The Italian Giallo (1963-1980)
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.
Combined Filmography:
The 1960s:
La Commare Secca (1962; dir by Bernardo Bertolucci; giallo-elements?)
Il Criminale (1963; dir by Marcello Baldi; a giallo?)
La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo (1963; dir by Mario Bava)
Sei Donne per l'Assassino (1964; dir by Mario Bava)
Crimine a Due (1965; dir by Romano Ferrara; a giallo?)
Libido (1965; dir by Ernesto Gastaldi, Vittorio Salerno)
Le Notti della Violenza (1965; dir by Roberto Mauri)
Le Vampire de Düsseldorf (1965; dir by Robert Hossein; a giallo?)
Il Terzo Occhio (1966; dir by Mino Guerrini; giallo/gothic mix)
Tre Notti Violente (1966; dir by Nick Nostro; a giallo?)
Col Cuore in Gola (1967; dir by Tinto Brass; aka Deadly Sweet, With Heart in Mouth)
Due Occhi per Uccidere (1967; dir by Renato Borraccetti; a giallo?)
Der Mörder mit dem Seidenschal (1967; dir by Adrian Hoven; giallo-elements?)
Violenza al Sole (1967; dir by Florestano Vancini; a giallo?)
Maldonne (1968; dir by Sergio Gobbi; a giallo?)
La Morte Ha Fatto L'Uovo (1968; dir by Giulio Questi)
Morte Non Ha Sesso (1968; dir by Massimo Dallamano; a giallo?)
Nude... Si Muore (1968; dir by Antonio Margheriti; aka The Young, The Evil & The Savage)
Schreie in der Nacht (1968; dir by Antonio Margheriti; aka Contronatura, Screams in the Night; giallo?)
A Doppia Faca (1969; dir by Riccardo Freda)
Blonde Köder für den Mörder (1969; dir by Harald Philipp; giallo-elements)
Così Dolce... Così Perversa (1969; dir by Umberto Lenzi; aka So Sweet, So Perverse)
Il Dolce Corpo di Deborah (1969; dir by Romolo Guerrieri; aka Sweet Body of Deborah)
Femmine Insaziabile (1969; dir by Alberto De Martino; a giallo?)
Una Hacha Para la Luna de Miel (1969; dir by Mario Bava; contains supernatural elements)
L'Isola delle Svedesi (1969; dir by Silvio Amadio; giallo-elements?)
Orgasmo (1969; dir by Umberto Lenzi)
Paroxismus (1969; dir by Jess Franco; aka Venus in Furs)
Salvare la Faccia (1969; dir by Rossano Brazzi)
Top Sensation (1969; dir by Ottavio Alessi; a giallo?)
Una Sull'Altra (1969; dir by Lucio Fulci; aka One on Top of the Other)
Viaje al Vacio (1969; dir by Javier Setó)
1970:
Cinque Bambole per la Luna d'Agosto (1970; dir by Mario Bava)
Concerto per Pistola Solista (1970; dir by Michele Lupo; aka The Weekend Murders)
Le Foto Proibite di una Signora per Bene (1970; dir by Luciano Ercoli; aka Forbidden Photos of a Lady...)
La Morte Risale a Ieri Sera (1970; dir by Duccio Tessari; aka Death Occurred Last Night)
Nelle Pieghe della Carne (1970; dir by Sergio Bergonzelli; aka In the Folds of the Flesh)
Le Ombre Roventi (1970; dir by Mario Caiano; aka Shadow of Illusion)
Paranoia (1970; dir by Umberto Lenzi; aka A Quiet Place to Kill)
Sie Tötete in Ekstase (1970; dir by Jess Franco; a German-Spanish giallo variation)
Il Tuo Dolce Corpo da Uccidere (1970; dir by Alfonso Brescia)
L’Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo (1970; dir by Dario Argento)
Whirlpool (1970; dir by José Ramón Larraz; aka She Died With Her Boots On; a Danish giallo?)
1971:
Antefatto (1971; dir by Mario Bava)
Le Beau Mostre (1971; dir by Sergio Gobbi; a giallo?)
