Gialli
by wilhelmpascal | created - 2 months ago | updated - 1 month ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
GP | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi
Votes: 24,105 | Gross: $0.42M
Giallo. Definition of the genre. Seen this 4 times. The part with Mario Adorf alone makes it worth seeing the movie.
2. Double Face (1969)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
After a businessman's unfaithful wife is seemingly killed in a car accident, he is led by several unscrupulous characters to believe that she is actually alive.
Director: Riccardo Freda | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Christiane Krüger, Günther Stoll, Annabella Incontrera
Votes: 1,015
Yet another Freda turd. Poor Kinski, very good as usual.
3. Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner, Arianna Gorini
Votes: 13,024
Seminal, but not the best, by far. Sets the tone for gialli to come. Black hat, leather gloves, knife, graphic colors. Horror lurks, hidden behind a red tapestry or an all too human mannequin.
4. The Embalmer (1965)
PG | 83 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A crazed killer is on the loose in the catacombs of Venice, Italy. He stalks beautiful women, drags them to his underground lair, kills them, then stuffs them and adds them to his "collection."
Director: Dino Tavella | Stars: Maureen Brown, Luigi Martocci, Alcide Gazzotto, Alba Brotto
Votes: 539
Unappealing villain, gruesome black and white. Horrid.
5. Il tuo dolce corpo da uccidere (1970)
88 min | Thriller
A man fantasizes about killing his wife. When he receives an anonymous letter with information that his wife is cheating on him, he decides to come up with a plan making his fantasies come true.
Director: Alfonso Brescia | Stars: George Ardisson, Françoise Prévost, Orchidea De Santis, Eduardo Fajardo
Votes: 196
Conspiracy-type giallo. Surprinsingly good for a Brescia movie.
6. Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970)
Not Rated | 82 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
An industrialist invites his colleagues to his private island so they can exploit a resin formula invented by one of the guests, but a killer within the group disrupts the proceedings.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: William Berger, Ira von Fürstenberg, Edwige Fenech, Howard Ross
Votes: 3,459
Allegedly Bava didn't like this movie and subsequently made A Bay of Blood. Still, this is well worth seeing. The "dolls" are all beauties. As always good cinematography, by Bava himself.
7. A Bay of Blood (1971)
R | 84 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The murder of a wealthy countess triggers a chain reaction of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area, as several unscrupulous characters try to seize her large estate.
Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati
Votes: 12,721
And Bava invented the slasher movie. The original Italian title makes it clear what the film is about: "Ecologia del delitto" - the real star here is this bay in which the protagonists are trapped.
8. Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery
An American journalist temporarily stationed in Central Europe searches for his new girlfriend, who has suddenly disappeared.
Director: Aldo Lado | Stars: Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, Barbara Bach
Votes: 3,672
Great! Just great! Great exteriors, great story. (Though a bit predictable, you still want to go to the end).
9. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)
Not Rated | 95 min | Mystery, Thriller
The potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Silvia Monti
Votes: 5,795
Sophisticated Fulci maze-like giallo. One of the best. Poetic, dreamlike and gory. Great!
10. The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)
Not Rated | 99 min | Mystery, Thriller
A popular television presenter is accused of killing a teenage girl in a park, who happens to be his daughter's best friend.
Director: Duccio Tessari | Stars: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Ida Galli, Silvano Tranquilli
Votes: 2,066
Very good. Rather scarce in graphic violence. Centres a lot on the investigation and is never boring.
11. The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
GP | 112 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Two journalists try to solve a series of murders connected to a pharmaceutical company's secret experiments, becoming targets of the killer themselves.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi
Votes: 13,033
Good film. Not my favorite Argento.
12. The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (1971)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
An insurance investigator tries to determine any irregularities in the policy of a heiress' dead husband, but soon finds himself suspected of her murder.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: George Hilton, Anita Strindberg, Alberto de Mendoza, Janine Reynaud
Votes: 3,573
Solid routine 1971 giallo fare
13. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)
R | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A rich, mentally-unstable man - with a penchant for playing deadly S&M games with women who resemble his dead wife - sparks off a chain of bizarre events after getting remarried.
Director: Emilio Miraglia | Stars: Anthony Steffen, Marina Malfatti, Enzo Tarascio, Giacomo Rossi Stuart
Votes: 2,926
Never boring, a movie that takes the time to present its characters.
14. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971)
R | 81 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
An ambassador's wife discovers that one of the men in her life - either her husband, an ex-lover or her current lover - may be a vicious serial killer.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Conchita Airoldi, Manuel Gil
Votes: 5,452
Classic giallo with a very weak screenplay.
15. The Fifth Cord (1971)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A maverick, heavy-drinking journalist pursues a killer who is targeting acquaintances of his, prompting the police to brand him a suspect in their investigation.
