The sound of Giallo is the pulsating heart of the genre. The music of Giallo is as defining as the cinematography or the subject matter itself. An integral part of Giallo cinema. It was the Giallo cinema of the 1970’s that would spawn the electronic synth sound that would become synonymous with 80’s pop horror. Profondo Rosso aka Deep Red scored by The Goblins with Dario Argento would be the the initial synth spark that would inspire other filmmakers like John Carpenter and George A. Romero to adopt this progressive synth sound in their American releases. The Goblins were said to be inspired by by early synth acts such as Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. In fact it was Keith Emerson who would send The Goblins their first modular synth. Emerson would later go on to score movies as well, including an Argento entry Inferno.

Until Profondo Rosso most Giallo cinema from maestros like Mario Bava and even earlier Argento films had a decidedly jazzy sound to them. Harkening back to the noir movement of the 40’s and 50’s on which much of Giallo aesthetics is based on. Maestros such as Ennio Morricone, Carlo Rustichelli, Carlo Savina, Riz Ortolani and more would contribute to the early sounds of Giallo cinema.

But it would ultimately be the progressive synth sounds of the 70’s and 80’s that would become one of the genres’ most enduring elements. Composers such as Pino Donaggio, Fabio Frizzi, Claudio Simonetti, and Stelvio Cipriani would envelope the genre in a progressive soundscape that is informs cinema and popular culture to this day.

And to that end this section of the site is dedicated to the blissfully bizarre soundscapes of this wonderful niche of cinema. ~ Cheers