I got into watching Gialli during 2010 after watching Profondo Rosso on the big screen at a local horror film festival and haven’t looked back since. Why giallo? Because who doesn’t like blood, boobs and black gloves? I used my 2011 movie challenge as an excuse to educate myself about this genre further by watching as many a giallo film as I could. I soon came to learn that the genre is an absolute minefield with the viewer as likely to find an outstanding example of cinema as they are an absolute shocker on a blind watch (the titles of the films don’t help either, I mean you’d expect a film called ‘The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire’ to be awesome wouldn’t you?). If you’re interested here are three of the best first watches of Giallo that I’ve had this year;
What Have You Done To Solange? (1972) - any giallo that features Fabio Testi gains extra points for me but I wasn’t prepared for how good Dallamano’s sleazy giallo is, for me easily the best I’ve seen outside Argento’s work. Solange grabs you early on and keeps you riveted throughout and the big reveal at the end actually makes sense, a rare boast for films in this genre.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) - a film that starts with a scary kid and then weaves an intricate plot throwing in some memorable dream sequences and ends with multiple twists. The film is darkly funny whilst retaining an honest terror and it’s got Barbara Bouchet in ;)
Amer (2009) - one of the best three gialli I’ve watched this year is two years old and comes from Belgium? This is a stunning homage to the genre which will not be to everyone’s taste, it’s a Marmite film. Gorgeously filmed, for me it captures the essence of what a good giallo should be, more about the sights, sounds and colours than the plot, it’s an assault on the senses and is a genuinely terrifying experience.
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