blue Tornado'' with Patsy Kensit, David Warner and Dirk Benedict, and ''The Bloodst ...
, 1977; Italian: ''Il gatto dagli occhi di giada'' / ''The Cat with the Jade Eyes'') a.k.a.''The Cat's Victims''
* ''The Eyes Behind the Wall'' (Giuliano Petrelli, 1977; Italian: ''L'occhio dietro la parete'') starring John Phillip Law
* ''Nine Guests for a Crime
9 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
9 or nine may also refer to:
Dates
* AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era
* 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era
* 9, numerical symbol for the month of September
Places
* Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...
'' (Ferdinando Baldi
Ferdinando Baldi (19 May 1917 – 12 September 2007) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Biography
Baldi was born in Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno, on 19 May 1917. His early film work began in Italy in the early 1950s with films su ...
, 1977; Italian: ''9 ospiti per un delitto'') a.k.a.''A Cry in the Night''
* ''Suspiria
''Suspiria'' () is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay ''Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper as ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1977)
* ''Hotel Fear
''Pensione paura'' () is a 1978 film directed by Francesco Barilli.
Plot
A young girl and her mother run a hotel during the war. The girl finds herself at the mercy of her sex-crazed guests and matters become worse when her mother dies. Soon afte ...
'' (Francesco Barilli, 1978; Italian: ''Pensione Paura'')
* ''The Sister of Ursula'' (Enzo Milioni, 1978; Italian: ''La sorella di Ursula'') a.k.a.''La muerte tiene ojos'' / ''Death Has Eyes'', a.k.a.''Ursula's Sister''
* ''Red Rings of Fear
''Red Rings of Fear'' ( it, Enigma rosso, german: Orgie des Todes, es, Tráfico de menores) is a 1978 giallo film directed by Alberto Negrin.
Plot
A detective investigates the killing of a teenage girl and turns his suspicions on three girlf ...
'' (Alberto Negrin
Alberto Negrin (born 2 January 1940) is an Italian film director and screenwriter, known for his historical, nostalgic and political films.
Negrin started his career as a fine art photographer. In 1962 he debuted as an assistant stage director, c ...
, 1978; Italian: ''Enigma rosso''/ ''Red Enigma'') a.k.a.''Virgin Terror'', a.k.a.''Trauma'', a.k.a.''Rings of Fear''
* ''The Bloodstained Shadow
''Solamente nero'' (''Only Blackness''), internationally released as ''The Bloodstained Shadow'', is a 1978 Italian giallo film co-written and directed by Antonio Bido. The film was referred to as "a fine example of a competent giallo, as it cont ...
'' (Antonio Bido, 1978; Italian: ''Solamente nero'' / ''Only Blackness'')
* ''L'immoralità'' (Massimo Pirri
Massimo Pirri (10 November 1945 – 20 June 2001) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Campagnano di Roma, Pirri entered the cinema industry as an actor, playing very minor roles while he was completing his ...
, 1978) a.k.a. ''Cock Crows at Eleven''
* '' The Perfect Crime'' (Giuseppe Rosati, 1978; Italian: ''Indagine su un delitto perfetto''/ ''Investigation of a Perfect Crime'') starring Joseph Cotten, Paul Muller
* ''Trauma'' (Leon Klimovsky, 1978; Spanish: ''Violacion Fatal'') starring Antoio Mayans
* '' Atrocious Tales of Love and Death'' (Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies.
He is the older bro ...
, 1979; Italian: ''Giallo napoletano
''Neapolitan Mystery'' ( it, Giallo napoletano) is a 1979 Italian mystery film directed by Sergio Corbucci. The film is also known as ''Atrocious Tales of Love and Death''.Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide t ...
'') a.k.a. ''Melodie meurtriere'', a.k.a. ''Atrocious Tales of Love and Revenge''
* ''Killer Nun
''Killer Nun'' (Italian: ''Suor Omicidi'', ''Sister Murders'') is a 1979 Italian nunsploitation horror film directed and co-written by Giulio Berruti, co-written by Alberto Tarallo, and starring Anita Ekberg, Joe Dallesandro, Lou Castel, and Al ...
'' (Giulio Berutti, 1979; Italian: ''Suir omicidi'') a.k.a.''Deadly Habit''
* ''The Sky is Falling'' (Silvio Narizzano
Silvio Narizzano (8 February 192726 July 2011) was a Canadian film and television director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. His directorial credits included the critically acclaimed films ''Georgy Girl'' (1966) and '' Loot'' (1970), w ...
, 1979; Spanish: ''Las Flores del Vicio'') a.k.a. ''Bloodbath'', starring Carroll Baker
* ''Giallo a Venezia
''Giallo a Venezia'' (''Giallo in Venice'') is a 1979 Italian giallo film directed by Mario Landi. The film released on December 31, 1979 in Italy and starred Leonora Fani. It is known primarily for its extremely graphic scenes of sex and gore, inc ...
'' (Mario Landi
Mario Landi (12 October 1920 – 18 March 1992) was an Italian director known for his giallo movies such as ''Giallo a Venezia'' and his television series ''Le inchieste del commissario Maigret''.
Life and career
Born in Messina, Sicily, Landi ...
, 1979) a.k.a.''Giallo in Venice'', a.k.a.''Giallo, Venetian Style''
* ''Play Motel
''Play Motel'' is a 1979 Italian giallo film written and directed by Mario Gariazzo (credited as Roy Garrett) and starring Anna Maria Rizzoli and Ray Lovelock.
''Play Motel'' was released on blu-ray in a region 1 release by Raro Video in August 2 ...
'' (Mario Gariazzo
Mario Gariazzo (4 June 1930 – 18 March 2002) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 21 films between 1969 and 1992. He also directed 18 films between 1962 and 1992. He was born in Biella, Italy and died in Rome, Italy at ...
, 1979)
1980s
* ''Trhauma'' (Gianni Martucci, 1980; Italian: ''Il mistero della casa maledetta'' / ''Mystery of the Cursed House'') a.k.a.''Thrauma''
* ''Murder Obsession
''Murder Obsession'' (''Follia omicida''), a.k.a. ''Fear'', is a 1981 Italian giallo film directed by Riccardo Freda, and starring Laura Gemser and Anita Strindberg.