Director: Luigi Bazzoni | Stars: Franco Nero, Silvia Monti, Wolfgang Preiss, Ira von Fürstenberg
Votes: 2,570
Hate him or love him. A Franco Nero one man show that doesn't save the day. Formulaic plot but a few gruesome kills. On the whole, a so-so movie.
16. Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)
Not Rated | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A series of victims are paralyzed while having their bellies ripped open, much in the same way tarantulas are killed by the black wasp. The victims all seem to have a connection with a spa.
Director: Paolo Cavara | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, Rossella Falk
Votes: 3,633
Preposterous and boring giallo.
17. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
PG | 104 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A musician is stalked by an unknown homicidal maniac, who blackmails him for the accidental killing of another stalker.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Michael Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Aldo Bufi Landi
Votes: 9,886
Great movie. Unusual part by Bud Spencer, superb composition by Marielle, Mimsy Farmer and Michael Brandon do the job. Plus funny moments provided by the postman.
18. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)
PG | 99 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Two sisters inherit their family castle, which is said to be haunted by their ancestor, a dark-haired, red-robed woman who is said to take seven lives every hundred years.
Director: Emilio Miraglia | Stars: Barbara Bouchet, Ugo Pagliai, Marina Malfatti, Marino Masé
Votes: 3,221
Savage kills in this great giallo. Has elements of fantastic.
19. Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
Unrated | 92 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A woman, a survivor of a failed murder attempt by the so-called "Half-Moon Killer", and her husband try to find a connection between herself, six other women, and the killer.
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: Antonio Sabato, Uschi Glas, Pier Paolo Capponi, Rossella Falk
Votes: 2,692
A rather good Lenzi giallo
20. They're Coming to Get You! (1972)
R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller
A woman recovering from a car accident in which she lost her unborn child finds herself pursued by a coven of devil worshipers.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov, Julián Ugarte
Votes: 4,608
Good giallo has nightmares a-plenty in stock for Fenech. Nice "shades of darkness".
21. Eye in the Labyrinth (1972)
95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A woman searches for her missing lover, a psychiatrist who has suddenly vanished for no apparent reason. She ends up at a villa populated by a group of eccentric individuals. A string of murders commences immediately.
Director: Mario Caiano | Stars: Rosemary Dexter, Adolfo Celi, Horst Frank, Sybil Danning
Votes: 1,072
Very efficient final twist in Mario Caino's best flick. Horst Frank is fascinating.
22. Amuck! (1972)
R | 98 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
The secretary of a writer and his wife investigates the disappearance of her lover - their previous secretary - and finds herself the target of the couple's erotic desires and a murder plot.
Director: Silvio Amadio | Stars: Farley Granger, Barbara Bouchet, Rosalba Neri, Umberto Raho
Votes: 1,334
A very erotic giallo featuring Rosalba Neri & "la" Bouchet. A bit slow-paced but enjoyable flick.
23. Smile Before Death (1972)
Not Rated | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
After the death of her mother, which was ruled as suicide, a teenage girl comes back home to find her mother's husband, and a female photographer, occupying the house. But nothing is as it seems.
Director: Silvio Amadio | Stars: Jenny Tamburi, Silvano Tranquilli, Rosalba Neri, Hiram Keller
Votes: 758
Jenny Tamburi is amazing, the story is not. You can't really believe in the lesbian relationships in this one.
24. The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Having recently escaped the clutches of a hippie sex cult, a beautiful model is pursued by a serial killer whose previous victims include former occupants of her new apartment.
Director: Giuliano Carnimeo | Stars: Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Paola Quattrini, Giampiero Albertini
Votes: 3,310
Conventional giallo with lots of red herrings. Rather bad.
25. Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A series of murders are committed near the estate of a degenerate author and his mistreated wife.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli, Ivan Rassimov
Votes: 4,693
Not very entertaining giallo.
26. What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)
R | 107 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A teacher who is having an affair with one of his students is reluctant to present an alibi when his lover witnesses the first in a series of murders connected to their school.
Director: Massimo Dallamano | Stars: Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Cristina Galbó, Joachim Fuchsberger
Votes: 5,926
This one I really disliked. Far too realistic for a giallo. Way too slow as well, with a sub-par score by Morricone.
27. Love and Death in the Garden of the Gods (1972)
90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
An old professor rents a mysterious old villa, and finds a tape recorded by a previous occupant, detailing her debauched lifestyle and the events leading to her murder.
Director: Sauro Scavolini | Stars: Erika Blanc, Peter Lee Lawrence, Ezio Marano, Rosario Borelli
Votes: 438
Clumsy story with an interesting last 30 minutes. For the beauty of the streets of Gubbio, Umbria.
28. Torso (1973)
R | 92 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A string of appalling lust murders shocks the University of Perugia as a sadistic serial killer strangles to death beautiful college girls with a red and black scarf.
