The term "giallo" derives from the yellow (giallo) covers of paperback thrillers published in Italy during the 1940s and 1950s. The writers of these - admittedly lurid - works were certainly influenced by American crime auteurs such as Dashiel Hammett or Raymond Chandler. The protagonists were usually down-and-out cops or private detectives, who would solve murder mysteries in more or less unconventional fashions.

The popular Italian cinema of the 1960s had turned from sword-and-sandal epics (Hercules or Maciste movies) to westerns (Leone et al) and spy films. Around 1968 the public code of ethics slowly started to allow for more violence and nudity, resulting in relatively graphic films. The "gialli" were most popular in the 1970s, giving directors such as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci or Antonio Margheriti a chance at realizing their artistic visions of graphic nature.

The beginnings of the genre date back to 1963. Mario Bava, Italy's grand-master of fantastic films, directed LA RAGAZZA CHE SAPEVA TROPPO, a murder mystery influenced by and modelled after Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed thrillers of the 1950s. In 1964, Bava made SEI DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO, a stunningly directed horror thriller that is regarded as the first 'real' giallo by some. Then the popularity of the genre increased rather late, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Dario Argento, one of the most important horror directors of the 20th century, began his directing career with several giallos, L'UCCELLO DALLE PIUME DI CRISTALLO (1970), IL GATTO A NOVE CODE (1971) and QUATTRE MOSCHE DI VELLUTO GRIGIO (1972). These movies are usually referred to as the director's 'Animal Trilogy' by Argento buffs.

From then on, many different directors made thrillers with similarly strange (often meaningless but eye-catching) titles. The combined filmography below lists all "giallo" works from 1963 to 1980, including the early ones by Mario Bava, as well as some later titles. If any have escaped my attention, I'd be grateful for anyone's assistance in tracking down other rare films. "Giallo" is defined here as "Italian murder mysteries (thrillers), without supernatural elements, between the years 1963 and 1975". Some exceptions to this rule may be made, however. For instance, some "gialli" may include inexplicable phenomena. Definitely no spy thrillers belong here. The phenomenon lasted until the mid-1970s, culminating in the best example of the genre, Dario Argento's PROFONDO ROSSO (1975). After the release of William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST (1973), more and more Italian films included supernatural themes, some even blatantly ripping off THE EXORCIST's plot.

Notable movies that did not make it into the list: An interesting British film, which somehow also fits into the giallo category would be Michelangelo Antonioni's BLOW-UP (1966). Nicholas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) is set in Italy and contains elements of the giallo. Edward Dmytryk's BLUEBEARD (1972) also contains such giallo elements. Mario Bava's hauntigly beautiful LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974) is not a real giallo, because it has some supernatural aspects, but it is similarly stylish.