Giallo - from best to worst
In preferential order...
(no spoilers have been included in the comments below)
(no spoilers have been included in the comments below)
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- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.Dario Argento directed an enduring classic here. It has great camerawork, engaging lead actors, frightening set-pieces and amazing music from soundtrack legends Goblin. Plus it has one of the most audaciously brilliant twist reveals imaginable.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsTony MusanteSuzy KendallEnrico Maria SalernoAn American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.In his debut movie, Argento took Mario Bava's template and moulded it into a chic and direct contemporary thriller whose international success directly led to the giallo cycle of films of the early 70's. The expertly handled suspense scenes are photographed exquisitley, it has a legendary Ennio Morricone score and it is cleverly plotted. A classic.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsAnthony FranciosaGiuliano GemmaJohn SaxonAn American novelist visiting Rome to promote his latest book is stalked and harassed by an obsessed fan who is committing a string of murders that appear to be tributes to his work.This 80's Argento is pure carnage. Chock-full of designer violence and flamboyant camera-work. Has great music and nice plot twists too. It made the Video Nasty list and it's not hard to see why.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsCameron MitchellEva BartokThomas ReinerA masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.The film that set the rules for giallo cinema. Maybe the most artistic of gialli. Lush cinematography and gorgeous colours abound. Don't think, just look
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsGeorge HiltonEdwige FenechConchita AiroldiAn ambassador's wife discovers that one of the men in her life - either her husband, an ex-lover or her current lover - may be a vicious serial killer.Sergio Martino's erotic giallo starring the one and only Edwige Fenech. Highly stylised and includes a particularly sensual and haunting main theme from Nora Orlandi. Essential stuff basically.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsFlorinda BolkanStanley BakerJean SorelThe potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.Lucio Fulci's masterpiece. Trippy and psychedelic. Well acted and beautifully shot. Featuring yet another super Ennio Morricone score. This is one of the best gialli ever made. Highly recommended.
- DirectorMassimo DallamanoStarsFabio TestiKarin BaalCristina GalbóA teacher who is having an affair with one of his students is reluctant to present an alibi when his lover witnesses the first in a series of murders connected to their school.One of the most highly regarded entries in the genre with good reason. It has a great, compelling mystery and agreeably salacious undertones. And with a top notch Morricone soundtrack, what's not to like?
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJennifer ConnellyDonald PleasenceDaria NicolodiA young girl who has an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.Part supernatural horror, part giallo, Phenomena is a wilfully ridiculous film. The sheer insanity of it, though, is what makes it so thoroughly entertaining. It's sort of like Suspiria with a giallo killer. And lots of insects.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsFlorinda BolkanBarbara BouchetTomas MilianWhen a southern Italian town is rocked by a string of child murders, the police and two urban outcasts search for the culprit amid scapegoating within the superstitious community.Highly impressive early Lucio Fulci effort. Stars the ultra gorgeous Barbara Bouchet. Contains a graphic chain-whipping that is an early indicator of Fulci's gory tendencies. Unusual southern Italian setting.
- DirectorEmilio MiragliaStarsBarbara BouchetUgo PagliaiMarina MalfattiTwo sisters inherit their family castle, which is said to be haunted by their ancestor: a raven-haired, red-robed woman who is said to commit seven murders every hundred years.She's a killer queen indeed. This one surely has the coolest killer in the whole giallo sub-genre. Its a film that mixes a neo-gothic element with a super-chic fashion house populated by a host of gorgeous girls.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsCristina MarsillachIan CharlesonUrbano BarberiniA young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.Great set-pieces, very bloody killings, visually amazing and incredibly daft. The plot is reduced to it's bare minimum here, with the accent instead on style.
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsGeorge HiltonAnita StrindbergAlberto de MendozaAn insurance investigator tries to determine any irregularities in the policy of a heiress' dead husband, but soon finds himself suspected of her murder.Very good classic-style Sergio Martino entry, influenced directly by The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Awesome opening credit sequence with magnificent Bruno Nicolai music score.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsClaudine AugerLuigi PistilliClaudio CamasoThe murder of a wealthy countess triggers a chain reaction of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area, as several unscrupulous characters try to seize her large estate.The origins of the bodycount movie are right here. But there's a black sense of humour at the heart of this proto-slasher. Ultimately, though, it's all about the 13 violent murders.