La Bestia Uccide a Sangue Freda (1971; dir by Fernando di Leo; aka The Beast Kills in Cold Blood)
La Coda dello Scorpione (1971; dir by Sergio Martino)
La Controfigura (1971; dir by Romolo Guerrieri; aka The Double)
Il Diavolo a Sette Facce (1971; dir by Osvaldo Civirani; aka The Devil Has Seven Faces)
Dopo di Che Uccide il Maschio e lo Divora (1971; dir by José Antonio Nieves Conde; aka Martha)
Una Farfalla Con le Ali Insanguinate (1971; dir by Duccio Tessari; aka The Bloodstained Butterfly)
Il Gatto a Nove Code (1971; dir by Dario Argento)
Una Giornata Nera per L'Ariete (1971; dir by Luigi Bazzoni; aka The Fifth Cord)
L'Iguana dalla Lingua di Fuoco (1971; dir by Riccardo Freda; aka The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire)
Una Lucertola Con la Pelle di Donna (1971; dir by Lucio Fulci; aka Lizard in a Woman's Skin)
Malastrana (1971; dir by Aldo Lado; aka The Short Night of Glass Dolls)
Mio Caro Assassino (1971; dir by Tonino Valerii; aka My Dear Killer)
La Morte Cammina Con i Tacchi Alti (1971; dir by Luciano Ercoli; aka Death Walks on High Heels)
La Notte Che Evelyn Usci dalla Tomba (1971; dir by Emilio Miraglia; aka The Night Evelyn Came/Grave)
Gli Occhi Fredi della Paura (1971; dir by Enzo G. Castellari; aka Cold Eyes of Fear)
L'Occhio nel Labirinto (1971; dir by Mario Caiano; aka Eye in the Labyrinth, Blood)
Un Omicidio Perfetto a Termini di Legge (1971; dir by Tonino Ricci; aka Cross Current)
Un Posto Ideale per Uccidere (1971; dir by Umberto Lenzi)
Qualcosa Striscia nel Buio (1971; dir by Mario Colucci; aka Something Creeping in the Dark)
La Rossa dalla Pelle Che Scotta (1971; dir by Renzo Russo; aka The Red-Headed Corpse, Sweet Spirits)
La Semana del Asesino (1971; dir by Eloy de la Iglesia; giallo-related horror)
Sette Orchidee Macchiate di Rosso (1971; dir by Umberto Lenzi; an Edgar Wallace adaptation)
Lo Strano Vizio della Signora Wardh (1971; dir by Sergio Martino)
La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero (1971; dir by Paolo Cavara; aka The Black Belly of the Tarantula)
El Techo di Cristal (1971; dir by Eloy de la Iglesia; a Spanish mystery)
La Ultima Senora Anderson (1971; dir by Eugenio Martín)
L'Uomo dagli Occhi di Ghiaccio (1971; dir by Alberto de Martino; aka The Man With Icy Eyes)
L'Uomo Piu Velenoso del Cobra (1971; dir by Bitto Albertini)
La Vittima Designata (1971; dir by Maurizio Lucidi)
1972:
4 Mosche di Velluto Grigio (1972; dir by Dario Argento)
Abuso di Potere (1972; dir by Camillo Bazzoni; aka Shadows Unseen)
Alla Ricerca del Piacere (1972; dir by Silvio Amadio; aka Amuck)
Al Tropico del Cancro (1972; dir by Gian Paolo Lomi, Edoardo Mulargia; aka Death in Haiti)
L'Amore e Morte nel Giardino degli Dei (1972; dir by Sauro Scavolini)
Assassino... è al Telefono (1972; dir by Alberto de Martino)
La Casa d'Appuntamento (1973; dir by Ferdinando Merighi; aka The Paris Sex Murders, Murder in Paris)
Chi l'Ha Vista Morire (1972; dir by Aldo Lado; aka Who Saw Her Die?)
Il Coltello di Ghiaccio (1972; dir by Umberto Lenzi; aka Knife of Ice, Silent Horror; a giallo?)
Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange? (1972; dir by Massimo Dallamano; an Edgar Wallace adaptation)
La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette Volte (1972; dir by Emilio Miraglia; aka The Red Queen Kills 7 Times)
Delirio Caldo (1972; dir by Renato Polselli; aka Delirium, Death at the Villa)
Diabólica Malicia (1972; dir by Andrea Bianchi and James Kelley)
I Due Volti della Paura (1972; dir by Tulio Demicheli; an allusion to Bava? a giallo?)
L'Etrusco Uccide Ancora (1972; dir by Armando Crispino)
La Gatta in Calore (1972; dir by Nello Rosati)
La Morte Accarezza a Mezanotte (1972; dir by Luciano Ercoli; aka Death Caresses at Midnight)
La Muerte Incierta (1972; dir by José Ramón Larraz; a giallo?)
El Muerto Hace las Maletas (1972; dir by Jess Franco; a German-Spanish Wallace adaptation)
Non Si Sevizia un Paperino (1972; dir by Lucio Fulci; aka Don't Torture a Duckling)
Passi di Danza Su una Lama di Rasoio (1972; dir by Maurizio Pradeaux; aka Death Carries a Cane)
Perché Quelle Strane Gocce di Sangue Sul Corpo di Jennifer? (1972; dir by Guiliano Carnimeo)
Ragazza Tutta Nuda Assassinata nel Parco (1972; dir by Alfonso Brescia)
Rivelazioni di un Maniaco Sessuale al Capo della Squadra Mobile (1972; dir by Roberto B. Montero)
Sette Scialli di Seta Gialla (1972; dir by Sergio Pastore)
Sexy Cat (1972; dir by Julio Pérez Tabernero; a Spanish giallo?)
Il Sorriso della Iena (1972; dir by Silvio Amadio; aka Smile Before Death)
Lo Strangulatore di Vienna (1971; dir by Guido Zurli; aka The Mad Butcher of Vienna)
Il Tuo Vizio è una Stanza Chiusa e Solo Io Ne Ho la Chiave (1972; dir by Sergio Martino)
Tutti i Colori del Buio (1972; dir by Sergio Martino; aka All the Colors of the Night)
1973:
Un Amore Così Fragile, Così Violento (1973; dir by Leros Pittoni, based on his novel; a giallo?)
Baba Yaga (1973; dir by Corrado Farina; aka Kiss Me Kill Me)
La Casa della Paura (1973; dir by Ramiro Oliveros; aka The Girl in Room 2a)
I Corpi Presentano Tracce di Violenza Carnale (1973; dir by Sergio Martino; aka Torso)
La Corrupción de Chris Miller (1973; dir by Juan Antonio Bardem; a Spanish psycho horror thriller)
Il Fiore dai Petali d'Acciaio (1973; dir by Gianfranco Piccioli; aka The Flower With Petals of Steel)
Giorni d'Amore sul Filo di una Lama (1973; dir by G. Pellegrini; aka Love and Death on the Edge of a Razor)
Una Gota de Sangre para Morir Amando (1973; dir by Eloy de la Iglesia; aka Murder in a Blue World)
El Juego del Adulterio (1973; dir by Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent; aka The Deadly Triangle)
La Morte negli Occhi del Gatto (1973; dir by Antonio Margheriti; aka Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye)
Nadie Oyó Gritar (1973, dir by Eloy de la Iglesia; aka No One Heard the Scream; a giallo?)
Los Ojos Azules de la Muneca Rota (1973; dir by Carlos Aured; aka Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll)
Il Profumo della Signora in Nero (1973; dir by Francesco Barilli; aka Perfume of the Lady in Black)
1974:
Gli Assassini Sono Nostri Ospiti (1974; dir by Vincenzo Rigo; aka The Killers Are Our Guests)
L'Assassino Ha Riservato Nove Poltrone (1974; dir by Giuseppe Bennati; aka The Killer Reserved 9 Seats)
La Chica de Via Condotti (1974; dir by Germàn Lorente; a giallo?)
