right now i’ve seen The Beyond, Zombi, Don’t Torture a Duckling, Deep Red and Suspiria. ask me any questions if you want more info
Dario Argento is definitely the Giallo master IMO. Love his films and takes violence and makes it a piece of cinematic art. Here is another recommended giallo, What have you done to Solange? Great film, plenty of suggestive misogynistic violence and perversion.
A good primer on giallo is here:
Kinoeye | The fortnightly journal of film in the new Europe
Although not fully complete check out Adrian Luther Smith’s book “Blood and Black Lace”, its basically a huge reference guide to Giallo, w/ tons of pictures/artwork and a breakdown of each giallo. Amazon.co.uk has it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Media Blasters just released a good Sergio Martino giallo “All the Colors of the Dark”
I buy all my giallo’s typically from Tony of XploitedCinema - <LINK_TEXT text=“http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/genr … nre=Giallo”>http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/genres.asp?genre=Giallo</LINK_TEXT>
He has a great selection, as well as lots of imports. You’ll definitely need an all region player that supports PAL for most of them. I also get some of my giallo’s from “Video Search of Miami” (when I can’t find them anywhere else) http://www.vsom.com (and use the search phrase giallo)
As far as tackling giallos, perhaps start w/ the first “The Girl Who Knew too Much” and then “Blood and Black Lace” by Mario Bava… then progress to Giulio Questi’s “DEATH LAID AN EGG”… then to Umberto Lenzi’s “Sweet Body of Deborah” and “Orgasmo”… then Lucio Fulci’s “One on Top of the Other”… then Dario Argento’s “Birdy w/ the Crystal Plummage”, “CAT O’NINE TAILS”, “Four Flies On Grey Velvet”… then go to Sergio Martino’s giallo’s “Next!”, “All the Colors of the Dark”, “CASE OF THE SCORPION’S TAIL”… then Massimo Dallamano’s “What Have They Done To Our Daughters?”, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?” and “Black Veil for Lisa”… then Umberto Lenzi’s “Spasmo” and “SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS”… then perhaps the AnchorBay giallo boxset (and most notably of these) “The Case Of The Bloody Iris” by Giuliano Carnimeo and “Short Night Of Glass Dolls” by Aldo Lado… next up Dario Argento’s “Deep Red” and “Tenebre”… then perhaps “PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK” by Francesco Barilli, “FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION” by Luciano Ercoli, “LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN” and “Seven Notes in Black/Psychic” by Lucio Fulci. This would be a good starting point, however you break down the order of watching these… you’ll discover the directors you’ll like and want to pursue more of their films/giallos from, as well as see how giallos shape from “Girl Who Knew too MucH” to late 60’s giallos to then “Bird w/ a Crystal Plummage” and “Next!” really starting a wave of giallo’s for the 70’s.
Sidenote Tarantino screened “Seven Notes in Black” aka “Psychic” at one of his fests (talked about remaking it one day)… w/ Bridget Fonda in mind for the lead role (her fav type of movie is a Giallo)… Tarantino also screened at one of his fests “What Have They Done To Solange?” and said at his next film fest he’d show the Giallo “What Have They Done to Our Daughters?”
Hope this helps!
[quote=“The Shepherd”]The Beyond
[/quote]
Is not a Giallo… 
[quote=“The Shepherd”]
i just saw SUSPIRIA for the first time and i’m still trying to decide how i feel about it. clearly, Dario Argento is a very talented director, but i don’t think he is a very good screenwriter. he co-wrote the script with another guy and the story gets muddled up and slow in parts. directorially speaking, however, Argento has some amazing visuals throughout the film. he also uses a lot of different colored lighting the change the mood of the scene. i’m very curious to see moreo of Argento’s work, but i’m hoping that he made some films that he didn’t write, he may be a great director, but i think he should leave the screenwriting to somebody else, but hey, this is just my opinion. any thoughts?
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You have to see it again. Most people find it a lot better after a second viewing. I know I did. Than you really get to appreciate Goblins amazing music. And when you’re talking about the screenwriting… There aren’t that many horror movies with a good script. Horror movies are about the atmosphere and the mood (were the visuals and the music are most important). If that’s not enough than I doubt you’ll like many horror movies. Espesially Italien ones.
The dialog in Suspiria should also be brought up, because the girls in the dance school were supposed to be little girls at the age 10-13 or something like that. So the dialog can be a bit silly when you hear girls around 18-20 speak it.
i’ve only seen the seven blood stained orchids. i liked it a lot.
Does anyone have IFC? I was watching it this weekend and they were showing a bunch of Italian Horror movies as a Halloween special.
Saturday night was Argento night. They had a one-hour documentary about Argento followed by Suspiria, Inferno, and Deep Red.
Sunday night (Halloween night) was Bava night. One-hour documentary about Bava followed by Black Sunday, Twitch of the Death Nerve, and Baron Blood.
Both nights were hosted by Tom Savini who played Sex Machine in From Dusk Till Dawn and he interviewed Bava’s son.
