Unmasking Power and Corruption in Giallo Films

The killer is the main draw in for a giallo audience and their unmasking or demise is usually the climax of films. In most cases of giallo films the victims know or know of their killer and in both Bava and Cavara's films this plot device is used. In Blood and Black Lace Bava focuses on a power play relationship where the killer is unmasked as none other than the widowed Countess Cristina, owner of the fashion house, who retaliated to being threatened by her employee by killing her. Cristina's position raises the social issue of abuse to employees by employers. As the red diary reveals that her fashion house is actually a front for a house riddled with scandal (blackmail, forced abortions and drug addictions) and the disappearance of this diary

gives her and her lover Max motive to kill. The unmasking of Cristina (See Fig. 3 and 4.) is a big plot twist of the film as it was previously known that Max was the prime suspect, yet he was not the only one involved in the killings. The killer being a double act is a classic example of giallo film and how when the killer is unmasked there is still more to the story.

In Black Belly of a Tarantula the killer is more complex in the ways were his motive is powered from his marriage issues where it led to him killing her in cold blood. Mikel J. Koven states in his book La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film that "outright and explicit misogyny is relatively rare, or rather it is rare for it to be expressed as such" and points at Cavara's film as evidence as such where the blind masseuse killed his wife "in a jealous rage, and now he murders any woman who reminds him of her". Giallo films are noted for their themes of psychology killers are noted to be mentally ill and the masseur is stereotypical of this trait His issues of infidelity are softly hinted at when Maria tries to seduce him but the film does not focus on him at all till his unmasking as other themes of drug trafficking are used as a plot device. Laura Mulveys "fetish scopophilia" is noted throughout giallo films for their portrayal of women and how they are treated on screen as the masseur feels he is threatened by women and thus kills them and Cavara alludes that this may be for sexual gratification as the masseur stares at his victims and strokes their bodies. Normally giallo films have hints throughout but this is actually a shocking twist or rather a cheap bow out to have such a minor character as the killer. Following giallo traditions there is a climactic fight where the leading man catches the killer, where he is in the middle of killing his wife, and a fight ensues.
The title of giallo films are quite unconventional compared to other films due to their lengthy and eccentric names. They frequently reference animals which Cavara's Black Belly of a Tarantula is guilty of . The film refers to how the killer murders his victims by use of a needle similar to how wasps kill tarantulas by paralysing them then slowly killing them. Bava has a less colourful name Blood and Black Lace which also refers to the black lace dress the fashion house model were the characters label as a haunted dress.

Giallo characteristics can also be less focused upon the narrative as the plot can be subservient to the style of the film and how the directors present the film to an audience. Music, mise en scene and cinematography are vocal traits to consider both Blood and Black Lace and Black Belly of a Tarantula giallo films.
Music is a vital characteristic to depict the giallo genre as like any film music is used to evoke feelings in the viewer. As giallo is a dark and gritty genre there is need to have a ominous and minor toned score and to also have the score be relatable to the audience so modern music is needed. Anne Billson writes that the score of giallo is often a "mix of groovy lounge music, nerve-jangling discord, and the sort of soothing lyricism". Ennio Morricone, a prominent Italian composer who's career spans decades, who composed Cavara's film and his dabble in giallo films are praised for their rousing scores and how they do not reduce the action on screen to cheap thrills rather he builds up the tension with rhythmic heart beats that heighten what is happening on screen especially the climatic confrontation between Inspector Tellini and the masseur.
Mise en scene is an important characteristic for giallo as it leaves the audience with a lasting impression of the entire film and the purpose of a giallo film is to thrill and engage the audience thus the director has total control over what they want to depict on the screen to make the film memorable and since giallo is classified under a horror genre gore and overall carnage is to be expected.

The setting of both films are different but that would be relatable to the plot not the change of the giallo over the years. Blood and Black Lace is set primarily in a fashion house and Bava shows the exorbitance of the house through the lavish interior with plush couches, frilly lamps and dressed mannequins. Black Belly of a Tarantula again has a primary setting where all the actions happens Cavara does not have a murder house like Bava rather a deluxe spa resort. Costume is a fundamental attribute of giallo film and certain clothing's are distinctive of the thriller genre and are noted as the iconography of the genre also. Such as the classic black raincoat as Gary Needman states that this particular clothing has "become the couture choice of the assassin by default in addition to serving as one of the giallo's most identifiable visual tropes" (2002). As from Fig.1 we can see the killer decked out in a black rain coat and the trademark black leather gloves and wide rimmed hat, Koven (from his novel) depicts that this astire became "the archetypal giallo killer's

disguise".
For lighting Bava filmed in bright saturated colour that defied conventions as most horror or thrillers were filmed in black and white a nod to film noir and this particular allowed him to break away from filmic traditions and experiment with how he could still use colour to create a tense and chilling atmosphere.

Such as in Fig. 5 where we can see a blue backlight that illustrates a lone figure walking down a path and a lit streetlight at the front depicts a mood of isolation and evokes uneasiness in the audience as though the figure is being

watched.

He assigned certain colours to specific characters such as red diary for Peggy where she sports a red coat, red nail polish and is seen using a red telephone. The red diary is a celestial motif for the film and this ties to her murder. Bava contrasts this with the killer's colours as when he appears the lighting dims and creates a eerie atmosphere. Cavara too uses lighting to establish when the killer is on screen as low key lighting is used to portray darker aura and the shadows mask his identity. The use of cinematography is influenced by film noir period and both directors use their exposure of certain shots mimics the noir approach all to create underexposed shots that give both films an abundance of shadows creating a solemn mood.
To conclude, there are many characteristics that define Italian giallo however it is worth noting that some traits are more distinctive than others such as the heavy focus on the killer is vital to the film compared to the setting of the film. It is ultimately up to the director and his vision od the film to depict how his version of a giallo film is being produced as some directors may resort to the early approach of focusing on the mystery element and the 'whodunit' appeal whereas others would be more incline to focus on the gore element.