Plot synopsis
A successful actor named Michael (Stefano Patrizi) has a dark pas ...
'' (Riccardo Freda, 1981; Italian: ''Follia omicida'' / ''Murder Madness'') a.k.a.''Fear'', a.k.a.''The Wailing'', a.k.a.''The Murder Syndrome''
* ''The Secret of Seagull Island'' (Nestore Ungaro, 1981; Italian: ''L'isola del gabbiano'') this was the feature version edited from a 1981 TV miniseries called ''Seagull Island''; a British/Italian co-production
* ''Inferno
Inferno may refer to:
* Hell, an afterlife place of suffering
* Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire
Film
* ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film
* Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker
* Inferno (1973 fi ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1980)
* '' Madhouse'' (Ovidio Assonitis
Ovidio Gabriel Assonitis (born January 18, 1943) is an Egyptian-born Greco-Italian entertainment executive, film producer, screenwriter, and director best known for his numerous B-horror films including ''Beyond the Door'', ''Tentacles,'' '' ...
, 1981) a.k.a. ''There Was a Little Girl'', a.k.a. ''And When She Was Bad''
* ''Nightmare
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
'' (Romano Scavolini, 1981) a.k.a.''Nightmares in a Damaged Brain''
* ''Tenebrae
Tenebrae (—Latin for "darkness") is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by gradual extinguishing of candles, and by a "strepitus" or "loud noise" taking place in total ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1982) a.k.a.''Unsane''
* ''The Scorpion with Two Tails
''The Scorpion with Two Tails'' ( it, Assassinio al cimitero etrusco, lit=Murder in the Etruscan Cemetery) is a 1982 film directed by Sergio Martino.
Plot
Joan has nightmares of Etruscan sacrifices. She knows very well the Etruscan language and ...
'' (Sergio Martino, 1982; Italian: ''Assassinio al cimitero etrusco'' / ''Murder in the Etruscan Cemetery'')
* ''The New York Ripper
''The New York Ripper'' ( it, Lo squartatore di New York) is a 1982 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film is about a police lieutenant who is tracking a sadistic killer who slashes women with a switchblade and straight-razors ...
'' (Lucio Fulci, 1982; Italian: ''Lo squartatore di New York'')
* ''Delitto Carnale'' (Cesare Canaveri, 1982; English: ''Carnal Crime'') a.k.a. ''Killing of the Flesh'', a.k.a. ''Sensual Murder''; also released as a hardcore adult version
* ''A Blade in the Dark
''A Blade in the Dark'' ( it, La casa con la scala nel buio, lit=The House with the Dark Staircase) is a 1983 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Lamberto Bava. Originally planned for television, the film was made as a nearly two hour piece split ...
'' (Lamberto Bava, 1983; Italian: ''La casa con la scala nel buio'' / ''The House with the Dark Staircase'')
* ''Blood Link
''Blood Link'' ( it, Extrasensorial, also released as ''The Link'') is a 1982 giallo film directed by Alberto De Martino and starring Michael Moriarty, Penelope Milford, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Cameron Mitchell. It was an Italian and West Germ ...
'' (Alberto De Martino, 1983) a.k.a. ''Extrasensorial
''Blood Link'' ( it, Extrasensorial, also released as ''The Link'') is a 1982 giallo film directed by Alberto De Martino and starring Michael Moriarty, Penelope Milford, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Cameron Mitchell. It was an Italian and West Germ ...
''
* ''The House of the Yellow Carpet
''The House of the Yellow Carpet'' ( it, La casa del tappeto giallo) is a 1983 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Carlo Lizzani.
Plot
Franca and her husband Antonio decide to sell a yellow rug which was a gift from Franca's stepfather. One day, ...
'' (Carlo Lizzani
Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic.
Biography
Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's ''Germany Year Zero'', ...
, 1983; Italian: ''La casa del tappeto giallo'')
* ''Murder Rock
''Murder Rock'' ( it, Murderock uccide a passo di danza) is a 1984 Italian ''giallo'' film starring Olga Karlatos, Ray Lovelock, Al Cliver and Claudio Cassinelli, and directed by Lucio Fulci (who has a cameo appearance in the film).
In an inter ...
'' (Lucio Fulci, 1984; Italian: ''Murderock – uccide a passo di danza'') a.k.a.''The Demon Is Loose!'', a.k.a.''Murder Rock – Dancing Death''
* ''Nothing Underneath
''Nothing Underneath'' ( it, Sotto il vestito niente) is a 1985 Italian thriller film directed by Carlo Vanzina. The film is about Bob Crane (Tom Schanley) who has visions of his fashion model twin sister ( Nicola Perring) being murdered in Mil ...
'' (Carlo Vanzina, 1985; Italian: ''Sotto il vestito niente''/ ''Nothing Underneath the Dress'') a.k.a.''The Last Shot''
* ''Formula for a Murder
''Formula for a Murder'' ( it, 7, Hyden Park – La casa maledetta, lit=7 Hyde Park – The Cursed House) is a 1985 Italian ''giallo'' film co-written and directed by Alberto De Martino.
The film was shot in Boston and Italy, and was one of th ...
'' (Alberto De Martino, 1985) a.k.a.''7 Hyden Park – La casa maledetta''/ ''7 Hyde Park - The Cursed House'')
* ''Phenomena
A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1985) a.k.a. ''Creepers''
* ''Black Octopus'' (Marta Reguera, 1985; Spanish: ''Pulpo Negro'') made for Argentinian TV
* ''The House of the Blue Shadows'' (Beppe Cino
Giuseppe Cino, better known as Beppe Cino (born 3 February 1947), is an Italian director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Caltanissetta, Cino formed at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, graduating in 1970. The same y ...
, 1986; Italian: ''La casa del buon ritorno
''La Casa del Buon Ritorno'' () is a 1986 Italian ''giallo'' written and directed by Beppe Cino. It is also known as ''The House of the Blue Shadows''. The film was theatrically released in Germany as ''Das Haus der Blauen Schatten'' (''The House ...
'') a.k.a. ''The House with the Blue Shutters''
* ''The Killer is Still Among Us'' (Camillo Teti, 1986; Italian: '' L'assassino è ancora tra noi'')
* ''You'll Die at Midnight
''Midnight Killer'' ( it, Morirai a mezzanotte, lit=To Die at Midnight) is a 1986 Italian ''giallo'' film starring Valeria D'Obici and Leonardo Treviglio, and directed by Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film direct ...
'' (Lamberto Bava, 1986; Italian: ''Morirai a mezzanotte'') a.k.a.''The Midnight Killer'', a.k.a. ''Midnight Horror''
* ''The Monster of Florence'' (Cesare Ferrario, 1986; Italian: ''Il mostro di firenze'') a.k.a. ''Night Ripper''
* ''Body Count'' (1986 film) (Ruggero Deodato, 1986; Italian: ''Camping Del Terrore'')
* ''Delitti'' (Giovanna Lenzi, 1987; English: ''Crimes'')
* ''Sweets from a Stranger
''Sweets from a Stranger'' is the fifth studio album by the British new wave group Squeeze, released in September 1982 through A&M. The album peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart. The band split up soon after a world tour for the recor ...
'' (Franco Ferrini
Franco Ferrini (born 5 January 1944) is an Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
* ...
, 1987; Italian: ''Caramelle da uno sconosciuto'')
* ''Stage Fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
'' (Michele Soavi
Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi (born 3 July 1957)Baldassarre, Angela (1999) "The Great Dictators: Interviews with Filmmakers of Italian Descent", Guernica Editions, is an Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter best known fo ...
, 1987; Italian: ''Deliria'') a.k.a.''Aquarius'', a.k.a.''Bloody Bird''
* ''Delirium
Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in ...
'' (Lamberto Bava, 1987; Italian: ''Le foto di Gioia'' / ''Photos of Gioia'')
* ''Opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1987) a.k.a.''Terror at the Opera''
* ''Phantom of Death
''Phantom of Death'' ( it, Un delitto poco comune, lit. 'An Uncommon Crime') is an Italian giallo directed by Ruggero Deodato and released in 1988. It starred Michael York, Donald Pleasence and Edwige Fenech. The film was released in Germany a ...
'' (Ruggero Deodato
Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor.
His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known fo ...
, 1988; Italian: ''Un delitto poco comune'' / ''An Uncommon Crime'') a.k.a.''Off Balance''
* ''Too Beautiful to Die
''Too Beautiful to Die'' ( it, Sotto il vestito niente II) is a 1988 Italian thriller film directed by Dario Piana. The film is an in-name only sequel to ''Nothing Underneath'' (1985). It is about a group of models and dancers who find that one mem ...
'' (Dario Piana, 1988; Italian: ''Sotto il vestito niente 2'' / ''Nothing Underneath 2'')
* ''Dial: Help'' (Ruggero Deodato, 1988; Italian: ''Minaccia d'amore'' / ''Love Threat'')
* ''Delitti e profumi
''Delitti e profumi'' (also known as ''Crimes and Perfume'') is a 1988 Italian giallo film directed by Vittorio De Sisti, based on a story entitled ''Scarlet'' by Bonadies and De Fornari, both of whom also worked on the screenplay.
Traci Lords ap ...
'' (Vittorio De Sisti
Vittorio De Sisti (23 November 1940 – 22 April 2006) was a Libyan-born Italian director and screenwriter.
Born in Darna, Libya, De Sisti entered the cinema industry in 1962 as a sound engineer. In 1966, after graduating from the Centro S ...
, 1988; English: ''Crimes and Perfume'')
* ''Obsession: A Taste for Fear'' (Piccio Raffanini, 1988; Italian: ''Pathos: Un sapore di paura'')
* ''The Murder Secret'' (Mario Bianchi
Mario Bianchi (7 January 1939 – April 2022) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Bianchi directed several features including sexploitation and pornographic films
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ ...
, Lucio Fulci, 1988; Italian: ''Non aver paura della zia Marta'' / ''Don't Be Afraid of Aunt Martha'') a.k.a.''Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things''
* ''Massacre'' (Andrea Bianchi, 1989)
* ''Nightmare Beach
''Nightmare Beach'' (also released as ''Welcome to Spring Break'') is a 1989 slasher film directed by Umberto Lenzi and Harry Kirkpatrick, and starring Nicolas de Toth, Sarah Buxton, John Saxon, and Michael Parks.
Plot
Diablo, the leader of the De ...
'' (Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
, 1989) a.k.a.''Welcome To Spring Break'' (slasher film)
* ''Dangerous Women'' (Luigi Russo, 1989; Italian: ''Le Diaboliche'') aka ''Una donna senza nome''/ ''Woman Without a Name'')
* ''Dark Bar
''Dark Bar'' is a 1989 Italian crime drama film directed by Stelio Fiorenza (as Stanley Florency) and starring Marina Suma, Richard Hatch and Barbara Cupisti.
Plot
Italy, late 1980s. In a night club called "Dark Bar", where customers are used to ...
'' (Stelio Fiorenza, 1989) starring Barbara Cupisti
Barbara Cupisti is an Italian award-winning documentary director with a long career as film actress.
As an actress, she is well known outside of her native country by horror fans, who will most likely recognize her from her films with director M ...
* ''Arabella, the Black Angel'' (Stelvio Massi, 1989) a.k.a.''Black Angel''
* ''American Rickshaw'' (Sergio Martino, 1989) starring Donald Pleasence
* ''Fashion Crimes'' (Bruno Gaburro, 1989; Italian: ''La morte è di moda'')
1990s
* ''Homicide in Blue Light'' (Alfonso Brescia, 1991; Italian: ''Omicidio a luci blu'') starring David Hess
* '' Misteria'' (Lamberto Bava, 1992) a.k.a.''Body Puzzle''; starring Joanna Pacula and Erika Blanc
* ''Circle of Fear'' (Aldo Lado, 1992) a.k.a.''The Perfect Alibi''; starring Burt Young
* ''Trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
*Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source
*Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event
*Traumatic inju ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1993) a.k.a.''Dario Argento's Trauma''
* '' The Washing Machine'' (Ruggero Deodato, 1993; Italian: ''Vortice Mortale'') filmed in Hungary
* ''Dangerous Attraction'' (Bruno Mattei
Bruno Mattei (30 July 1931 – 21 May 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. Ma ...
, 1993) starring David Warbeck
David Warbeck (born David Mitchell; 17 November 1941 – 23 July 1997) was a New Zealand actor and model best known for his roles in European exploitation and horror films.