He also got Dario Argento on the phone and asked him when he was going to finish the Suspiria trilogy and why it was taking so long. I can’t remember the exact conversation but Argento mentioned that Tarantino was asked when he was going to make the third Kill Bill film and he said that he’s not ready and is waiting for the little girl to grow up to get revenge. Argento said that he hasn’t been ready either but that he is working on the third Suspiria film next.
It was a really cool weekend. Especially since I had never seen any Italian horror movies. They’re totally awesome. I can’t wait to see more.
Does the original Dawn of the Dead count as an Italian horror movie? Because I saw that too and Argento and the Goblins also worked on it.
Giallos are usually only Italian slasher films. DOTD was filmed in the U.S. anyway, so that wouldn’t be a Giallo. And lot’s of people disagree over whether Suspiria is a true Giallo or not, because it’s more of a supernatural horror film than an actual slasher.
And Deep Red rocks.
i havent seen to many of these but deep red is one of my fav movies ever and i recamend to anyone interrested
I like whenever the killer is about to axe somebody, you hear that children’s lullaby play
" la la la la la la la la la la la la"
That shit freaked me while watching it
i think i has to be my fav intros into any movie. it just gives you such a wierd feeling.
I love that opening scene. With the shadow of the knife stabbing and the girl singing. Then you see the bloody knife and the little girls shoes walk into frame.
It was on late at night and I was too tired to watch it so I put a tape in and recorded it. While I was watching it the next day the tape ran out before very end. I saw it up to the part where the guy realizes that the gay guy Carl couldn’t possibly be the murderer because he was with him at the time of the murder. This is after he gets his head run over. What happens after this? Who was the killer?
Carl was the little boy that you see in the very first flashback. At the end, it shows the entire flashback, where a man is fighting with his wife (Carl’s mom) about sending her to an insane asylum, but she doesn’t want to go and gets pissed and kills him instead. Carl’s mom killed the psychic because she saw visions of what had happened, and the others because…well you should know, since you’ve seen the movie. Carl was right outside the hotel when his mother killed the psychic to keep a watch out to make sure nobody saw her.
And Carl’s mom was that woman that David Hemmings talks on the phone to for like 5 seconds around the 30 minute mark.
It’s been a while since i’ve seen this, but I’m pretty sure that’s all right.
Oh yeah, and the picture/painting that Hemmings thought someone had moved since the night of the first killing in the hotel wasn’t actually a painting…when he first walked into the psychic lady’s room as he passed by the mirror, the killer/Carl’s mom was at the wall and he saw her briefly for a second in the mirror but only remembered that at the very end.
Cool. How many times have you seen this? I just saw it about a week and a half ago and can’t remember all that. You have a good memory.
I just saw Brian De Palma’s Sisters yesterday. Did Argento get that opening shot in Deep Red from the birthday cake scene in Sisters? They look exactly alike.
I rented it off Netflix like back in June and only watched it twice. Not sure about the Sisters reference though…it’s been about a year and a half since i’ve seen that
i love Giallo’s my favorite is probaly deep red,solange and tenebre
Xploited Cinema is a great place to get DVDs. The owner Tony is really cool and since I started my website a year ort so ago hes sent me alot of excellent DVDs to review. One film I just got Seven Notes In Black by Lucio Fulci is one of my favorites. I had been waiting years to get it on DVD. Its a real treat. You may also want to check out The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh and The Case of The Scorpions Tail, 2 classics from Sergio Martino.
Im a huge giallo fan (its pronounced “jallo”) btw.
[quote=“FilmGuy”]
Cool. How many times have you seen this? I just saw it about a week and a half ago and can’t remember all that. You have a good memory.
I just saw Brian De Palma’s Sisters yesterday. Did Argento get that opening shot in Deep Red from the birthday cake scene in Sisters? They look exactly alike.
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Im sure it was. I love Sisters (I just watched it again the other night). DePalma is always accused of stealing from other directors, but youd be surprised at how many directors steal from him. I like some of Argento’s movies, but I dont like when he starts talking about DePalma and how hes always ripping his movies off.
Speaking of DePalma and gialli, watch Dressed To Kill sometime, I swear that movie is essentially a DePalma style giallo. 
[quote=“WinslowLeach”]
I dont like when he starts talking about DePalma and how hes always ripping his movies off.ÂÂ
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I never knew he disliked De Palma’s films. I loved Deep Red and Suspiria. Opera was okay. I gotta see Tenebre, Phenomena, Inferno, and Trauma.
I havent seen so many giallo films but my favorites are Tenebrae, Suspiria, 7 Notes In black, Deep Red and Black Sunday
I have only seen about 8 giallo films
Everyone steals from everyone in film. I’m sick of hearing how much DePalma rips off from Hitch. No shit he’s doing riffs on Hitch but hes also using his own ideas and personality. Why cant anyone realize that? Why is it ok when QT steals tons of shit for his films yet when DePalma does it, its a negative thing? Watch his films, they arent all just “Hitch rip offs”. That shit is dismissive and ignorant.