Editorials
Stylish Murder: Six Modern Giallo Films Worth Your Time
Every culture puts its own unique spin on horror tropes, with people from different times and places being frightened by different things. One of the most fascinating examples of this occurred during the 60s-70s in Italy, with a group of genre filmmakers collectively deciding that, to them, horror meant gory whodunnits with surreal visuals and blood that looked more like paint than corn syrup.
And while that initial Giallo movement has long since faded into obscurity (with modern audiences being less receptive to obvious dubbing and cheesy practical effects), there are still some intrepid filmmakers out there who are attempting to keep the spirit of the genre alive with neo-Giallo productions meant to remind us that horror movies don’t always have to be realistic. And in honor of these stylishly retro features, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six modern-day Giallo flicks for your viewing pleasure.
After all, there’s nothing quite like watching stylish murder to the tune of Italian progressive rock!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own neo-Giallo favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Last Matinee (2020)
From a mysterious killer wearing black gloves to a deliciously meta location brought to life through colorful lighting, Maximiliano Contenti’s The Last Matinee boasts all the classic Giallo tropes that we’ve come to know and love. However, this Latin-American co-production is a lot more than a simple re-hash of its inspirations, with the film also serving as a heartfelt salute to the traditional moviegoing experience itself.
After all, the majority of the flick takes place inside an aging movie theater as a vicious murderer takes advantage of the distractions on the big screen in order to dispatch his victims in increasingly absurd ways – always making sure to collect their eyeballs in a clever nod to the importance of visual storytelling.
5. The Old Man in the Rocking Chair (2022)
We don’t usually include short films on these lists due to their limited availability (I mean, what’s the point of recommending a movie if it’s only available on the festival circuit?), but Eric Yoder’s The Old Man in the Rocking Chair is currently streaming for free on YouTube – and it also happens to be one of the most entertaining flicks on this list.
A retro love-letter to the great Giallo features of yore, this short combines all the classic genre staples (from neon red blood to POV murders) with an absurd original story that would have been right at home on 1970s cinema screens. The short also repurposes music from artists like Goblin and even Ennio Morricone, making it a must-watch for cinephiles!
4. Piercing (2018)
Nicolas Pesce’s disturbing indie thriller Piercing may have been based on a novel by Japanese author Ryū Murakami, but it’s no secret that this criminally underseen film takes most of its tonal and aesthetic inspirations from the heyday of Italian horror cinema.
Starring Christopher Abbott as a deeply troubled father who decides to take out his homicidal urges on a prostitute (played by Mia Wasikowska) in order to protect his own family, Piercing relies less on gore and more on the inherent psychological tension of its cat-and-mouse premise (not to mention the dreamlike atmosphere) in order to entertain viewers.
And did I mention that the flick also includes Goblin on the soundtrack?
3. Knife+Heart (2018)
Telling a surprisingly poignant story about a 1970s gay porn producer who discovers that her crew is being stalked by a vengeful masked killer, Yann Gonzalez’s Knife+Heart features a perfect blend of retro exploitation and modern genre sensibilities.
While it’s a bit less surreal (and a lot sleazier) than most legitimate Giallo productions, Gonzalez’s film stands out by making the story surrounding the over-the-top murders nearly as interesting as the genre elements – especially when you consider that Vanessa Paradis’ main character is based on the real-life adult filmmaker Anne-Marie Tensi.
2. The Editor (2014)
Adam Brooks’ and Mathew Kennedy’s retro horror-comedy The Editor shouldn’t be your first Giallo experience, but it’s still one hell of an entertaining ride through the dark side of filmmaking – as well as a passionate love-letter to Italian genre cinema. A low-budget period piece, the film tells the tongue-in-cheek story of a troubled film editor who finds himself caught up in a bizarre murder investigation while attempting to finish post-production on his latest project.
Combining retro visuals with hilarious in-jokes and even a few creative attempts at cosmic horror, The Editor is certainly not for everyone, but it’ll definitely appeal to Giallo fans looking for something a little less serious.
1. Malignant (2022)
I’ve been scoffed at for admitting that Malignant is my favorite James Wan movie, but I can’t help but respect a filmmaker that decides to direct a big budget version of a Frank Henenlotter production immediately after breaking $1 billion at the box office with Aquaman. That being said, while Malignant clearly lifted several of its ideas from ’90s schlock, it’s pretty clear that Wan was aiming towards Giallo when the time came to develop the overall mood and tone of this oddball horror flick.
Not only does Malignant capture the surrealist flair of a classic Giallo feature (and that’s not even mentioning the over-the-top gore and sci-fi elements), but the film does so without retreading the same ground as masters like Argento and Bava – which is why I believe it earns its place at the top of the list.
The problem with filming sequels back-to-back is that, unless you can afford expensive reshoots, there’s no easy way to adjust course in between movies if fans react badly to where the story is headed. That’s why it’s important to have a complete narrative thought out well in advance lest you accidentally kill a budding franchise.
However, this isn’t always the case. Every once in a while, it seems like the cinema gods smile upon certain chaotic productions and gift moviegoers with complete franchises that feel like more than the sum of their hastily produced parts. Ted Nicolaou’s Bloodlust: Subspecies III is precisely one of these miraculous pictures, with the raw talents of the artists involved (as well as the continued support from Romania) turning the feature into an effective conclusion for a series that kind of made things up as the filmmakers went along.
