Tuesday 16 October 2007

Giallo Generator



I love gialli. They take their name from a style of books published in Italy and printed with predominately yellow covers (Giallo is Italian for yellow). These books were written by mystery writers like Edgar Wallace.

Their filmic counterparts are said to have originated with Mario Bava's "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" (1963). They feature obscured killers, frequently wearing black raincoats or similar garb, wielding razors or other weapons. The villain(s) often call the hero/heroine, giving warnings via the telephone in a disguised voice. Sometimes they whisper threats through a locked door. The heroes/heroines have usually witnessed a murder, but can't quite recall the most important clues until the film's climax. These flicks are stylish, exciting, spooky, and rarely make a lot of narrative sense. An atmosphere of sex and violence is usually implied if not in your face. They also frequently have elaborate and evocative titles like "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage", "Death Walks in High Heels", and "The House With Laughing Windows".

Now you can join Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Luciano Ercoli by playing giallo director. Cut and paste the link below to generate your own giallo:

http://www.braineater.com/misc/giallo.html




No comments: