Movies
Five Giallo Movies to Watch to Get a Crash Course in the Subgenre
What I’d like to share with you here is a quick, five-film crash course in getting to know the ins and outs of the giallo genre. Astound your friends and amaze your peers with your in-depth knowledge once you’ve completed this simple course from the comfort of your own couch!
It’s giallo month here at Horror Press. If you saw that and asked yourself, “What the hell is giallo anyway?” then this is the article for you. In brief, giallo is a subgenre of Italian horror that had its heyday from the late 1960s through the late 1970s and is named after the yellow covers (“giallo” is Italian for “yellow”) of a series of popular pulp crime novels. Giallo movies (referred to in the plural as gialli) are typically murder mysteries that blend whodunits with a proto-slasher vibe, usually following professional or amateur detectives on the trail of a murderer (who is almost invariably wearing black gloves) who stalks and kills an interconnected group of victims (who are almost always beautiful women).
What I’d like to share with you here is a quick, five-film crash course in getting to know the ins and outs of the giallo genre. Astound your friends and amaze your peers with your in-depth knowledge once you’ve completed this simple course from the comfort of your own couch!
A tip: Go ahead and watch these movies in English. You won’t be breaking any cinema snob rules. Italian movies in the 1960s and 1970s were largely co-productions with other nations and featured actors on set speaking whatever language they were most comfortable with, with the intention that every character would later be dubbed into whatever language the audience spoke. So if you speak English, good news! The director intended for you to watch the movie in English. Do you speak Italian? Go ahead and throw on that Italian track and bask in your authenticity. But it’s absolutely unnecessary to seek out subtitled versions of any of these movies, several of which feature English-speaking actors in major roles.
Five Giallo Movies to Watch
Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Mario Bava set the template for the 1970s giallo film with his 1963 movie The Girl Who Knew Too Much. He was very obliging apparently, because after that he set the template for the 1980s teenage slasher film with an extended sequence in his 1971 movie A Bay of Blood. However, as good as those movies are, the Bava movie you need to watch to understand what the giallo was doing in its early years is Blood and Black Lace.
The movie follows a masked killer stalking the models working at a fashion house in Rome to keep a dangerous secret hidden. At least, it’s about that on paper. Frankly, the whodunit doesn’t really make all that much sense. But it doesn’t matter, because the movie is most concerned with presenting the viewer with gorgeous, stylish, color-drenched frames as the murders occur, and at this it succeeds beautifully. Style has not only trumped substance, it has devoured it whole. This approach would come to dominate the giallo genre, for better or worse, but mostly for better.
Deep Red (1975)
You can’t just jump into talking about giallo movies without a Dario Argento title in your quiver. While his debut film, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage would also give you a great idea of what Argento was all about before he started dabbling in more supernatural fare like Suspiria, Deep Red is the quintessence of the director’s signature filmmaking style.
This features so many Argento hallmarks it’s difficult to keep track, including a memorable score by the band Goblin, the protagonist digging into every detail of an important memory to attempt to solve a murder, and oodles of style, style, style. Does it make sense that a porcelain doll has just skittered into the frame? Of course not! But were you freaked out by it? Exactly.
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
For one thing, this movie is important because it features a trifecta of giallo stalwarts in director Sergio Martino (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, All the Colors of the Dark, Torso) and stars Anita Strindberg (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Murder Syndrome, The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail) and Edwige Fenech (Five Dolls for an August Moon, The Case of the Bloody Iris, Strip Nude for Your Killer).
For another, it’s an exploration into how giallo can quite easily tip into softcore without sacrificing the genre’s effervescent murder mystery twists and turns. An adaptation of Poe’s “The Black Cat” with a heaping dollop of lesbian erotica on top, Your Vice is a thrilling, jangling, feast for the senses.
Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972)
You also can’t make an essential giallo list without bumping up against Lucio Fulci. While the director is probably best known for his supernatural gore-fests like The Beyond and Zombie, he made quite a few contributions to the giallo genre, usually tawdrier fare like The New York Ripper and Murder-Rock: Dancing Death. While Don’t Torture a Duckling is one of his classier titles, it’s nevertheless got a no-holds-barred approach to its storytelling that is darker and more brutal than quite a few other 1970s gialli.
Viewing the genre through the lens of such a distinctive filmmaker – who generally has such a gleeful disdain for the notion of “good taste” – is an important way to glimpse the wider breadth of the genre. The gialli were never here to class up the joint, but sometimes when you’re watching a Bava or Argento movie, you can be forgiven for mistakenly thinking so.
