8. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1969)
A hit at the box office and probably the second most important film on this list after Blood and Black Lace, Dario Argento produces a stylish cinematic masterpiece of carnage that other Giallo directors would cut off their arm in order to have the talent to produce a film with a fifth as much gusto. Sam, an American writer living in Rome watches a woman being killed in an art gallery by a person dressed in black leather. He cannot get the door open. Apparently this is a murder in a series of a serial killer's sprees. Sam is freaked out by what happened, especially after he and his girlfriend become targets. He isolates the sound of a bird chirping on a menacing phone call - there is only one bird like it in Rome. There is a chase scene and the bizarre identity of the killer is revealed.. Innovating rather than copying Bava, Argento threw in some major salubrious elements into The Bird With The Crystal Plumage which were enough to keep audiences titillated. Yes, Bava invented the Giallo, but nobody makes them like Argento. He is endlessly fresh and original, fiendishly smart and visually beautiful. His scores are something else as well. I did not list all of Argento's Giallos in this list as there would be no room for anyone else!