Hello, welcome to Giallo.us and thanks for visiting. Giallo.us was conceived and designed to be a sanctuary for all things Gialli. A home away from home, if you will. A place where we can hold this art form in our leather-gloved hands and wring the life out of it in all of our obsessive fanatical fervor. From bios on masters of film and music to reviews on those films and their scores to current news on anything relating to this intriguing genre and it’s culture.
Giallo is the term used to describe a sub-genre of Italian film whose subject matter include crime thrillers and murder mysteries. Giallo comes from the pulp printing of crime novels during the turn of the last century. Italian publishers such as Mondadori would publish Italian translations of popular crime novels with yellow covers. Giallo, meaning yellow in Italian, became synonymous with the crime thriller sub-genre and later became the term to describe a sub-genre of film with similar subject matter.
Technically, the term Giallo references a fairly specific style of Italian murder mystery, but has also been used to refer to Italian horror movies more broadly. These films astound and shock audiences with their vibrant cinematography and graphic subject matter, while their musical scores entrance and provoke emotion. Legendary artists and directors such as Mario Bava, Fabio Frizzi, Ennio Morricone, Dario Argento and the band Goblin have cemented this art form in works like Black Sabbath, Suspiria and The Beyond. And the term Giallo has since been ingrained into the worldwide lexicon of film.
Giallo.us is an extension of my admiration and adoration of Italian horror movies. I grew up watching these films and listening to their music. Their production value was low to non-existent and their subject matter was gritty and surreal. They were unflinchingly sexual and shockingly cerebral. And I loved every minute of it. As I grew up and through my adult life, I never lost my affection for this colorful genre. I’ve studied these films, their music and the people who made them on a personal level, as well as in professional and academic settings. They are always entertaining and I seek them out whenever I can.
The hope with this site is to not just create a repository for all things Gialli, but hopefully to create a community and discussion about a genre I have enjoyed so much. And maybe in the process pass on a little enjoyment to you, the visitors of this site.
Please feel free to enjoy the website and thank you for visiting!
