The Top 10 Craziest Giallo Titles of All-Time
The Italian giallo films were widely known for their black-gloved killers, stylized violence, sexual perversion, and loopy psychiatric justifications for murder, but those aren’t the only things that made this once burgeoning horror subgenre (which was at least partially responsible for birthing American slasher cinema) a fan-favorite. No, ask any serious giallo addict why they love these films and they’ll tell you all about the absolutely crazy titles many of the best gialli used. Here are 10 of the most unforgettable titles in the history of the movement.
10. The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears (2013)
While the gialli were a cultural phenomenon primarily during the 1960s and ‘70s, a whole new generation of film fans has discovered the luridly shot thrillers thanks to the magic of DVD and Blu-ray. As such, the form has experienced something of a minor renaissance over the course of the past few years, with filmmakers like Helene Cattet and Bruno Foranzi leading the charge. The duo follows up their stylish 2009 film Amer with the equally trippy (and more imaginatively titled) The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears. An exercise in hyper-style, Cattet and Forzani’s latest isn’t something for giallo neophytes, but adventurous film fans with a taste for the bizarre will find there’s more here than just a fancy title.
- currently ranked 38,173
- ranked 673 times by 30 users
- wins 51% of its matchups
9. Death Laid an Egg (1968)
This 1968 effort from Giulio Questi is every bit as strange as the title. Filled with serial murder, infidelity, and set on a chicken farm (hence the name), Death Laid an Egg is a prime example of why so many genre fans love these crazy Italian thrillers. Featuring performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Gina Lollobrigida, Death Laid an Egg is a giallo that would have been interesting even without the completely bizarre title. If you only see one giallo film set on a chicken farm…well, yeah.
- currently ranked 13,509
- ranked 392 times by 22 users
- wins 52% of its matchups
8. Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye (1973)
This French-Italian co-production from Antonio Margheriti (who is listed by his anglicized pseudonym Anthony M. Dawson in the credits) is really more of a gothic chiller than a straight giallo – but the title alone ensures that it’s often lumped in with all these other vividly conceptualized thrillers when the subject is broached by fans. Almost as interesting as the title (which ties into a cat who witnesses the film’s opening murder and keeps re-appearing throughout the feature) are the strange shots of an ape peering out of the castle windows, a crazy twist ending, and the appearance of husband and wife duo Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. Sadly, the duo doesn’t get a lot of screentime together. Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye might not be a classic giallo film, but Margheriti fans are sure to find things to enjoy here anyway.
- currently ranked 10,321
- ranked 297 times by 41 users
- wins 40% of its matchups
7. Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971)
This 1971 giallo was the directorial debut of filmmaker Aldo Lado, and is an intriguing high concept piece about a reporter who’s taken to the morgue and presumed dead. The catch is that Jean Sorel’s character isn’t actually dead – and he must not only try to convince morgue attendants he’s alive, but also solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his girlfriend. Short Night of Glass Dolls may lack in the inventive death set-pieces giallo cinema is infamous for, but it makes up for that shortcoming with an impressive story and a classically bizarre title. Don’t let the strange name keep you from checking this one out.
- currently ranked 7,890
- ranked 1,081 times by 41 users
- wins 52% of its matchups
6. The House with Laughing Windows (1976)
Pupi Avati directed and co-wrote this 1976 Spanish feature wherein Lino Cappolichio plays an artist who finds himself embroiled in a small town murder mystery when he’s commissioned to restore a fresco that presumably shows the martyring of Saint Sebastian. As the plot unravels, Cappolichio’s character learns that everything is not as it seems in the small village, and that a murderer may be killing off people around him to keep a deadly secret.
The House with Laughing Windows is not as fetishistically stylized as many of its more famous genre-mates, but Avati’s film is a pitch-perfect exercise in escalating dread that pays off in spades in the final act.
- currently ranked 7,879
- ranked 1492 times by 48 users
- wins 54% of its matchups
5. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
Sergio Martino made a lot of great films during the course of his career, but this 1972 giallo starring the delectable Edwige Fenech stands out amongst the filmmakers’ finest efforts. Based loosely on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat, Your Vice is a sleazy updating of the source material that sets itself apart not only because it has an absolutely awesome title, but also thanks to a screenplay from Ernesto Gastaldi that really pushes the envelope while still telling a compelling tale. Luigi Pistilli proves he was more than just a character actor in the film’s lead role, but it’s giallo queen Fenech who really steals the show. The actress bobs her hair, ditches her traditional victim role, and generally stirs the pot in every scene she’s in and the film is better for it. Essential viewing for giallo fans and newcomers alike.
- currently ranked 7,127
- ranked 963 times by 58 users
- wins 54% of its matchups
4. Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)
Strip Nude for Your Killer isn’t a particularly deep film, but it benefits from a playful sense of direction from Andrea Bianchi and the lovely female triumvirate of Fenech, Femi Benussi, and Erna Schurer, who make great victims and aren’t shy about showing some skin. Like the typical giallo, you’ll think everyone and anyone is the killer at some point, only to have the real murderer revealed at the end from way out in left field. That’s part of the beauty of these films, though—the killers always have the most insane reasons for doing what they do. Hearing them revealed is half the fun. This one is a doozy even by giallo standards.
- currently ranked 6,777
- ranked 1287 times by 55 users
- wins 51% of its matchups
3. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
It was only a matter of time before filmmaker Dario Argento showed up on the list. Argento, along with Mario Bava, played an integral role in making the gialli popular. The director’s first three films (commonly referred to as “The Animal Trilogy”) each featured bizarre titles, but 1971’s Four Flies on Grey Velvet is the weirdest (and arguably least appreciated) of the trio. This clever whodunit oozes style and serves as an interesting test run for Argento in the years before he made his first masterpiece, 1975’s Deep Red. While Four Flies never hits the arias of that later film, it serves as a wonderful calling card for what Argento was capable of as he transitioned from his first features into the prime of his career.
- currently ranked 4,232
- ranked 2,435 times by 104 users
- wins 53% of its matchups
2. A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971)
Godfather of Gore Lucio Fulci is best remembered for his splattery films like The Beyond, but the director was a master of multiple styles during his career – making everything from westerns to zombie films to erotic comedies. Some of his best work was done in the giallo field, where he could showcase that there was more to his artistry than just slinging around copious amounts of karo syrup. 1971’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin stands as one of Fulci’s finest hours, a film that unfortunately often takes a backseat to the director’s more gory features. Florinda Bolkan headlines this trippy exercise, which finds her suffering disturbing dreams that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Naturally, there’s a murder mystery in there too.
- currently ranked 3,809
- ranked 2,233 times by 107 users
- wins 53% of its matchups
1. Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972)
While the title might have you ready to call PETA, rest assured that no ducks are actually tortured in this classic 1972 giallo from filmmaker Lucio Fulci. Instead, viewers are treated to a taut thriller that offers up some scathing social commentary about rural Italy and the Catholic Church (well, scathing for its time…) as opposed to the standard Fulci gore. Tomas Milian headlines a fine ensemble cast, playing a reporter hot on the trail of a madman murdering small boys in an Italian village. Red herrings abound amongst the expansive group of locals — and cracking the case will take everything Milian has — but the effort is worth it as this is easily one of Fulci’s most complex and nuanced productions. The film’s original title was Don’t Torture Donald Duck, but it’s easy to imagine that being changed so as not to earn the wrath of Disney.
- currently ranked 3,606
- ranked 2,825 times by 143 users
- wins 59% of its matchups
- 3 people have it in their top 20
What’s your favorite crazy giallo title? Hit the comment section and let us know.