That’s why I’d like to invite my fellow readers to join me on this third part of our journey through the Subspecies franchise as we look into Bloodlust and talk about how it remains a surprisingly satisfying finale to the original trilogy.
A Trilogy Planned on the Fly
Released only a year after Bloodstone found plenty of success in rental stores and mail-in VHS catalogues worldwide, 1994’s Bloodlust was produced at the same time as its predecessor in (mostly) the same locations and with the same team. This means that the movie benefited from all the same upgrades as Bloodstone, with the crew now being more experienced with the ins and outs of surviving a low-budget Romanian production and the cast really settling into their characters.
At this point, everything from location scouting to the makeup process had been streamlined, with Wayne Toth and Norman Cabrera, the main duo behind special effects, even switching out time-consuming prosthetics for latex gloves in order to speed up Anders Hove’s monstrous transformation. The titular “subspecies” demons were also once again relegated to a mere cameo appearance due to the laborious puppetry required to bring them to life.
The only real hiccup came from the fact that actress Denice Duff had replaced the first film’s Michelle (Laura Mae Tate) and was immediately expected to portray the character as both an innocent victim in part II and as a secondary villain in part III. According to behind-the-scenes interviews, the hectic production schedule that blended two different movies meant that Duff would often find herself having to alternate between two incredibly different versions of Michelle during the same shooting day – though it’s obvious that she’s having more fun with Bloodlust’s more traditionally vampiric version of her character.
In the finished film, we pick things up immediately where the previous entry left off as Rebecca (Melanie Shatner) is forced to leave her vampire sister Michelle (Duff) behind in the dungeons of Castle Vladislav due to the rising sun. This allows Mummy (Pamela Gordon) to use Michelle’s blood to revive the vicious Radu (Hove) so that he may continue his quest for the coveted Bloodstone – a magical artifact that perpetually drips the Blood of Saints.
Meanwhile, the dreamy US embassy agent Mel (Kevin Blair) agrees to help Rebecca plan a rescue mission, though they’re unaware that Radu has become infatuated with Michelle during his attempts to guide her growing bloodlust. This all culminates in a climactic confrontation meant to tie up all of the series’ loose ends in one of Full Moon Pictures’ most ambitious productions.
The Evolution of Radu
Like its predecessor, Bloodlust: Subspecies III was also warmly received by fans who argued that the series was an even bigger success than Full Moon’s other major horror franchise, Puppet Master. This praise wasn’t unanimous, however, as 1994 had seen the rise of a more modern breed of sexy vampire popularized by Anne Rice, with old-school Nosferatu like Radu being viewed as obsolete when compared to the likes of Lestat and Gary Oldman’s take on Dracula.
In a way, one might argue that Nicolaou’s film is something of a swan song for the classic vampire story, as Bloodlust combines all of the traditional elements we tend to associate with these tales into a single tragic yarn that ties a neat little bow on Radu’s story as well as the old-fashioned monster movies that he represents. The finale remains shocking despite the fact that this is the third time we see Radu get brutally killed onscreen, with the brief tease that he may one day return feeling more like a nod towards the nature of evil rather than sequel bait.
The film dabbles a bit in gothic romance and even explores the inherent power fantasy behind transforming into an immortal creature of the night, but the filmmakers never lose sight of Radu as a demonic force even when he’s willing to betray his beloved Mummy for Michelle’s sake. In fact, his twisted “love” for his fledgling makes him even creepier as we get the feeling that his passion comes from a dark and disturbing place.
Anders Hove is at his absolute best in this film, with the effects department boosting his moments of what the younger generation would call “aura farming” whenever Radu emerges from shadows like a 90s version of Count Orlok. There are even a couple of surprisingly effective jump-scares here, which is why I’d argue that Bloodlust cements Radu as one of the most memorable cinematic vampires of all time despite his humble origins.
Subspecies Saves Its Best For Last
Nicolaou and Vlad Panescu also saved the best for “last” (more on that in a bit) regarding the film’s visuals, with the cinematography and overall atmosphere of Bloodlust absolutely surpassing what we saw in the previous films. Everything feels appropriately climactic this time around (including the wonderful soundtrack that was co-composed alongside an authentic Romanian orchestra), and I appreciate how this is the fastest-paced entry in the trilogy since the film doesn’t need to waste time setting anything up.
Bloodlust still suffers from some of the same low-budget blemishes as its predecessors, but there’s so much creative passion here that no amount of wonky effects work or stilted dialogue can get in the way of appreciating the flick’s gothic grandeur. That’s why it’s not surprising that the movie’s definitive(-ish) ending would later be retconned as fans begged for more Radu.
Of course, the next entry in this series would be a different kind of vampiric endeavor altogether, with the filmmakers attempting to engage with the same trends that ultimately killed Radu and his antiquated kin. That, however, is a story for another time. For now, I’ll merely insist that Bloodlust: Subspecies III remains a highlight of Full Moon’s expansive catalogue and is definitely worth seeking out today.
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