A native of Christchurch, New Zealand, Warbeck became involved in local ...
* ''Gli occhi dentro
''Madness'' ( it, Gli occhi dentro Occhi senza volto) is a 1994 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Bruno Mattei.Lupi, Gordiano; Gazzarrini, Ivo (2013). Bruno Mattei: L'ultimo artigiano (in Italian). Il foglio. ISBN 978-8876064609. The film is abo ...
'' (Bruno Mattei, 1993) aka ''Madness'', aka ''Occhi Senza Volto''/''Eyes Without a Face''
* ''Omicidio al Telefono'' (Bruno Mattei, 1994; Italian: ''Murder by Telephone'') a.k.a. ''L'assassino e al telefono''/ ''The Killer is on the Phone''
* ''The Strange Story of Olga O'' (Antonio Bonifacio, 1995) written by Ernesto Gastaldi, starring Florinda Bolkan
* ''The Killer's the One with the Yellow Shoes''/ ''L'assassino e' guello con le scarpe gialle'' (Filippo Otoni, 1995)
* ''The Stendhal Syndrome
''The Stendhal Syndrome'' ''(Ital. La Sindrome di Stendhal)'' is a 1996 Italian Giallo film written and directed by Dario Argento and starring his daughter Asia Argento, with Thomas Kretschmann and Marco Leonardi. It was the first Italian film t ...
'' (Dario Argento, 1996; Italian: ''La sindrome di Stendhal'')
* ''The House Where Corinne Lived'' (Maurizio Lucidi, 1996; Italian: ''La casa dove abitava Corinne'') made for TV movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
* ''Fatal Frames
''Fatal Frames'' ( it, Fotogrammi mortali) is a 1996 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Al Festa. It stars his wife, singer Stefania Stella. The film is about the American music video director Alex Ritt (Rick Gianasi) who is hired to direct the l ...
'' (Al Festa, 1996) starring David Warbeck, Donald Pleasence and Linnea Quigley
* ''Wax Mask
''Wax Mask'' ( it, M.D.C. - Maschera di cera) is a 1997 horror film. The film is set in Rome where a Wax Museum has opened up, whose main attraction is gruesome murder scenes. Shortly after its opening, people began to vanish as new figures appear ...
'' (Sergio Stivaletti, 1997; Italian: ''M.D.C. – Maschera di cera
''Wax Mask'' ( it, M.D.C. - Maschera di cera) is a 1997 horror film. The film is set in Rome where a Wax Museum has opened up, whose main attraction is gruesome murder scenes. Shortly after its opening, people began to vanish as new figures appear ...
'')
* '' Milonga'' (Emidio Greco, 1999)
2000 to present
* '' Sleepless'' (Dario Argento, 2001; Italian: ''Non ho sonno'')
* ''Red Riding Hood'' (Giacomo Cimini, 2003)
* ''Bad Inclination'' (Pierfrancesco Campanella, 2003: Italian: ''Cattive inclinazioni'')
* ''The Card Player
''The Card Player'' (Italian: ''Il cartaio'') is a 2004 giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham and is Argento's second giallo feature of the decade (following '' Sleepless'').
The film features ...
'' (Dario Argento, 2004; Italian: ''Il cartaio'')
* ''Eyes of Crystal
''Eyes of Crystal'' ( it, Occhi di cristallo) is a 2004 international co-production thriller film directed by Eros Puglielli. The film is about a police inspector Amaldi (played by Luigi Lo Cascio) who must hunt down a sadistic serial killer.
...
'' (Eros Puglielli, 2004; Italian: ''Occhi di cristallo'')
* ''The Vanity Serum
''The Vanity Serum'' ( it, Il siero della vanità) is a 2004 Italian giallo film directed by Alex Infascelli. It is loosely based on the novel ''Il libro italiano dei morti'' by Niccolò Ammaniti.
Plot synopsis
The VIPs of Italian television myst ...
'' (Alex Infascelli, 2004; Italian: ''Il siero della vanità'')
* ''Do You Like Hitchcock?
''Do You Like Hitchcock?'' (orig. ''Ti piace Hitchcock?'') is a 2005 made-for-TV giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The film is a homage to the acclaimed thriller film director Alfred Hitchcock.
Plot
Giulio, a film student, spies on Sasha, ...
'' (Dario Argento, 2005; Italian: ''Ti piace Hitchcock?'')
* ''Giallo
In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...
'' (Dario Argento, 2009)
* ''Symphony in Blood Red'' (Luigi Pastore, 2010)
* ''The Last Fashion Show
''The Last Fashion Show'' ( it, Sotto il vestito niente – L'ultima sfilata, lit=Nothing underneath: the last fashion show) is a 2011 Italian giallo-thriller film directed by Carlo Vanzina. This film was the third in a gialli trilogy, which includ ...
'' (Carlo Vanzina, 2011; Italian: ''Sotto il vestito niente – L'ultima sfilata''/ ''Nothing Underneath: The Last Fashion Show'')
* ''Sonno Profondo
''Sonno Profondo'' (english title: ''Deep Sleep'') is a 2013 Italian giallo film, running 67 minutes in length.
In spite of being shot in Argentina, the film's screenplay is written in Italian. The movie is set in the 1970s. ''Sonno Profondo'' is ...
'' (Luciano Onetti, 2013)
* ''Francesca'' (Luciano Onetti, 2015)
* ''Abrakadabra'' (Luciano Onetti, 2018)
* ''Dark Glasses
''Dark Glasses'' () is a 2022 ''giallo'' film directed and co-written by Dario Argento, in his first directorial work since ''Dracula 3D'' (2012). From a screenplay written by Argento with Franco Ferrini and Carlo Lucarelli, ''Dark Glasses'' st ...
'' (Dario Argento, 2022; Italian: ''Occhiali Neri'')
Notable personalities
Directors
*Silvio Amadio
Silvio Amadio (8 August 1926 – 19 August 1995) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1957 and 1981. His film ''Wolves of the Deep'' was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival. He is kno ...
*Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
*Francesco Barilli
Francesco Barilli (born 4 February 1943 in Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and su ...
*Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film ''La Venere d'Ille'' with his father and in ...
*Mario Bava
Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...
*Luigi Bazzoni
Luigi Bazzoni (25 June 1929 - 1 March 2012) was an Italian director and screenwriter.