StageFright: Aquarius (1987)
StageFright: Aquarius comes from director Michele Soavi, who came to prominence too late to direct many proper gialli, though he was an assistant director on several Argento movies and made appearances in early ’80s Italian offerings including Argento’s Tenebrae (also excellent), A Blade in the Dark, and the aforementioned The New York Ripper. However, that’s the thing that makes StageFright special. It’s a movie that’s deeply in conversation with the American slasher boom of the 1980s (which had pretty much crowded out the by-then venerable giallo genre), yet doesn’t sacrifice any of its innate Italian-ness.
Following an owl-masked killer murdering the cast members of a theater production, it’s a terrific, weird, compelling movie that blends top-shelf gore with eye-rattling imagery that is sometimes chaotic and sometimes elegant, but always absolutely gorgeous to behold.
Looks like another July will be spent getting cozy with Shudder in this house. Between all the new (to me) international titles and the conclusion of Hell Motel on July 29th, the app has filled my calendar for the month. Hold my texts, keep your emails in the draft folder, and don’t look for me outside. My TV and I are on a mission, and we’re prioritizing the five titles below. I hope they grab your attention and make it into your Shudder viewings this summer as well. However, I’ll be too busy watching them to know what anyone else is doing, so happy streaming whatever you decide to get into.
While we have you here, you should consider joining us for Bloody Brunches! Every Sunday at 11 AM CST / 12 PM EST, we’ll be livestreaming a new episode of Hell Motel. Who know’s who you’ll see, sometimes Ian Carpenter and crew stop by!
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Lake Placid (1999)
A small group of people try to capture a gigantic crocodile terrorizing the people of Black Lake, Maine. I am not an aquatic horror girl, and I am usually unimpressed with 90s action horror titles. I make a special exception for Lake Placid though. Sure, it stars Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, and Oliver Platt. However, real film buffs know that it’s really the late Betty White who carries this movie. Her foul-mouthed character stood on business and is the reason most of us revisit this title during the summer.
You can watch Lake Placid on July 1st.
Nyi Blorong (1982)
The South Sea Queen’s daughter rises to take a human lover. I have a long history of disliking snakes and movies about snakes. However, I’m leaning into this 1982 film because I deserve a retro Indonesian horror fantasy moment. I am also excited because it stars the late Suzzanna, the queen of Indonesian horror. I only learned about her a few years ago and wanted to spend some time with her work. As usual, Shudder is making it too easy to become a better cinephile.
You can watch Nyi Blorong on July 7th.
The Housemaid (2018)
An orphaned girl is hired as a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina. Once there, she falls in love with the landowner, which sends the ghost of his dead wife into a jealous rage. I was excited to watch this just because it sounds chaotic, and I do not see enough Vietnamese horror for my liking. However, I recently discovered it is also an IFC Midnight title, so now my expectations are through the roof. IFC has been the home of upsetting, weird, and unique horror since 2010. I have a date with Shudder on July 14th, because I want this movie in my eyeballs the second it becomes available.
You can watch The Housemaid on July 14th.
Swallow (2020)
A pregnant housewife is compelled to eat dangerous objects, leading her husband and in-laws to become more controlling. Swallow had the misfortune of debuting during the top of the pandemic, so many people missed it. I found it on accident during Thanksgiving back when Showtime still had its own app. It’s quiet chaos that surprised me in a good way. I have been trying to make everyone I know watch it, and Shudder is making that so much easier this month. I am overdue for a rewatch myself, so I will also be hitting play while it’s available this July.
You can watch Swallow on July 21st.
Monster Island (2024)
A Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war and a British POW are stranded on an island where a mythical creator hunts them. Can they work together now that their very survival depends on it? I was bummed I missed this movie at Overlook Film Fest this year because all my friends loved it. So, obviously, I am thrilled Monster Island (also known as Orang Ikan) is hitting the Shudders streets so soon. I do not know what the other monster movies are doing this July because my heart belongs to this baby.
You can watch Monster Island on July 25th.
So, as usual, I will be hiding in my apartment and trying to make Shudder Saturdays my personality. I’m running at their international titles like it’s my job and revisiting a few movies I never spend enough time with. I hope your Shudder watches spark as much joy for you as I expect mine will this July.
In the 90 years since its release, The Bride of Frankenstein is still the Universal Monsters franchise’s strongest film.
I first watched The Bride of Frankenstein on cable around 15 years ago. Director James Whale’s fable of a misunderstood creature’s quest for a bride really stayed with me after subsequent viewings. Speaking of The Bride, she’s the Universal Monster with the most potential for a gripping and modern reimagining that hasn’t been fully tapped into yet. Universal’s newest theme park Epic Universe, opening back in May, inspired a deeper dive into The Bride of Frankenstein, the titular role and its legacy.
Unveiling The Bride: The Plot and Power of the 1935 Classic
Immediately following 1931’s Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein centers on Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as the sinister Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) urges him to collaborate on creating a mate for The Monster (Boris Karloff). In the meantime, The Monster travels across the countryside, learns to speak, and meets Pretorius. When both scientists complete and unveil The Bride (Elsa Lanchester), she rejects The Monster, motivating him to pull a lever and famously say, “We belong dead.” Pulling the lever ignites an explosion, killing The Monster, The Bride, and Pretorius.
