Blood and Black Lace

Few people realize that between 1958 and 1963 the Swedish director Arne Mattsson made a series of thrillers about a married detective couple, each film titled after a different color. One of them was Mannequin in Red (1958). It is difficult not to wonder whether the true prototype of giallo par excellence – Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964), one of the first flashes of genius in his remarkable career – might owe something to that earlier Swedish film. The same glamorous world of fashion. The same characters – dazzlingly beautiful models. The same shocking spectacle of bodies displayed before the public eye, shattering the illusion of elegance. Whether or not that Swedish film was the real precursor of giallo, one thing is certain: in 1964 Mario Bava took the idea much further. Sadism, violence, half-naked women, extravagant sets, and dazzling colors all become the stage for a macabre spectacle that would inspire generations of giallo directors – and many others as well. One might say: it always pays to learn from the best.

Stanisław Bardadin

Mario Bava (1914–1980) – Italian director and screenwriter who worked across multiple genres. He directed comedies, comic-book adaptations, and spaghetti westerns, but gained the greatest acclaim for his contributions to Italian horror; he is regarded as one of the pioneers of the giallo genre. Often produced on low budgets, his films center on brutal crimes, and their blend of fetishism, vivid color palettes, and suspense creates hypnotic cinematic experiences. Bava is widely considered one of the key figures in the history of horror, and his legacy has been continued by his son, Lamberto Bava.

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