Director: Sergio Martino | Stars: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson
Votes: 7,828 | Gross: $0.74M
More slasher than giallo. Highlight: a hot pursuit in a muddy and foggy forrest
29. Autopsy (1975)
R | 100 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young pathology doctor interning in a morgue tries to cope with a wave of suicides. A woman she just met kills herself, but she suspects someone close to her might have killed her.
Director: Armando Crispino | Stars: Mimsy Farmer, Barry Primus, Ray Lovelock, Carlo Cataneo
Votes: 1,964
The heat is on... One of the finest gialli. A mystic thriller with a very good lead actress.
30. The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974)
R | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Sylvia, an industrial scientist, is troubled by strange hallucinations related to the tragic suicide of her mother.
Director: Francesco Barilli | Stars: Mimsy Farmer, Maurizio Bonuglia, Mario Scaccia, Jho Jhenkins
Votes: 2,998
Mimsy Farmer brilliantly lit! The movie is interesting to its very end.
31. Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974)
R | 89 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
An ex-convict, troubled by dreams that he strangles women, is hired as the caretaker on an estate owned by three very strange sisters. Soon after his arrival, a serial killer begins ... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Aured | Stars: Paul Naschy, Diana Lorys, Eduardo Calvo, Eva León
Votes: 1,187
Paul Naschy in a good Spanish giallo. Good actresses and a fine plot.
32. The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (1974)
Not Rated | 104 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Patrick Davenant invites a group of friends and his daughter to his family-owned theater. Within a short time, the guests realize that they are trapped. A masked killer begins to murder them one by one.
Director: Giuseppe Bennati | Stars: Rosanna Schiaffino, Chris Avram, Eva Czemerys, Lucretia Love
Votes: 1,028
Good story and wonderful setting. Bad score...
33. Puzzle (1974)
92 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
An amnesiac man and his estranged wife restart their romance, only to find themselves hounded by unscrupulous figures from his past life.
Director: Duccio Tessari | Stars: Senta Berger, Luc Merenda, Umberto Orsini, Anita Strindberg
Votes: 1,199
Rather dull movie. Tessari and Merenda not at their best
34. Deep Red (1975)
R | 127 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril
Votes: 42,669
Best giallo ever. 'Nuff said.
35. Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)
Not Rated | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When a model dies during an abortion, a series of murders begins, starting with her doctor. The killer wears a suit and a black motorcycle helmet. Will anyone discover the killer's identity before the entire agency dies?
Director: Andrea Bianchi | Stars: Edwige Fenech, Nino Castelnuovo, Femi Benussi, Solvi Stubing
Votes: 3,110
Blood, violence and sex, all gratuitous and pointless. Well, ok, Femi Benussi...
36. The Psychic (1977)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A clairvoyant woman discovers a skeleton in a wall in her husband's house, and seeks to find the truth about what happened to the victim.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Gabriele Ferzetti, Marc Porel, Gianni Garko
Votes: 6,412
English title sucks, French title sells the story, original title refers to the very close of the film. A very good movie by Fulci.
37. The Bloodstained Shadow (1978)
Not Rated | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The body of a schoolgirl is found in a meadow. The murderer is never caught, and years later, a young man named Stefano returns to the island and is reunited with his brother, the local priest.
Director: Antonio Bido | Stars: Lino Capolicchio, Stefania Casini, Craig Hill, Massimo Serato
Votes: 1,963
Good end of era giallo. Lots of bizarre characters in this Venice-based movie.
38. Tenebrae (1982)
R | 101 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An American novelist visiting Rome to promote his latest book is stalked and harassed by an obsessed fan who is committing a string of murders that appear to be tributes to his work.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Anthony Franciosa, Giuliano Gemma, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi
Votes: 27,447
It's all white, very white, and black, very black, with a lot of... blood on the wall. As is customary with Dario Argento, a film about colors. It's beautifully made. Great music by Goblins.
39. Opera (1987)
R | 107 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi
Votes: 19,504
Beautifully shot. Only weak point is the bad lead actress Cristina Marsillach
40. Amer (2009)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
As a young girl Ana was a rebellious child. She was also tormented by images of death and a shadowy, ominous figure in black. Now an adult, she is once again tormented by shadowy, other-worldly forms.
Directors: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani | Stars: Cassandra Forêt, Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, Marie Bos, Biancamaria D'Amato
Votes: 6,583
3 hommage gialli in one. Cattet & Forzani's tribute to 70s gialli is a beauty.Confusing at times, a bit too arty, it remains a visual pleasure.
41. The Sweet Body of Deborah (1968)
R | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A sexy newlywed couple visits the husband's hometown in Geneva, where they are subjected to threats stemming from the death of his former fiancée.
Director: Romolo Guerrieri | Stars: Carroll Baker, Jean Sorel, Ida Galli, Luigi Pistilli
Votes: 957
Uninteresting. Jean Sorel and Carroll Baker are both beautiful and so are the sets, but that's about it.
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