
A cycle of stylish, psychosexually loaded Italian crime films which peaked sometime in the late '70s. The name means "yellow," and refers to the yellow covers of the pulp detective novels which were adapted into the first of the films. Gialli are generally plotted as "puzzle" mysteries (with either police or amateurs investigating), but with a heavy admixture of horror and thriller elements.
Major directors of gialli include Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and Lucio Fulci.
Many American movies have been influenced by gialli. These include Basic Instinct, Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (when it isn't being a Spaghetti Western), Se7en, the Hostel movies, and pretty much anything by Brian De Palma. Slasher Movies have their roots in the giallo sensibility, as well. All quite appropriate, considering the considerable stylistic influence the genre draws from Alfred Hitchcock—to the point that many have deemed Hitch the unofficial "father" of Giallo cinema.
And now you too can create your own, with the Do-It-Yourself Giallo Kit.
A related genre is the German "krimis".
Common tropes include:
- Acquitted Too Late
- Animal Motifs
- Conspicuous Trenchcoat: the default outfit for Giallo killers is a black leather coat with matching fedora and gloves, and sometimes a mask
- Death by Sex
- Drop Dead Gorgeous
- Everyone Is a Suspect
- Fake Nationality: If the film's set anywhere but Italy, it's a guarantee that there's several of these (and even then there are exceptions.
- Film Noir: Somewhat comparable to this genre, but much more colorful, surreal, and gory.
- Freudian Excuse
- Going by the Matchbook
- Hand of Death: Almost always the black-gloved version.
- Interplay of Sex and Violence: Murders often done toward Fanservice female characters
- Kensington Gore
- Mood Lighting
- Motive Rant
- Never One Murder
- Overly Long Title: Sometimes, titles are whole sentences. Example - Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
- Peek-a-Boo Corpse
- Police Are Useless: if the main character is a civilian trying to solve the murders on their own, the cops will never figure it out first
- Red Herring: Often an incredibly cheap variety in which one character is clearly extremely suspicious, creepy and weird and end up dead like any other victim without so much as a Hand Wave as to their odd behavior.
- Serial Killer
- Scenery Porn: brutal killings are often contrasted against stunning architecture and landscapes
- The Summation
- Widget Series
- Word Salad Title
Giallo films:
- A Bay of Blood
- A Black Veil For Lisa
- A Blade In The Dark
- The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
- The Black Belly of the Tarantula
- Blood and Black Lace
- The Bloodstained Butterfly
- The Bloodstained Shadow
- Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll
- A Dragonfly For Each Corpse
- The Case Of The Bloody Iris
- The Case Of The Scorpions Tail
- The Cat o' Nine Tails
- Clap Youre Dead
- Crazy Desires Of A Murderer
- The Crimes Of The Black Cat
- Death Carries A Cane
- Death Laid an Egg
- Death Smiles On A Murderer
- Death Steps In The Dark
- Death Walks on High Heels
- Deep Red
- Don't Look Now
- Don't Torture a Duckling
- The Embalmer
- Eyeball
- Eye In The Labyrinth
- The Fifth Cord
- The Fish With The Eyes Of Gold
- Five Dolls for an August Moon
- Five Women For The Killer
- Four Flies on Grey Velvet
- The French Sex Murders
- Giallo in Venice
- The House with Laughing Windows
- The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire
- Inferno
- The Killer Is One Of Thirteen
- The Killer Wore Gloves
- Knife Of Ice
- The Murder Clinic
- Murder Rock
- My Dear Killer
- Naked Girl Murdered In The Park
- Naked You Die
- The New York Ripper
- Nightmare Beach
- Nothing Underneath
- Opera
- Phenomena
- Plot Of Fear
- The Police Are Blundering In The Dark
- Il Profumo Della Signora In Nero
- Puzzle
- The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
- Red Rings Of Fear
- Seven Blood-Stained Orchids
- Seven Deaths In The Cats Eye
- Seven Murders for Scotland Yard
- Slaughter Hotel
- Sleepless
- So Sweet So Dead
- Strip Nude For Your Killer
- Tenebre
- Too Beautiful To Die
- Torso
- Trauma
- Trauma
- Watch Me When I Kill
- What Have They Done To Your Daughters
- What Have You Done to Solange?
- Who Killed The Prosecutor And Why
- Who Saw Her Die
- Youll Die At Midnight
Giallo homages:
- Five Dead On The Crimson Canvas - (5)
- Alice, Sweet Alice
- Basic Instinct
- Berberian Sound Studio - literally set during the making of a giallo film
- Bloodwash
- Bloody Moon
- The Burning
- City In Panic
- The Comeback
- Cruising
- The Dark Half
- Don't Open Till Christmas
- Dressed to Kill
- Evil Judgement
- The Gore Gore Girls
- Holla If I Kill You
- Hostel
- I Know Who Killed Me
- Last Night in Soho
- Kill Bill, Volume 2
- The Killing Hour
- Knife And Heart
- Malignant
- Night After Night After Night
- Night School (1981)
- Pieces
- The Psychopath
- The Rain Killer
- Schizo
- Se7en
- The Suspicious Death Of A Minor
- The Toolbox Murders
- Three Tears On Bloodstained Flesh
- Too Scared To Scream
- Unhinged (1982)