Giallo

Giallo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒallo], plural gialli) is a 20th-century Italian thriller or horror genre of literature and film. It usually has mystery elements and is often combined with slasher, crime fiction or, less frequently, supernatural horror elements. In Italy, the term denotes thrillers, typically of the crime fiction, mystery, and horror subgenres, regardless of the country of origin.

In English-speaking countries, the term "giallo" refers to a particular style of Italian-produced murder mystery film which often includes elements of horror fiction (such as slasher violence) and eroticism (similar to the French fantastique genre). The genre developed in the mid-to-late 1960s, peaked in popularity during the 1970s, and subsequently declined over the next few decades. (Some examples continue to be produced). It has been considered to be a predecessor to, and significant influence on, the later American slasher film genre.

The word "" is Italian for "yellow". The term was derived from a series of cheap paperback mystery novels, popular in post-fascist Italy, which were published with yellow covers.

The term derives from a series of crime-mystery pulp novels entitled Il Giallo Mondadori ('Mondadori Yellow [books]'), published by Mondadori from 1929 and taking its name from the trademark yellow cover background. The series consisted almost exclusively of Italian translations of mystery novels by British and American writers. These included Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Edgar Wallace, Ed McBain, Rex Stout and Raymond Chandler.

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