Born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, Bazzoni was the elder brother of the film director and cinematographer Camillo Bazzoni and a cousin of the Academy Award w ...
*Sergio Bergonzelli
Sergio Bergonzelli (25 August 1924 – 24 September 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter, producer and actor.
Life and career
Born in Alba, Cuneo, Bergonzelli graduated in Philosophy, then he started working as an actor with the stage ...
*Giuliano Carnimeo
Giuliano Carnimeo (born Carmineo; 4 July 1932 – 10 September 2016) was an Italian director and screenwriter, sometimes credited as Anthony Ascott or Antony Ascot.
Life and career
Born in Bari, Carmineo started his career as assistant direct ...
*Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara (4 July 1926 – 7 August 1982) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is best known for collaborating with Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco E. Prosperi on the 1962 mondo film ''Mondo Cane'', and for directing the ficti ...
*Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...
*Massimo Dallamano
Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976), sometimes credited as Max Dillman, Max Dillmann or Jack Dalmas, was an Italian director and director of photography.
Life and career
Born in Milan, Dallamano began in the 1940s as camera ...
*Alberto De Martino
Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...
*Ruggero Deodato
Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor.
His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known fo ...
*Luciano Ercoli
Luciano Ercoli (October 19, 1929 – March 15, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer and unit production manager. Ercoli's career spanned approximately two decades before his retirement in the late 1970s, and saw him direct ...
*Riccardo Freda
Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films.
Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...
*Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...
*Romolo Guerrieri
Romolo Guerrieri, aka ''Romolo Girolami'' (born 5 December 1931) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1961 and 1992.
Selected filmography
;Director
* '' Ten Thousand Dollars for a Massacre'' (1966)
* '' ...
*Aldo Lado
Aldo Lado (born 5 December 1934) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and writer. Lado was born in Fiume, Italy (today Rijeka, Croatia). Lado wrote the screenplays for 21 films between 1968 and 2004 and directed 14 films between 1971 and 19 ...
*Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
*Michele Lupo
Michele Lupo (4 December 1932 – 27 June 1989) was an Italian film director. He directed 23 films between 1962 and 1982. He was born in Corleone, Italy, and died in Rome, Italy.
Selected filmography
* ''Colossus of the Arena'' (1962)
* ...
*Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different film ...
*Sergio Martino
Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre.
Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...
*Emilio Miraglia
Emilio Paolo Miraglia (1 January 1924 – 26 August 1982) was an Italian film director. He began working in film as a director's assistant and technician and worked on many B movies.
Miraglia is known for his two early 1970s giallo films, ''The ...
*Brunello Rondi
Brunello Rondi (26 November 1924 – 7 November 1989) was a prolific Italian screen writer and film director best known for his frequent script collaborations with Federico Fellini.
His brother, Gian Luigi Rondi, was an Italian film critic.
Bi ...
*Salvatore Samperi
Salvatore Samperi (26 July 1944 – 4 March 2009) was an Italian film director. His 1973 film '' Malicious'' was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival and his 1979 film ''Ernesto'' was entered into the 29th Berlin In ...
*Duccio Tessari
Duccio Tessari (11 October 1926 – 6 September 1994) was an Italian director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the fathers of Spaghetti Westerns.
Born in Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian re ...
Writers
* Ennio de Concini
*Sandro Continenza
Sandro Continenza (13 July 1920 – 21 November 1996) was an Italian screenwriter. He wrote for 142 films between 1949 and 1982. He was born in Rome, Italy.
Selected filmography
* ''Toto Looks for a Wife'' (1950)
* '' Appointment for Murd ...
*Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies.
He is the older bro ...
* Ennio de Concini
*Sergio Donati
Sergio Donati (born 13 April 1933) is an Italian screenwriter. He has written for more than 70 films since 1952. He was born in Rome, Italy. He started as a writer and had some of his books optioned for film. He is well known for his collaborati ...
*Ernesto Gastaldi
Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular gen ...
*Mino Guerrini
Mino Guerrini (16 December 1927 – 10 January 1990) was an Italian director, screenwriter, journalist, actor and painter.
Biography
Born in Rome as Giacomo Guerrini, Guerrini entered the cinema industry in 1954 as screenwriter in Marcello Pagli ...
Actors and actresses
* Simón Andreu
Simón Andreu Trobat (born 1 January 1941) is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in more than 180 films and television shows since 1961. In 2013 he was awarded with the Nosferatu Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalun ...
* Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger (born Claudine Oger; 26 April 1941 – 18 December 2019) was a French actress best known for her role as a Bond girl, Dominique "Domino" Derval, in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' (1965). She earned the title of Miss F ...
* Ewa Aulin
Ewa Birgitta Aulin (born 13 February 1950) is a Swedish former actress who appeared in a number of Italian and some American films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is remembered for playing the title character in the cult film ''Candy'' where she appea ...
* Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach, Lady Starkey (born Barbara Goldbach in 1947) is an American actress and model. She played the Bond girl Anya Amasova in ''The Spy Who Loved Me''. She is married to former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
Early life
Bach is a nat ...
* Carroll Baker
Carroll Baker (born May 28, 1931) is an American former actress. After studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Baker began performing on Broadway in 1954. From there, she was recruited by director Elia Kazan to play the lead in t ...
* Eva Bartók
* Agostina Belli
Agostina Belli (born 13 April 1949) is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1968.
Life and career
Born in Milan as Agostina Maria Magnoni, Belli made her debut in 1968 with a minor part in ''Bandits in Milan'', ...
* Femi Benussi
Eufemia "Femi" Benussi (born 4 March 1945) is a Yugoslav-Italian film actress. She appeared in 82 films between 1965 and 1983.
Benussi was born in Rovigno, Italy (now Rovinj, Croatia). She debuted on stage at the ''Teatro del Popolo'' of Rijeka ...
* Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger (; born Helmut Steinberger; 29 May 1944) is an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually-ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of the European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is regarded a ...
* Erika Blanc
Enrica Bianchi Colombatto (born 23 July 1942), usually known by her stagename of Erika Blanc, is an Italian actress. Career
Her most notable role was as the first fictional character Emmanuelle in '' Io, Emmanuelle'' (1969). Blanc starred in se ...
