Explaining the stylish allure of giallo horror in five movies
Giallo cinema is one of the most interesting sub-genres of horror, emerging in the 1960s and booming in the 1970s. Expect hyper-sexualised characters, incredibly fake-looking blood, vivid colour palettes, murder mysteries and gloved killers – if giallos are anything, they’re certainly enticing.
Emerging from Italy, Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much is typically regarded as the first giallo, although the following years would see the release of other movies by filmmakers such as Bava, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, which would come to represent the genre better through their use of bright aesthetics.
Giallo movies usually revolve around a series of murders by a mysterious killer, with a character becoming obsessively preoccupied with getting to the bottom of the matter. Sometimes over-the-top and other times possessing questionable gender politics, giallo movies feel distinctive of their time, arising during the popularity of the sexploitation and slasher genres.
Still, giallo films remain incredibly popular among horror aficionados today due to their innovative approach to the murder mystery movie, weaving various other genres with intricately crafted stylistic elements. Thus, it is hard not to want to press play on a film like Blood and Black Lace, which features striking, lurid, neon lighting that practically pulls the viewer straight in.
Argento is perhaps the genre’s best-known auteur. His movies look inexplicably timeless, with his murderous tales featuring immaculate costumes and set designs paired with distinctive camera angles and compositions. Many people have critiqued his movies for possessing more style over substance, and while this is certainly the case for some of his movies, plenty are genuinely great, comprised of complex storytelling, tension and enjoyable thrills.
One of his most well-known features is Suspiria, but despite much online debate, it can barely be considered a giallo. This is because of its preoccupation with supernatural horror rather than the typical whodunnit, sexually explicit narrative associated with the giallo genre. Thus, despite possessing the aesthetic of a giallo film, it is not included in this list.
Discover five movies below that encapsulate the giallo film’s obsession with style and exquisite cinematography, reflecting a unique period in horror history that would prove to be incredibly influential.
Giallo horror in five movies:
A Lizard in A Woman’s Skin (Lucio Fulci, 1971)
Lucio Fulci was a giant of the giallo genre, working between the 1950s and the 1990s. While he didn’t limit himself to the genre, some of his greatest works are giallo horrors, such as A Lizard in A Woman’s Skin. Electric blues and reds form the colour palette for this one, which follows a sexually repressed woman as she experiences dreams charged with violence, drug use and sex.
The movie has all the quintessential makings of the perfect giallo, and you’d struggle to pause the movie on a scene that couldn’t be framed and admired out of context. Luscious fabrics, artfully filmed scenes of sex and murder, and expansive landscape shots give Fulci’s work merit on visuals alone.
Blood and Black Lace (Mario Bava, 1964)
Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace is one of the most strikingly beautiful additions to the genre. The opening scene alone is enough to have you hooked purely for the film’s aesthetic elements, although the suspenseful plot proves to be just as impressive. The movie, which centres around a series of murders at a fashion house, begins with a neon-lit sequence involving the models posing motionless like mannequins, standing among real ones made of bright red fabric and black wigs.
Elsewhere, Blood and Black Lace features scenes illuminated by vividly saturated red lights that contrast the predominantly dark and shadowy visual palette that makes up the rest of the film. Every scene is stunning, emphasising the stylish nature of the fashion house where the murders begin taking place.
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975)
Argento has made many giallo movies throughout his career, beginning with The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. However, his 1975 effort Deep Red is widely considered one of his best, with David Hemmings starring as Marcus Daly, a jazz musician who, after witnessing a murder, begins to investigate. In keeping with the title of the film, Deep Red offers many scenes coloured in crimson shades.
However, Deep Red also features plenty of neutral, green-tinged images. With stunning uses of symmetry and intense close-ups, particularly of eyes, Argento’s film is a visual feast, enticing us into a world of creepy dolls and brightly exaggerated blood.
Phenomena (Dario Argento, 1985)
Phenomena, a later giallo from Dario Argento, is hard not to mention due to the effortless style that emanates from every scene. Compared to some of his earlier films, Phenomena uses less bright lighting and set design. Instead, neutral tones, such as grey, white and a sickly shade of muted blue, inform the aesthetic direction of the film.
Argento’s cinematographer, Romano Albani, features many beautiful close-ups alongside shadowy sequences that create an incredible amount of tension. Moreover, some underwater shots give the movie a dreamy quality, while intensely detailed images of insects counteract this by eliciting a sense of discomfort.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Mario Bava, 1963)
The Hitchcock-esque The Girl Who Knew Too Much is widely regarded as the earliest giallo film, made by Mario Bava in 1963. The movie stars Letícia Román as Nora, a woman who witnesses one of a series of murders. Interestingly, this is a rare example of a giallo film shot in black-and-white rather than the genre’s typical bright colours.
However, Bava’s film possesses all the style of a usual, vividly-painted giallo, suggesting that much of the genre’s aesthetic brilliance comes down to the use of shadows, extreme close-ups, emphasis on the face, and striking uses of composition.
