With James Wan's giallo film, Malignant, and Luca Guadagnino's remake of Dario Argento's classic, Suspiria, modern horror fans have been discussing the history of Italian horror much more prominently in recent years.
While many fans have different definitions of "giallo", and consist of some of the most ionate horror fans within the genre, there is no doubt of its influence on horror on a broader spectrum. In fact, giallo films have been connected to everything from John Carpenter's seminal classic, Friday the 13th franchise, and so on. However, giallo goes beyond just the inspiration of more modern horror tropes and specific sub-genres; giallo is, in many ways, like art itself - it is nuanced and varied, and has deep roots in Italian film history.
Giallo is also notable because of its thematic roots, which extend into the perverse, macabre, and erotic similar to what noir did in the days of black and white cinema. While Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and Lucio Fulci are the most well-known directors who have dipped into this style, there's lots of giallo to love, and for very good reason.
Giallo Movies Explained: The History Of Italian Horror
First and foremost, the term "giallo" literally stems from the Italian word meaning "yellow". The reason why this was the term given to the films was because of thriller novels which were distributed in the 1950s and marked by their yellow pages. These pulpy mystery and crime novels became the backbone for the films in the 1960s, which took notes from filmmakers like Norman Bates in 1960's Psycho. Gialli (the plural for giallo) provide commentary on numerous issues related to 1960s counterculture, mental illness, sexual identity, and mix all of this with brutal crimes that often share a fetish or sexual element where black-gloved killers stalk and murder women like in the gritty pages of crime thrillers.
Fetish and sexuality are pervasive in giallo films, but this came from a time when so much of that was emerging to prominence. The sociopolitical movements of the 1960s are well known for being a more relaxed time to explore one's identity and, with that freedom, came certain challenges and dangers. However, as horror has always held fast to a backbone that is bolstered by social movements, politics, and history, giallo blended in perfectly. Stylistically, giallo films are marked by bright colors, neon, contrasts, close-up shots, bloody violence, and reflect 1970s opulence and excess in a gaudy, persistent way that works with making each film, from Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964) to Argento's Deep Red (1975) feel like a pulp novel come to life.
It's uncertain as to giallo's future in modern horror, as Suspiria doesn't fit the bill for the style completely by some s. However, the artistic merits of giallo films are ever-present in a genre that is hallmarked by new, visionary directors like James Wan, Jordan Peele, and even Leigh Whannell who bring rich storytelling and unique cinematic style to their movies.