* Florinda Bolkan
Florinda Bolkan (born Florinda Soares Bulcão; 15 February 1941) is a retired Brazilian actress and model.
Biography
She was born in Uruburetama and lived in Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro until she moved to Italy. A former flight inspector fo ...
* Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...
* Pier Paolo Capponi
Pier Paolo Capponi (9 June 1938 – 15 February 2018) was an Italian actor and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Subiaco, after his studies Capponi attended a theater school and later was chosen by director Vittorio De Seta for an import ...
* Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...
* Orchidea De Santis
Orchidea De Santis (born 20 December 1948, Bari) is an Italian television and film actress.
Biography
Orchidea De Santis is an Italian actress in cinema, theatre and television. Her films include '' Il Vizio di Famiglia'' directed by Mariano ...
* Anita Ekberg
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...
* Rossella Falk
Rossella Falk (10 November 1926 – 5 May 2013) was an Italian actress. She had a long career and is possibly best known for appearing in ''8½'' by Federico Fellini in 1963.
Life and career
Born in Rome as Rosa Antonia Falzacappa, Falk gradu ...
* Mimsy Farmer
Merle "Mimsy" Farmer (born February 28, 1945) is an American actress, artist and sculptor. She began her career appearing in several Hollywood studio films, such as ''Spencer's Mountain'' (1963) and ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965), followed b ...
* Edwige Fenech
Edwige Fenech (, ; born 24 December 1948) is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian actress and film producer. She is mostly known as the star of a series of ''commedia sexy all'italiana'' and ''giallo'' films released in the 1970s, which turned her ...
* James Franciscus
James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: ''Mr. Novak'', ''The Naked City'', '' The Investigators'', '' Longstreet'', ''Doc Elliot'', an ...
* Cristina Galbó
Cristina Galbó Sánchez (born 17 January 1950) is a Spanish actress who achieved moderate fame in Europe during the late 1960s and early 1970s, making a name for herself in film mostly for European horror films.
In 1967 she appeared in '' Dov ...
* Ida Galli
Ida Galli is an Italian film actress best known for her roles in Spaghetti Western and giallo films in the 1960s and 1970s. Galli has appeared under several pseudonyms, including Arianna, Evelyn Stewart and Isli Oberon.
Extremely prolific, som ...
* Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for ''Seven Beauties' ...
* Farley Granger
Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951.
Granger was first noticed in a small ...
* Brett Halsey
Brett Halsey (born Charles Oliver Hand, June 20, 1933) is an American film actor, sometimes credited as Montgomery Ford. He appeared in B pictures and in European-made feature films. He originated the role of John Abbott on the soap opera ''The ...
* David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...
* George Hilton
* Robert Hoffmann
Robert Hoffmann (30 August 1939 – 4 July 2022) was an Austrian actor, best known to British audiences for his title role performance in ''The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'' (1964).
Hoffmann was born in Salzburg. ''Crusoe'' was his screen de ...
* Annabella Incontrera
Annabella Incontrera (11 June 1943 – 19 September 2004), sometimes credited as Pam Stevenson, was an Italian film and television actress.
Career
Born in Milan, Incontrera attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia without finishing t ...
* Suzy Kendall
Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 1 January 1937 ) is a British retired actress best known for her film roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Personal life
Born in Belper, Derbyshire, Kendall attended Derby & District College of A ...
* Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina (; born Silvija Košćina, ; 22 August 1933 – 26 December 1994) was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, maybe best remembered for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules ( Steve Reeves) in ''Hercules'' (1958) and ''Hercules Unchai ...
* Dagmar Lassander
Dagmar Lassander (born as Dagmar Regine Hager on 16 June 1943) is a German actress.
The character of Lassander Dagmar in the Italian-influenced 2015 horror film '' We Are Still Here'' is named after her.
Early life and career
She was born in ...
* Philippe Leroy
* Helga Liné
Helga Liné (; born Helga Lina Stern on 14 July 1932) is a German-born Portuguese-Spanish-American film actress and circus acrobat best known for her work in the horror genre of film. She made 132 appearances mostly in film between 1941 and 20 ...
* Beba Lončar
Desanka "Beba" Lončar (Serbian Cyrillic: Десанка „Беба“ Лончар; born 28 April 1943) is a former Yugoslav film actress. She appeared in 52 films between 1960 and 1982. She was born in Belgrade, Serbia. Known for her film car ...
* Ray Lovelock
* Marina Malfatti
Marina Malfatti (25 April 1933 – 8 June 2016) was an Italian actress.
Biography
Born in Florence, Malfatti moved to Paris at the age of 17 where she attended the Cours d'Art Dramatique, the drama school founded by René Simon. Two years late ...
* Leonard Mann
Leonard Mann (15 November 1895 – 29 April 1981) was an Australian poet, and novelist.
Life
He served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, and with the Department of Aircraft Production in World War II.
He was, in Septembe ...
* Marisa Mell
Marisa Mell (born Marlies Theres Moitzi; 24 February 1939 – 16 May 1992) was an Austrian actress. Typecast as a femme fatale in European arthouse and genre films, she is best regarded for her performances as Eva Kant in Mario Bava's critically ...
* Luc Merenda
Luc Charles Olivier Merenda (born 3 September 1943) is a French film actor.
He was one of the most prominent actors of the Italian poliziotteschi genre, working several times with Sergio Martino and Fernando Di Leo. He is of Italian origin thr ...
* Macha Méril
Macha Méril (; born Princess Maria-Magdalena Vladimirovna Gagarina on 3 September 1940) is a French actress and writer.
Biography
Méril is descended by her father from the Russian princely house Gagarin and by her mother from a Ukrainian nob ...
* Tomas Milian
Tomas Milian (born Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa; 3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and singer with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and ...
* Cameron Mitchell
* Silvia Monti
Silvia Monti is an Italian actress.
She is mostly known for the female lead role as a mafioso's sister in the 1969 Gérard Oury caper film ''The Brain''. In the movie she has a where she gets down from a balcony using a rope on a song by Cater ...
* Tony Musante
Anthony Peter Musante Jr. (June 30, 1936 – November 26, 2013) was an American actor, best known for the TV series '' Toma'' as Detective David Toma, Nino Schibetta in '' Oz'' (1997), and Joe D'Angelo in ''As the World Turns'' (2000-2003). In mo ...