Just as it took two scientists’ minds to create her onscreen, two individuals gave life to The Bride’s characterization and look: Lanchester and makeup master Jack Pierce, who designed nearly all the original Universal Monsters.
The Bride’s Hiss: How Lanchester Stole the Show with Limited Screentime
The Bride not being the film’s main protagonist is ironic since she’s the title character. Making the most of her brief performance, Lanchester’s swan-like mannerisms as The Bride sharply contrast with the humanity Karloff brings out of The Monster. After her dual role as The Bride and author Mary Shelley herself in the film, Lanchester took on more horror film roles like Henrietta Stiles in Willard (1971). It’s not hard to imagine what could’ve been for her career if she reprised her role in The Bride of Frankenstein’s sequels Son of Frankenstein and Ghost of Frankenstein. If a lab explosion couldn’t kill The Monster, wouldn’t it be the same for The Bride?
Besides the white streaks, Lanchester surprisingly didn’t wear a wig to portray The Bride since Pierce shaped her red hair to look the way it does. Pierce’s work on The Bride is just as iconic if not more so than Lanchester’s performance, ensuring the character became inseparable from her intended suitor in pop culture’s eyes. Case in point: There’s so much officially licensed merchandise playing up a romance between the two characters, even though The Bride can’t stand her intended mate. Beyond Lanchester and Pierce, there is one man responsible for how the film itself would come out.
James Whale’s Masterpiece: Directing The Bride of Frankenstein
Whale stitched great set designs, fantastic performances and composer Franz Waxman’s eerie score together to create a masterpiece.
Having Frankenstein, The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man under his belt by the mid-‘30s, it’s clear Whale creatively peaked while working on The Bride of Frankenstein. Although so much about Whale’s talents has been said, there’s a reason why his work on the film stands out across his filmography: He really went wild when directing it. Every character is practically cartoony, the sets are more elaborate and the plot is thematically richer than the original’s. Being an openly gay filmmaker, he cranked up The Bride of Frankenstein’s camp to legendary heights.
The Bride of Frankenstein is the final horror movie Whale directed. The novel Father of Frankenstein and its film adaptation Gods and Monsters, starring actor Ian McKellen as Whale, dramatize his life after directing the film. According to the reference book Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas, he initially didn’t want to direct his horror work’s apex. Just like Henry Frankenstein’s relationship with the monster he created, The Bride of Frankenstein’s production is a case of life imitating art. The Monster’s in-universe infamy further parallels Whale’s Frankenstein duology’s lasting popularity.
How The Bride of Frankenstein Shaped Horror Sequels and Adaptations
The Bride of Frankenstein’s influence can be seen across other horror films and Frankenstein adaptations.
Having “Bride of” in a horror sequel’s title is synonymous with including the main character’s female counterpart, leading to Bride of Re-Animator, Bride of Chucky, etc. The similarities go further than the titles, with The Bride of Frankenstein inspiring the former’s plot and furthering Tiffany’s arc in the latter. The Bride of Frankenstein inevitably shaped Frankenstein’s future adaptations as well.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 1994 closely follows the original novel. Breaking away from the novel’s narrative, its third act pays homage to The Bride of Frankenstein when Victor brings Elizabeth back to life with similarly brief screentime. Mia Goth’s seemingly red hair on the set of Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein may hint at her character similarly becoming The Bride.
The Bride’s Untapped Potential for a Modern Horror Remake
With Warner Bros. releasing its own take on the character with The Bride! in 2026, it makes Universal’s reluctance to make a new remake downright egregious.
The Bride is still the literally redheaded stepchild among the Universal Monsters. When it comes to being neglected by Universal, The Creature From the Black Lagoon is the only character who rivals The Bride, but that’s another story. Universal did plan a remake directed by Bill Condon, who helmed Gods and Monsters, for its aborted Dark Universe film franchise.
The Bride’s Absence in Epic Universe’s Monsters Unchained Ride
Looking at Epic Universe, the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride apparently leaves The Bride out, even though she makes more sense to be in it than The Phantom of the Opera. However, The Bride does make meet-and-greet appearances across Dark Universe’s grounds.
Several ideas can be incredible for when Universal finally releases a remake of The Bride of Frankenstein someday. Based on what I’ve heard about 2023’s Poor Things, it’s exploration of a mad scientist’s creation’s experiences in a restrictive society is closer to what a modern reimagining should be. Having a woman behind the camera can lead to a feminist vision, delving into The Bride questioning her life’s purpose.
Until the day a proper remake debuts, the original 1935 film remains The Bride of Frankenstein’s definitive incarnation.
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