What would 70s and 80s horror be without the beloved Giallo film? Without question, some of the best and most important films to emerge from the 80s were those from Italy (and of course, all throughout mainland Europe). From Argento and Fulci to Deodato and Bava, many of the most prolific horror auteurs from the 70s and 80s came from Italy. Though defining precisely what constitutes a Giallo film is quite a contentious matter, I've nonetheless taken it upon myself to build a bit of a list of films from the 80s which (I hope) won't be too controversial. If nothing else, it should serve to provide my audience with a convenient way to quickly watch some full length Italian horror cinema with little effort. Enjoy the list below and, as usual, leave a comment if you feel a film is missing or you don't agree with what I've listed.
- Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980)
- Thrauma aka Trauma (Gianni Martucci, 1980)
- Murder Obsession (Riccardo Freda, 1980)
- Madhouse (Ovidio Assonitis, 1981)
- Tenebre (Dario Argento, 1982)
- The Scorpion with Two Tails (Sergio Martino, 1982)
- A Blade in the Dark (Lamberto Bava, 1982)
- The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci, 1982)
- Blood Link (Alberto de Martino, 1983)
- The House of the Yellow Carpet (Carlo Lizzani, 1983)
- Murder Rock (Lucio Fulci, 1984)
- Nothing Underneath (Carlo Vanzina, 1985)
- Phenomena (Dario Argento, 1985)
- Sweets from a Stranger (Franco Ferrini, 1985)
- Formula for a Murder (Alberto de Martino, 1985)
- The House with the Blue Shutters (Beppe Cino, 1986)
- The Killer Has Returned (Camillo Teti, 1986)
- You'll Die at Midnight (Lamberto Bava, 1986)
- The Monster of Florence (Cesare Ferrario, 1986)
- Phantom of Death (Ruggero Deodato, 1987)
- Stage Fright (Michele Soavi, 1987)
- Delirium (Lamberto Bava, 1987)
- Body Count (Ruggero Deodato, 1987)
- Opera (Dario Argento, 1987)
- Too Beautiful to Die (Dario di Piana, 1988)
- Dial: Help (Ruggero Deodato, 1988)
- Obsession: A Taste for Fear (Piccio Raffanini, 1988)
- The Murder Secret (Mario Bianchi, Lucio Fulci, 1988)
- Massacre (Andrea Bianchi, 1989)
- Nightmare Beach (Umberto Lenzi, 1989)
- Arabella, the Black Angel (Stelvio Massi, 1989)