* Paul Naschy
Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina Álvarez, September 6, 1934 – November 30, 2009) was a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures— The Wolfman, ...
* Nieves Navarro
Nieves Navarro García (born November 11, 1938) is a retired Spanish-born Italian actress and fashion model. Navarro worked extensively in Italian cinema appearing alongside actors such as Totò and Lino Banfi in the 1960s and 1970s. She later ad ...
* Rosalba Neri
Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1939) is a retired Italian actress.
Early life
Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ca ...
* Franco Nero
Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...
* Daria Nicolodi
Daria Nicolodi (19 June 1950 – 26 November 2020) was an Italian television and film actress and screenwriter.
Early life and career
Daria Nicolodi was born in Florence on 19 June 1950. Her father was a Florentine lawyer and her mother, Fu ...
* Luciana Paluzzi
Luciana Paluzzi (born 10 June 1937) is an Italian actress. She is perhaps best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, '' Thunderball'', but she had important roles in notable films of the 1960s and 1970s in ...
* Irene Papas
Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...
* Luigi Pistilli
Luigi Pistilli (19 July 192921 April 1996) was an Italian actor of stage, screen, and television.
At one time Pistilli was one of Italy's most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. In theater, he was considered one of the country's ...
* Ivan Rassimov
Ivan Rassimov (Born Ivan Đerasimović; Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Ђерасимовић) (7 May 1938 – 14 March 2003) was an Italian film actor of Serb descent who appeared in many horror and exploitation films.
Biography
Born in Trieste ...
* Fernando Rey
Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...
* John Richardson
*
* Letícia Román
Letícia Román (''née'' Novarese; born 12 August 1941) is an Italian film actress.
Early years
Román was born Letizia Novarese in Rome in 1941. She was the daughter of stage actress Giuliana Gianni and screenwriter/costume designer Nino Nova ...
* Howard Ross
* John Saxon
John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Western (genre), Westerns and horror film ...
* Erna Schürer
Erna Schürer (born August 18, 1942) is an Italian actress, model and television hostess, sometimes credited as Erna Scheurer or Erna Schuler.
Life and career
Born in Naples as Emma Costantino, Schürer moved to Milan where began a career as gl ...
* Jean Sorel
Jean Sorel (; born 25 September 1934) is a French actor.
Born Jean Bernard de Chieusses de Combaud de Roquebrune, he worked extensively in European cinema during the 1960s and 1970s with directors such as Luis Buñuel and Luchino Visconti. How ...
* Anthony Steffen
Anthony Steffen, born Antonio Luiz de Teffé von Hoonholtz (July 21, 1930 – June 4, 2004), was an Italian-Brazilian character actor, screenwriter and film producer. Steffen achieved fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Western features. He was als ...
* John Steiner
John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but was best known to audiences for his roles i ...
* Anita Strindberg
Anita Strindberg (born 19 June 1937) is a Swedish former actress who appeared in numerous Italian ''giallo'' films in the 1970s.
Strindberg appeared as Anita Edberg in two Swedish films in the late 1950s. She started her career in gialli with Luc ...
* Fabio Testi
Fabio Testi (born 2 August 1941) is an Italian actor. After growing up witnessing film work done around Lake Garda, Testi entered the sets of the film and began work as a stuntman and a double on set, where he worked as a stuntman on ''The Good, ...
* Gabriele Tinti
* Marilu Tolo Marilu is a feminine given name which may refer to:
* Marilú (1927–2023), Mexican singer and actress
* Marilu Bueno (1940–2022), Brazilian actress
* Marilú Elízaga (1923–1995), stage name of Spanish actress María Luisa Pérez-Caballer ...
* Silvano Tranquilli
Silvano Tranquilli (23 August 1925 – 10 May 1997) was an Italian stage, television and film actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Silvano Tranquilli attended theatre lessons at the Sharoff Academy, and started his stage activity with the th ...
Composers
* Stelvio Cipriani
Stelvio Cipriani (20 August 1937 – 1 October 2018), also known as Viostel, was an Italian composer, mostly of motion picture soundtracks.
Biography
Though not raised with a strong musical upbringing, as a child Cipriani was fascinated by his ...
* Pino Donaggio
Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician, singer, and composer of film and television scores. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is known for his collaborations with director Brian De Palma, and for his work i ...
* Gianni Ferrio
Gianni Ferrio (16 November 1924 – 21 October 2013) was an Italian composer, conductor and music arranger.
Life and career
Born in Vicenza, Ferrio studied at the conservatories of Vicenza and Venice. Starting in the late 1950s, he was active a ...
* Giorgio Gaslini
Giorgio Gaslini (; 22 October 1929 – 29 July 2014) was an Italian jazz pianist, composer and conductor.
He began performing aged 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s, Gaslini performed with his own quartet. He was ...
* Goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
* Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
* Bruno Nicolai
Bruno Nicolai (20 May 1926 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film music composer, orchestra director and musical editor most active in the 1960s through the 1980s.
While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, ...
* Nora Orlandi
Nora Orlandi (born 28 June 1933; pseudonym: Joan Christian) is an Italian pianist, violinist, soprano vocalist, composer and occasional actress. As the first female composer, female film composer of Italian cinema, she composed scores for Spaghet ...
* Riz Ortolani
Riziero Ortolani (; 25 March 192623 January 2014) was an Italian composer, conductor, and orchestrator, predominantly of film scores. He scored over 200 films and television programs between 1955 and 2014, with a career spanning over fifty year ...
* Piero Piccioni
Piero Piccioni (; December 6, 1921 – July 23, 2004) was an Italian film score composer and lawyer.
A pianist, organist, conductor, composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 300 film soundtracks. He played for the first time on ...
* Berto Pisano
Berto Pisano (13 October 1928 – 29 January 2002) was an Italian composer, conductor, arranger and jazz musician.
Born in Cagliari, Sardinia, Pisano started his career as a contrabassist in the jazz groups Quartetto Astor and Asternovas. He is ...
* Carlo Savina
Carlo Savina (2 August 1919 - 23 June 2002) was an Italian composer and conductor who composed, arranged, and conducted music for films, and is especially remembered for being the music director of films such as ''The Godfather'' (1972), '' Amar ...
