G is for Giallo: a Yellow Film Checklist by Richard Glenn Schmidt
In my experience, the giallo will invariably become addictive to the horror and cult movie fan if
exposure is prolonged beyond two or three titles. After my Mario Bava (Blood And Black Lace), Dario
Argento (Deep Red), and Lucio Fulci (Don’t Torture A Duckling) quotas had been filled, I decided to
look into other directors’ entries in the genre. The two titles which are primarily responsible for
my yellow blood are Giuliano Carnimeo’s freaky and wild The Case Of The Bloody Iris and Umberto Lenzi’s
brutal and precise Seven Blood-Stained Orchids. After that, I was determined to see as many gialli
as possible.
Inspired by the German krimi films of the 60s and the mystery literature of Agatha Christie and
Edgar Wallace (usually printed with the trademark yellow cover; hence the name giallo), the
Italians infused their thrillers with explicit gore, exploitative sex, chic fashion, and funky
music. Much like the American Slasher films of the 1980s, the giallo films became hugely popular
ationally and internationally causing many directors to shift their focus. In the early 70s,
Italian directors who specialized in westerns, gothic horror, comedies, crime films, etc. all
switched to making gialli in order to follow the trend (and pay the bills). It is during this short
time period that the genre exploded into a vibrancy during that didn't die down until the early
80s.
Many European actors and actresses became staples of the genre by starring in several features in a
short period of time. Just to name a few: George Hilton, Fabio Testi, Ivan Rassimov, and Luigi
Pistilli were in some genre favorites. Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Mimsy Farmer, Florinda
Bolkan, Marina Malfatti, Barbara Bouchet, and Erika Blanc all lent their beauty to the giallo.
Like any genre, gialli have a number of trademarks to look out for, roll your eyes at, or perhaps
even create a drinking game around. Here is my list of some things to clue you in as to whether or
not you’re in the middle of a yellow film. While some of the items on the list could be found in
any film, it is a combination of these factors that give the giallo films their own special
quirkiness.
The Checklist
- Bottles of J&B Scotch-Whiskey
- Black-gloved killer (acceptable substitute: rubber gloves)
- Tacky high fashion: big sunglasses, wide ties, ludicrously short skirts, etc.
- Fluorescent red blood
- Suspicious behavior and guilty glances (AKA shifty eyes)
- Creepy mannequins or freaky dolls
- Ugly hired thugs who are no match for the killer
- Spiral staircases and/or other suspenseful architecture
- Casual sex (usually between the main characters (who have just met)
- Priestly malfeasance (beware the men of the cloth)
- General disdain/ridicule of hippies
- Incompetent and/or corrupt cops
- Edwige Fenech is in some kind of peril
- Paper-thin motivations for murder
- Huge number of suspects and red herrings (the unsolvable mystery)
Giallo Reviews
All the Colors of the Dark
Links & Books
Blood & Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies by Adrian Luther Smith
Giallo Scrapbook by Paul J. Brown and Nigel J. Burrell
Giallo Scrapbook 2 by Paul J. Brown and Nigel J. Burrell
Spaghetti Nightmares by Luca M. Palmerini and Gaetano Mistretta
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