It can be said that the giallo would probably never have become a prolific genre of filmmaking in Italy, had it not been for the popularity of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers and the film noir cycle before them.
When the likes of Mario Bava and Dario Argento started churning out the gialli in the late 60s, I wonder if they had any idea how influential their films would prove to be? I dont think there have been many artists that have ever known that their work would be later imitated. However, imitated the giallo was and there are certain US-made films that would most definitely be different or indeed, would not have been made at all, if it werent for the films of Bava and Argento.
Many are familiar with how Sean S Cunningham borrowed wholesale from Bavas A BAY OF BLOOD (aka TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE) but there are other examples that are less discussed. Obvious examples include John Carpenters Halloween (who by his own admission, sites DEEP RED as a major influence) and Brian De Palmas DRESSED TO KILL I would actually go as far as to say that the giallo is as influential on De Palma's thrillers, as Hitchcock's body of work was. Having just got back from seeing BLACK DAHLIA this evening, I will add that even in his most recent film, there are giallo-like flourishes present in the flick evoking imagery from Bava's films.
SEVEN is also indebted to the giallo a scene in which Brad Pitt chases the murder suspect through a derelict building and out through the streets is very similar to a scene from Massimo Dallamano's WHAT HAVE THEY SONE TO YOUR DAUGHERS?
Any other examples come to mind?
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Topic: The Influence The Giallo Has Had On Post 1960s American Thrillers (Read 5196 times)