* Claudio Simonetti
Claudio Simonetti (born 19 February 1952) is an Italian musician and film composer. He moved with his family from Brazil to Italy at the age of 11. The keyboardist of the progressive rock band Goblin, Simonetti has specialized in the scores for I ...
* Armando Trovajoli
Armando Trovajoli (also Trovaioli, 2 September 1917 – 28 February 2013) was an Italian film composer and pianist with over 300 credits as composer and/or conductor, many of them jazz scores for exploitation films of the Commedia all'italiana ...
* Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani (17 July 1926 – 14 February 2001) was an Italian composer of film scores.
Biography
Umiliani was born in Florence, Tuscany. Like many of his Italian colleagues at that time, he composed the scores for many exploitation fil ...
Sources:
Films influenced by ''giallo''
* ''Klute
''Klute'' is a 1971 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula, written by Andy and Dave Lewis, and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, and Roy Scheider. The film follows a high-priced ca ...
'' (Alan J. Pakula
Alan Jay Pakula (; April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an American film director, writer and producer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture for ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), Best Director for ''All the President's Men ...
; 1971)
* ''Frenzy
''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squar ...
'' (Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
; 1972)
*''Sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
'' (Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
; 1973)
*''Alice, Sweet Alice
''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (originally titled ''Communion'') is a 1976 American psychological slasher film co-written and directed by Alfred Sole, and starring Linda Miller, Paula Sheppard, and Brooke Shields in her film debut. Set in 1961 New Jers ...
'' (Alfred Sole
Alfred Sole (July 2, 1943 – February 14, 2022) was an American production designer, film director, producer, and writer best known for directing such films as ''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (1976) and '' Pandemonium'' (1982). Prior to beginning his car ...
, 1976)
*''Eyes of Laura Mars
''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled '' ...
'' ( Irvin Kershner; 1978)
*''Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
'' (John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
; 1978)
*'' Cruising'' (William Friedkin
William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in t ...
; 1980)
*''Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...
'' ( Sean S. Cunningham; 1980)
*'' Dressed to Kill'' (Brian De Palma; 1980)[These 4 American-Made Films Captured the Essence of the Giallo - Dread Central](_blank)
/ref>
*'' Happy Birthday to Me'' ( J. Lee Thompson; 1981)
*''Blow Out
''Blow Out'' is a 1981 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-budget sl ...
'' (Brian De Palma; 1981)[What are giallo movies? Horror's moodiest genre, explained - Polygon](_blank)
/ref>
*''Next of Kin
A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...
'' (Tony Williams; 1982)
*''Pieces
Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess
* ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES
* P ...
'' (Juan Piquer Simón
Juan Piquer Simón (16 February, 1935 – 8 January, 2011) was a Spanish film director best known for directing two cult classic horror film, horror exploitation film, exploitation films, ''Pieces (1982 film), Pieces'' (1982) and ''Slugs (1988 f ...
; 1982)
*''Body Double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
'' (Brian De Palma; 1984)
*''Basic Instinct
''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealt ...
'' (Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
1992)
* ''Seven'' (David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...
; 1995)
*''Last Night in Soho
''Last Night in Soho'' is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Rita Tushingham, Michael Ajao, Terence St ...
'' (Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...
; 2021)
*''Malignant
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...
'' (James Wan
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...
, 2021)
See also
* Arthouse action film The arthouse action genre is an emerging film genre in contemporary cinema that traces its roots back to Asian and European films. Characteristics of arthouse action films include stylized action, an arthouse atmosphere, and a disjointed, fragmented ...
* Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
* Erotic thriller
The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or erotic fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain in ...
* Exploitation fiction
Exploitation fiction is a type of literature that includes novels and magazines that exploit sex, violence, drugs, or other elements meant to attract readers primarily by arousing prurient interest without being labeled as obscene or pornographic. ...
* Exploitation film
An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...
* Extreme cinema
Extreme cinema is a subgenre used for films distinguished by its use of excessive sex and violence, and such various extreme nature as mutilation and torture. It recently specializes in genre film, mostly both horror and drama.
Reception
The r ...
* Fantastique
''Fantastique'' is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
The ''fantastique'' is a substantial genre within French literature. Arguably dating back further than English lan ...
* Grand Guignol
''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Quartier Pigalle, Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it spe ...
* Maximalist film Maximalist film or maximalist cinema is related to the art and philosophy of maximalism, a reaction against minimalism.
Notable filmmakers
This type of film includes the likes of directors:
* Bill Gunn
*Tyler Perry
*Spike Lee
*Wong Kar-wai
*We ...
* Minimalist film
Minimalist cinema is related to the art and philosophy of minimalism.
Notable filmmakers
This type of film includes the works of directors like:
*Robert Bresson
*Chloe Zhao
*Kelly Reichardt
* Yasujiro Ozu
*Gus van Sant
*Andy Warhol
*Morgan F ...
* Murder mystery
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
* Mystery fiction
Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually prov ...
* Mystery film
A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...
* New Hollywood
The New Hollywood, also known as American New Wave or Hollywood Renaissance, was a movement in American film history from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence.
They influenced the types o ...
* Poliziotteschi
Poliziotteschi (; singular ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime film, crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'i ...
* Psychedelic film
Psychedelic film is a film genre characterized by the influence of psychedelia and the experiences of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic films typically contain visual distortion and experimental narratives, often emphasizing psychedelic imagery. The ...
* Psychological horror
Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequent ...
* Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and co ...
* Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
* Slasher film
A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a ...
* Splatter film
A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...
* Vulgar auteurism
Vulgar auteurism is a movement that emerged in early 2010s cinephilia and film criticism associated with championing or reappraising filmmakers, mostly those working in the horror and action genres and whose work has otherwise received little atte ...
* Weird menace
Weird menace is a subgenre of horror fiction and detective fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s. The weird menace pulps, also known as shudder pulps, generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted a ...
* Whodunit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
References
External links
Giallo
at AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
Trailer for the 2019 documentary ''All the Colors of Giallo'' on Severin Films official YouTube channel
{{Authority control
Giallo film directors
Film genres
Horror genres
Italian films by genre
Italian literature
Italian words and phrases
Italian horror thriller films
Women and death
Thrillers
1960s in film
1970s in film
1980s in Italian cinema
1990s in Italian cinema
2000s in Italian cinema
2010s in Italian cinema