Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy playing with the Random Giallo Generator over at Braineater.com? It’s a lot of fun — you just click on one link and you’re automatically given a randomly generated giallo film, complete with a properly evocative title and an intriguing plot description! For lovers of Italian film, it’s a lot of fun. And for writers, it can actually serve as a great way to come up with plots of your own.
I just spent a few minutes playing with the generator and here’s six of the results that I got!
Evidence of a Violent Struggle on a Frozen Landscape
Directed by
Alfredo Toretelloni
A surgeon who has been accused of a crime vanishes and is presumed dead for twenty years. A girl seems to know a little too much about the the disappearance; and after discovering an old painting, she kills the maniac in self-defense, but is mistakenly identified as the culprit and killed by a relative of the victim seeking revenge.
Three Dead on the Velvet Tapestry
Directed by
Stefano Stefani
A young nurse is found dead (presumably a suicide) in a train station. An English actor accidentally steps into the middle of the police investigation of the the murder. Despite several false leads, he must use supernatural assistance to determine the identity of the perpetrator.
Death is a Dark Figure with Teeth of Glass
Directed by
Umberto Umberti
A playwright who has been accused of a crime vanishes. A girl overhears a conversation about the disappearance. She kills the maniac in self-defense, but is mistakenly identified as the culprit and killed by a relative of the victim seeking revenge.
The Secret Lies Hidden in a Woman’s Hands
Directed by
Ruggero Ruggeri
A corrupt priest is butchered in the style of a killer who has been dead for many years. A young child believes he may have seen something that would explain the the crime. When another person is found murdered, he finds himself implicated deeper and deeper in the crime, with no apparent way out.
The Madman Screams Helplessly in a Silver Casket
Directed by
Stefano Giocomonte
An aging policewoman has her throat cut in the style of a killer who terrorized the neighborhood many years ago. Her best friend overhears a conversation about the crime; and despite several false leads, he is killed before he can solve the mystery; his mother then steps in to try to finish the investigation, only to find that the killer is in fact the policewoman, who wasn’t the real victim after all.
Your Heart is a Sphinx with One Red Eye
Directed by
Nanni Nonni
An American girl finds a human torso which has been hacked up in a church. Her father is accused of the crime. After several bloody murders, he is on the verge of solving the mystery when he is killed by the real culprits: a secret society made up of the people he most trusted.
Why not give the Do-It-Yourself Giallo Kit a try for yourself?
Through the Shattered Lens 
My first result made me giggle at the end:
A Gecko with Eyes of Ice
Directed by
Carlo Plagiarino
A painter , on his way to an urgent appointment, disappears in front of hundreds of witnesses on a busy street. A man seems to know a little too much about the the disappearance. When another person is found murdered, he discovers the criminal’s identity; he uses his knowledge to force the maniac into an increasingly dangerous sexual power game…
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I used this very same generator to come up with the final title for the site. Though I had to shorten the title a bit. 🙂
Here’s what I came up with this time around.
White Cat that Walks in the Blue Shadows of the Moonlight
Directed by
Gianni de Bonti
A young female journalist is found dismembered in an old, dark house. Her best friend unearths a clue to the the murder; and after several bloody murders, she discovers that she herself is actually responsible for the crimes!
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That makes it a lot easier than having to come up with your own like Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only Four Flies On a Lizard Woman’s Skin Know Who Saw Her Glass Dolls Die.
Who needs that when the generator gives me:
Two White Doves on Liza’s Shroud (Should be Lisa)
Directed by
Gianni de Bonti
A woman is strangled while wearing a mysterious amulet. Her lover inadvertently picks up the one piece of evidence that will solve the the crime; and he discovers that the presumed victim, the woman, is in fact a maniacal killer, and is still on the loose!
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Wow, Gianni de Bonti is quite the prolific director.
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I’m not sure which are better – the titles, or the plots.
The Salamander with Iron Fingers Stained in Red
Directed by
Franco Franco
An English girl is murdered with a hatchet in the trunk of a famous politician’s car. An American university student is unsatisfied with the official explanation of the crime. After several bloody murders, he discovers that the girl was really a monster; he decides to try to help the real killer escape from the police.
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Here’s what I got:
A Glass Eye on a Marble Monument
Directed by
Fulvio Lucci
A politician’s wife is strangled while wearing a mysterious amulet. A girl is unsatisfied with the official explanation of the killing; and after running afoul of the police investigation, she begins to suspect the maniac responsible may be her own father!
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The Red-Stained Knife Glints Menacingly in a Woman’s Hands
Directed by
Alfredo di Bigbadwolff
…who’s alfredo di bigbadwolff?
A university student , on his way to an urgent appointment, disappears in front of hundreds of witnesses on a busy street. A n attractive young graphic artist finds a letter that contains some unknown details about the the disappearance. He is killed before he can solve the mystery; his closest friend then steps in to try to finish the investigation, only to find that the killer is in fact the university student, who wasn’t the real victim after all.
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Death Squeezes the Rubber Duck
Directed by
Romano Pecorino
An English girl is found dead under a bridge. A blind invalid with rabies finds a letter that contains some unknown details about the murder. After discovering an old painting, she finds herself faced with the decision to betray her own sister.
(uncanny, this is the actual story of my life).
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The Aardvark that Stands in the Center of the Ever-Widening Pool of Red
Directed by
Fulvio Lucci
A student has his throat cut on stage, in front of an audience which doesn’t understand what’s going on. His brother is troubled by dreams in which he sees the murder. He is killed before he can solve the mystery; his son then steps in to try to finish the investigation, only to find that the killer is in fact the student, who wasn’t the real victim after all.
Another Fulvio Lucci masterpiece!
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