Of all the subgenres of exploitation and grindhouse, the Giallo is by far one of my favorites. The term translated means “yellow” and is derived from a popular series of pulp novels released in Italy that were noted for their yellow covers. Giallo films were first introduced to the screen in the early 60s and had their biggest run in the 70s, however they are still being produced, with Peter Strickland’s Berbarian Sound Studio being the latest and most notable example. For our first entry into Giallo, we’ll be discussing Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace from 1964, which is largely credited for spearheading the genre.
Although Dario Argento’s Deep Red is still my personal favorite, Blood and Black Lace is a perfect example of how to effectively film a murder mystery. Everything from the methodical camera shots, to the incredible lighting and vibrant use of color is spot on, and makes for a fantastic looking film.
The film begins as a fairly typical murder mystery, with a young model being killed on her way to the posh fashion house where she works. Instead of having the film play out as a procedural however, Bava opted to focus more on the stalking and brutal killing of the victims. This style falls in line with the modern day slasher, which is why the film is also credited with being influential in starting that movement. More time is spent with the mysterious no-faced killer than the police investigating the murders, which provides more tension and suspense.
Watching this film today, it feels like it was something way ahead of its time. The violence was much more graphic than most films of the early 60s, and the visual style and structure foreshadowed what we would see throughout the 70s and beyond. Because Bava had several hits under his belt by this point, with Black Sunday being the most successful, he was given creative control over the film, which allowed him to make it exactly how we wanted. While critics didn’t seem to respond well, and it flopped, only making back half of its budget, it seems like it was just something people weren’t ready for.
The only other issue is that the film was originally shot with English dialogue in order to cater to the US audience, however after shooting wrapped, they instead redubbed it into Italian, which became the only release. Although the dubbing is not horrible, many of the voices are the same, with Paul Frees doing nearly all of the male dialogue.
These few things detract from the film in only the slightest of ways, and simply make Blood and Black Lace a little less perfect. The ideas and styles introduced in this movie would go on to not only define the Giallo genre, but essentially create the slasher film as we know it. For that alone, this is an absolute must-see.
