10 Essential Giallo Movies to Watch on Shudder to Understand True Horror

What is a , and why should you watch one? in detail, but the quick answer is: these , horror adjacent thrillers deliver style and sleaze in equal measures. Looking for coherent plots and capable acting? Keep it moving. But for lurid good times that very much reflect the era in which they were made, these Shudder titles have you covered.

Also, as a side note, the horror streamer—which offers many more giallo films beyond just this list, in case you get hooked—also has a 2019 documentary you can watch for a crash course in the genre: . . Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) This brand new addition to Shudder’s library, written by and starring Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy, was caught up in the UK’s “video nasty” banning frenzy—a distinction that’s now a badge of honor among cult films.

(Before any purists complain: that is Spanish, rather than Italian, makes it almost giallo adjacent, but we’re including it here because it fits.) B movies of this era tended to have multiple titles, and this one’s got some tantalizing alternates, including and . But the title it’s best known for evokes the plot quite nicely, which sets its black gloved killer (a giallo trademark) loose in a French village that’s home to a trio of weird, bickering sisters—and where no woman with blue eyes is safe from having them viciously gouged out.

Watch on Shudder. The Evil Eye (1963) The Evil Eye (1963) Also known as , this early giallo from Italian horror master Mario Bava is distinguished by its stylish direction and clever mystery plot, as well as a cast led by . He plays a doctor who comes to the aid of a pretty Roman tourist (Letítia Román) who witnesses a murder, then finds herself targeted by someone who just might be the infamous “Alphabet Killer.” .

Murder Mansion (1972) Murder Mansion (1972) This Italian tale about a group of strangers who end up at an isolated house together after thick fog makes the roads impassable strays into horror with what to be supernatural elements—but Agatha Christie fans will especially enjoy the twists that unfold amid the betrayals, creepy backstories, and “hey, is that a ?” moments.

. Footprints on the Moon (1975) Footprints on the Moon (1975) This unusually surreal entry in the genre follows a Portuguese translator (Florinda Bolkan) struggling with recurring dreams and memory loss. Trying to unravel what’s going on in her own mind, she follows the one clue she has—an enigmatic postcard—to a seaside town she’s never visited before, where she’s recognized by people she doesn’t know and her sense of déjà vu only becomes more perplexing.

. Crazy Desires of a Murderer (1977) Crazy Desires of a Murderer (1977) Here’s another one that involves eyeball mutilation—a favorite giallo motif. Is that because it’s a way to reflect back on the viewer’s own decision to watch such naughty films... or because plucking out someone’s eyes is just memorably gross? Whatever the case, gives us a rich girl just back from a lengthy trip, who decides to keep the party going by inviting her vacuous friends over to her family’s castle.

A castle with, naturally, a dark past... and multiple weirdos, including a leering younger brother (another favorite giallo motif) and a deranged killer, stalking the halls. . Tenebrae (1982) Tenebrae (1982) If you’re gonna giallo, you gotta . , but if you want an Argento giallo, —about an author targeted by a bloodthirsty superfan—is a good place to begin.

Shudder also has , , and in its giallo section if you decide to make it a Dario a Thon. . My Dear Killer (1972) My Dear Killer (1972) It’s somewhat rare for a police officer to be the main character in a giallo—usually, detectives shuffle around the edges of the story, clumsily trying to puzzle together who sliced the nude model’s throat open with her make up mirror, or who strangled the playboy with piano wire.

That’s not the case for ; it stars spaghetti western veteran George Hilton as a cop tasked with a solving a vexing series of murders that to link back to an equally vexing cold case, involving the kidnapping of a wealthy man’s daughter that ended with the death of both father and child. . So Sweet...

So Perverse (1969) So Sweet... So Perverse (1969) Umberto Lenzi (best known for his contributions to the Italian cannibal movie genre, including 1981's , aka ) helms this riff on 1955 psychological thriller , which has a surprisingly classy cast in Carroll Baker and Jean Louis Trintignant. It also has a fun setting (groovy late ’60s Paris) and—as its inspiration suggests—an engaging plot about greedy deceptions swirling around a troubled marriage.

. Stage Fright (1987) Stage Fright (1987) After an auspicious early career assisting, acting for, and/or otherwise working with the likes of Lucio Fulci, Joe D’Amato, Dario Argendo, and Terry Gilliam, Michele Soavi made his own cinematic mark, directing cult favorites like 1989's , 1991's , and perhaps his best known work, 1994's (aka ).

His first feature, 1987's , is maybe a hair more “horror” than “giallo,” but its tale of actors trapped in a theater with an escaped killer—a former actor himself, who dons an eerie owl mask to get back into character—is too entertaining not to include here. . The New York Ripper (1982) The New York Ripper (1982) Speaking of Lucio Fulci, this must watch giallo from the cult horror director has so many bizarre elements peppered throughout its gruesome crime story about a razor wielding maniac terrorizing New York City.

It opens with a memorable scene in which a dog trots up to its horrified owner with a severed human hand clamped in its mouth; it offers an amazing showcase for Manhattan’s long lost seedy districts; it gives us a Fulci cameo as the chief of police; and its killer has a fondness for making crank calls while speaking like Donald Duck.

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