5 Donne per l'Assassino (1974; dir by Stelvio Massi)
Il Corpo (1974; dir by Luigi Scattini; aka The Body)
Un Fiocco Nero Per Deborah (1974; dir by Marcello Andrei; aka Black Ribbon for Deborah)
Una Libélula Para Cada Muerto (1974; dir by Léon Klimovsky; aka A Dragonfly for Each Corpse/Spanish)
Los Mil Ojos del Asesino (1974; dir by Juan Bosch; Killer With a Thousand Eyes; a giallo?)
La Muerte Llama a las Diez (1974; dir by Juan Bosch)
Un Par de Zapatos del '32 (1974; dir by Rafael Romero Marchent; aka Qualcuna l'Ha Visto Uccidere)
La Polizia Chiede Aiuto (1974; dir by Massimo Dallamano; aka What Have They Done to Our Daughters?)
Spasmo (1974; dir by Umberto Lenzi; aka The Death Dealer)
L'Uomo Senza Memoria (1974; dir by Duccio Tessari; a giallo?)
I Vizi Morbosi di una Governante (1974; dir by Filippo Walter Ratti; aka Crazy Desires of a Murderer)
1975:
L'Assassino è Costretto ad Uccidere Ancora (1975; dir by Luigi Cozzi; aka The Killer Must Strike Again)
Gatti Rossi in un Labirinto di Vetro (1975; dir by Umberto Lenzi; aka Eyeball)
Macchie Solari (1975; dir by Armando Crispino; aka Autopsy; a giallo?)
Morte Sospetta di una Minorenne (1975; dir by Sergio Martino; a giallo?)
Nude per L'Assassino (1975; dir by Andrea Bianchi; aka Strip Nude For Your Killer)
Il Vizio Ha le Calze Nere (1975; dir by Tano Cimarosa; aka Reflections in Black)
Profondo Rosso (1975; dir by Dario Argento)
L'Ultimo Treno della Notte (1975; dir by Aldo Lado)
Later examples (selected titles):
La Casa dalle Finestre Che Ridono (1976; dir by Pupi Avati; aka The House with the Windows that Laugh)
La Noche de los Asesinos (1976; dir by Jess Franco)
...E Tanta Paura (1976; dir by Paolo Cavara)
Passi di Morte Perduti nel Buio (1977; dir by Maurizio Pradeaux; aka Death Steps in the Dark)
La Ragazza dal Pigiama Giallo (1977; dir by Flavio Mogherini; aka The Pyjama Girl Case)
Il Gatto dagli Occhi di Giada (1977; dir by Antonio Bido; aka The Cat's Victims)
7 Note in Nero (1977; dir by Lucio Fulci; aka The Psychic)
Solamente Nero (1978; dir by Antonio Bido; aka Bloodstained Shadow)
Enigma Rosso (1978; dir by Alberto Negrin)
La Sorella di Ursula (1978; dir by Enzo Milioni; aka Curse of Ursula)
Giallo a Venezia (1979; dir by Mario Landi)
Play Motel (1979; dir by Mario Gariazzo)
L'Ossessione Che Uccide (1980; dir by Riccardo Freda; aka Fear, Delirium, The Wailing)
Tenebrae (1982; dir by Dario Argento)
Lo Squartatore di New York (1982; dir by Lucio Fulci; aka The New York Ripper)
La Casa Con la Scala nel Buio (1983; dir by Lamberto Bava; aka Blade in the Dark)
Phenomena (1984; dir by Dario Argento)
7, Hyden Park. La Casa Maledetta (1985; dir by Alberto De Martino)
Aquarius (1986; dir by Michele Soavi)
Morirai a Mezzanotte (1986; dir by Lamberto Bava)
Opera (1987; dir by Dario Argento; aka Terror at the Opera)
Le Foto di Gioia (1987; dir by Lamberto Bava)
Dario Argento is a director who has continued making gialli during his career. The latest thrillers in that tradition are his films NONHOSONNO (2001), IL CARTAIO (2004) and TI PIACE HITCHCOCK? (2005).
© Ron Altman (last update 07/04/2007)