When asked about the definition of Giallo, every film enthusiast has a unique statement to share. To some, Giallo is a genre of 20th century mystery films that contain the ingredients of horror and thriller stories; whereas some describe it as a stylish European murder mystery; another group of film buffs perceive it as the Italian horror sub-genre consisting of films specifically from 1960s to 1980s. I consider the latter definition to be the best and accurate. Giallo, in the world of cinema is referred to as an informal yet highly influential film movement that seems to have been originated from Italy; at that time when the Italian Neo-Realism was at its peak yet Giallo still managed to emerge unconventionally into the cinema.
The literal meaning of the term Giallo is “yellow” as in the color and it’s roots are traced back to the late 1920s and early 1930s when an Italian publishing house decided to translate and sell classic mystery books and stories with a trademark yellow cover. As these books gained immense popularity, the term Giallo(yellow) was inevitably linked with mystery, suspense and fright; some filmmakers were determined to experiment with the concept of adapting these tales into films that are distinctively similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s work but more vivid imagery and extensive representation of bloodshed and nudity.
A Giallo film traditionally incorporates precise constituents such as the role of a knife bearing gloved and masked murderer, bright and radiant colors that come across visually striking, extravagant use of blood and gore, exposed sexploitation, camera taking the killer’s POV and melodramatic locations or setting.
As one of the most prominent sub-genre of cinematic universe, Giallo films and their plots intersect at some point, alike scenes take place throughout the film like someone witnessing a murder, the killer chasing someone through the uncrowded streets past midnight, someone discovers a harrowing secret or conspiracy. Regardless of their indistinguishable sequences, Giallo rarely succumb to languor and lack of enthusiasm. They diverge at the broad spectrum of elements that assist for the individuality of a single film nonetheless following the same general formula of Giallo. That spectrum includes the use of supernatural horror, cult mystery, witchcraft or conventional detective stories.
Majority of the audience consider Black Sunday(1960) as the evident start of this genre by which Mario Bava who is considered as the Godfather of the Giallo came into prominence. Bava went on to direct Black Sabbath(1960) an anthology film, The Girl Who Knew Too Much also known as The Evil Eye(1963), then finally proceeded to pave a new path for the future of Giallo by Blood and Black Lace(1964) which became the first Giallo in technicolor.
Dario Argento may not be the founder of this genre but he certainly is the fan favorite with his groundbreaking films that embody unique plots, illuminated visuals and finest soundtracks by Goblin. His debut film The Bird with the Crystal Plummage(1970) followed by Deep Red(1975) which is the quintessential Giallo film to this day, Suspiria(1977) a film containing fantastical elements of magic and witchcraft that was remade by Luca Guadagnino in 2018, Tenebrae(1982), Phenomena(1985) and the famous The Three Mothers Trilogy that includes the above mentioned Suspiria with Inferno(1980) and Mother of Tears(2007) have made him the most revered Giallo filmmaker.
Standing alongside Bava and Argento is the lord of gore and violence, Lucio Fulci who displayed generous amount of bloodshed in various morbid manners in his work like A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin(1971), Don’t Torture a Duckling(1972), The Psychic(1977) and The New York Ripper(1982)
Bava, Argento, Fulci together with several other filmmakers like Sergio Martino have transformed an insignificant genre into one of the substantial and pronounced sub-genres of cinema as well as laid the foundations for the First Wave of American Slasher movement that carry the prolific names of Black Christmas(1974), Halloween(1978) and Scream(1996) and The 90s Erotic Thriller Wave that involves Basic Instinct(1992) and Silver(1993)
Giallo has not only ruled in Italy during the latter half of the 20th century but somehow shaped and brought innovation to the modern horror cinema for instance body horror, the portrayal of ritualistic ceremonies and occult activities, psychosexual killers or even so dynamic and odd camera angles.This magic lives on through certain neo giallo films like Malignant(2021) and The Neon Demon(2016) that are the descendants of the famed Italian horror genre yet they tend to follow the protocol customarily, somewhat less reckless or venturesome like a prime Gialli. As of now, almost no true and classic Giallo films are being made, this sub-genre has become an ancestor to modern day horror films that in a way or another take cues from and give subtle odes to the timeless yet nearly extinct Italian horror genre.
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