The Essential Italian Giallo Movie List
I am a casual fan of 70s Italian Giallo movies! It’s a specialized niche of cinema that is filled with MANY poor attempts to cash in on the genre’s popularity roughly from 1970–1983. (There were outliers!)
Because there were so many bad giallo movies I have compiled a list based on “Best of” sources listing the essential giallo films that are WORTH WATCHING to get a sense of the best of the genre. They were churned out like superhero movies back then.
If you are unaware, Giallo movies feature stylish kills usually by a darkly dressed, knife wielding killer that is often revealed with a twist or suprise. The characters are sexy and cool and on the search, (often, somewhat aimlessly, IMO) for answers if not for the killer itself.
Here is my list of giallo essentials list. I have only watched about 1/3. Other than Bava and Argento, this is my “To Watch” list! Please let me know if you have other favorites! I’ll be adding and removing movies as I watch them.
Romolo Guerrieri:
The Sweet Body of Deborah (The First Giallo Movie)
Mario Bava:
Blood and Black Lace
Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970)
A Bay of Blood
Lisa and the Devil
Dario Argento:
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
The Cat O’Nine Tails
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
Deep Red
Suspiria
Tenebrae
Lucio Fulchi:
Don’t Torture a Duckling
The Psychic
Lizard in Woman’s Skin
Lucianto Ercoli:
Death Walks on High Heals (1971)
Death Walks at Midnight
Duccio Tessari:
Death Occurred Last Night (1970)
The Blood Stained Butterfly
Aldo Lado:
Short Night of Glass Dolls
Who Saw Her Die?
Giuliano Carnimeo (as Anthony Ascott):
The Case of the Bloody Iris
Sergio Martino:
The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Featuring Actress Edwige Fenech}
Umberto Lenzi:
So Sweet…So Perverse
Eyeball
Paranoia
A Quiet Place to Kill