- DirectorAldo LadoStarsGeorge LazenbyAnita StrindbergAdolfo CeliBetween a four-year gap in the murder of a young girl, the daughter of a well-known sculptor is discovered dead, and her parents conduct an investigation, only to discover they are much out of their depth.A great Aldo Lado effort. Superb Ennio Morricone music helps immeasurably and Venice locations are used to excellent effect. Some similarities to Don't Look Now.
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsSuzy KendallTina AumontLuc MerendaA string of appalling lust murders shocks the University of Perugia as a sadistic serial killer strangles to death beautiful college girls with a red and black scarf.The fifth of Sergio Martino's gialli, this one reduced the mystery and upped the violence, creating in effect a proto-slasher par excellence. It is also notable for having one of the most tense final thirds in the history of the giallo sub-genre.
- DirectorGiuliano CarnimeoStarsEdwige FenechGeorge HiltonPaola QuattriniHaving recently escaped the clutches of a hippie sex cult, a beautiful model is pursued by a serial killer whose previous victims include former occupants of her new apartment.Really a case of more of the same. But in this sub-genre that is a very good thing right? A maniac terrorises the inhabitants of a high-rise building with predictably bloody results.
- DirectorAldo LadoStarsIngrid ThulinJean SorelMario AdorfAn American journalist temporarily stationed in Central Europe searches for his new girlfriend, who has suddenly disappeared.Prague set giallo with a unique cold, Iron Curtain ambiance. It somewhat uniquely tells the story from the recollections of a mysteriously paralysed man. Much more original than most in the genre.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJames FranciscusKarl MaldenCatherine SpaakBlind puzzle writer Franco Arno and snoopy reporter Carlo Giordani try to solve murders connected to the Terzi Institute, a pharmaceutical company where people are conducting secret genetic experiments. Soon the two men become targets.Under-rated second feature from Argento. Very solid and much better than it is often given credit for. Nicely suspenseful set-pieces and likable leads make this one a more straight-forward effort by the director's standards but I liked it's directness of purpose.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsWilliam BergerIra von FürstenbergEdwige FenechAn industrialist invites his colleagues to his private island so they can exploit a resin formula invented by one of the guests, but a killer within the group disrupts the proceedings.A mod mystery from Mario Bava based around the Agatha Christie story Ten Little Indians. Weak on thriller mechanics but strong on visual pop art lushness and lounge grooves. Loads of fun for fans of cult Euro flicks.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsMichael BrandonMimsy FarmerJean-Pierre MarielleA musician is stalked by an unknown homicidal maniac, who blackmails him for the accidental killing of another stalker.Experimental third Argento movie. Obscure and hard to find for decades. Certainly a bit uneven in many ways with a little too much uneccessary comedy but is a good early showcase for the bolder visual ideas the director would go on to perfect.
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsGeorge HiltonEdwige FenechIvan RassimovA woman recovering from a car accident in which she lost her unborn child finds herself pursued by a coven of devil worshipers.A sort of Italian psychedelic version of Rosemary's Baby. It looks beautiful, it has a great soundtrack and Edwige Fenech looks like THE iconic giallo heroine in this one. You cannot go wrong here.
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsEdwige FenechAnita StrindbergLuigi PistilliA series of murders are committed near the estate of a degenerate author and his mistreated wife.This giallo is typified by being based on the Edgar Allan Poe story The Black Cat. Its also got possibly the craziest title in the genre, and that is really saying something.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsJean SorelMarisa MellElsa MartinelliAn unscrupulous doctor is accused of killing his asthmatic wife as part of an insurance scam, despite discovering that she has a doppelgänger who works as a stripper and call girl.Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is channelled in this very stylish erotic thriller from Lucio Fulci. The stunning Marisa Mell is great in the central double role.
- DirectorMichele SoaviStarsDavid BrandonRichard BarkeleyBarbara CupistiA group of stage actors lock themselves in the theater for a rehearsal of their upcoming musical production, unaware that an escaped psychopath has sneaked into the theater with them.Michele Soavi's inventively stylish slasher/giallo shows how much he has been missed from film-making.
- DirectorPaolo CavaraStarsGiancarlo GianniniClaudine AugerBarbara BouchetA series of victims are paralyzed while having their bellies ripped open, much in the same way tarantulas are killed by the black wasp. The victims all seem to have a connection with a spa.A classic-style giallo with another of those zoophilic names. But seriously, if you have three Bond girls all in one film together, you really don't need to do much more.