Welcome to The Giallo Score!

GialloScore.com is an experiment in ranking those wonderfully trashy Italian murder mysteries that took world of exploitation cinema by storm in the 1970s. For a detailed description of why this site exists and what it hopes to accomplish check out the About and Criteria sections.

For those who prefer to listen rather than read, check out my first appearance on Giallo Ciao! Ciao! which talks about the history of the site and the ideas behind its inception.



News

2022-05-20
New point opportunities have been added to the critera section.

  • Spanish Director
  • Pre-Classic Period
  • Cheating
  • City Map
  • Gaslighting
  • Hippies Dancing
  • Roof Top
Head over to the Criteria Section for details.
2022-02-12
And we're back! After an extended hiatus, The Giallo Score has returned with a cleaned up design and some fresh new reviews to celebrate with. There's lots more to come but for now head over to the Scores page to see whats new!


Latest Scores

A Hyena in a Safe
1968
2022-05-20
A Hyena in a Safe

This early genre entry, part crime thriller, part chamber film, and barely a Giallo, packs a surprising amount of entertainment and technical flair.


score analysis

Giallo Score

50


Deadly Inheritance
1968
2022-05-03
Deadly Inheritance

One-and-done Giallo director Vittorio Sindoni’s contribution to the genre is an interesting whodunnit with a fun cast and satisfying plot twists.


score analysis

Giallo Score

60


Date for a Murder
1967
2022-01-19
Date for a Murder

More spy film than Giallo, this late 1960’s genre entry will throw you off if you’re not paying attention, but rewards those who embrace a broader definition of what a Giallo film is.


score analysis

Giallo Score

66


The Possessed
1965
2022-01-06
The Possessed

This sophisticated and exquisite looking Giallo borrows from Bava, Antonioni, and the French New Wave resulting in an experience that’s unlike any other film in the genre.


score analysis

Giallo Score

73


The Embalmer
1965
2022-01-04
The Embalmer

Light on logic but heavy on fun, this gothic horror and kirmi inspired proto-Giallo offers up a decent mystery and some spooky atmosphere in Venice after dark.


score analysis

Giallo Score

54


Highest Scores

Deep Red
1975
2014-01-14
Deep Red

The ruler of the Giallo Score. Considered by most to be Argento’s crowning achievement and the greatest Giallo ever made, Deep Red is the final stop at the end of the genre’s classic period.


score analysis

Giallo Score

97


Four Flies on Grey Velvet
1971
2012-09-13
Four Flies on Grey Velvet

Argento’s (once elusive) third Giallo effectively represents the genre as a whole in a single film. Four Flies offers the greatest Giallo director at the peak of the genre’s popularity.


score analysis

Giallo Score

94


What Have You Done To Solange?
1972
2012-08-13
What Have You Done To Solange?

This is Massimo Dallamano's career defining work and a classic Giallo. New comers to the genre who are ready to branch out from Argento would do well starting here.


score analysis

Giallo Score

93


Who Saw Her Die
1972
2013-03-22
Who Saw Her Die

Aldo Lado directs a somber but well-paced and well-acted Giallo with a haunting score by Ennio Morricone.


score analysis

Giallo Score

93


Don't Torture a Duckling
1972
2012-09-13
Don't Torture a Duckling

This is Fucli's Giallo masterpiece and possibly the best film of his career. All the Giallo elements are present and yet this film looks and feels like no other in the genre. This film should be a staple in the library of any serious fan of the genre.


score analysis

Giallo Score

92