Giallo is a genre dominated mainly by two names in the modern mind, those beingMario BavaandDario Argento. But the advent of the Italian horror sub-genre caused a renaissance of blood-soaked mysteries to erupt in the 1970s, and one such lesser known film isMassimo Dallamano’s 1974 offeringWhat Have They Done to Your Daughters?While this mouthful of a movie is not as ubiquitous as the likes ofDeep RedorBlood and Black Lace, it is unique in thatit combines the familiar elements of Giallo with the gritty realism of a police procedural.The result of this genre marriage is a realistic, disturbing, and exciting horror film that offers a fascinating retake on the genre’s usual tropes.
‘What Have They Done to Your Daughters?’ Shakes Up the Giallo Formula
Giallo is typified by a few common tropes that show up in almost all the classics in the genre.The biggest one would likely be the “black-gloved killer”, a mysterious murderer that menaces the protagonists and dispatches their victims in brutal ways. Speaking of which, the second-biggest trope is the graphic nature of the kill scenes, with the mystery villain often implementing knives and other melee weapons in their murders. Lastly, there is almost always a fish-out-of-water main character that ends up in the middle of the action, bent on solving the mystery and unmasking the killer.This formula can be seen being put to great use in classicslike Dario Argento’sThe Bird with the Crystal PlumageorLucio Fulci’sDon’t Torture a Duckling.
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?takes many of the typical Giallo tropesand inserts them into a gritty police drama.Instead of the typical out-of-towner caught up in a murder spree, the film follows Deputy Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli) and Police Commissioner Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli) as they investigate a gruesome murder. What originally looked to be a suicide of a young schoolgirl (Sherry Buchanan) turns out to be a homicide perpetrated to cover up an underage prostitution ring. Indeed, this is not a light film, and much of the subject matter it deals with is quite disturbing. Butdespite the sometimes exploitative reputation of the Giallo genre, Dallamano handles the tough parts with a cold realism that does not sensationalize the crimes portrayed.Though, fair warning, that does not make them any less grizzly. Crimes against young girls would be a subject Dallamano had already approached in his 1972 filmWhat Have You Done to Solange?, and it was one he would return to again in his final film,Red Rings of Death.Together, these films form an unofficial collection referred to as Dallamono’s “Schoolgirls in Peril” trilogy.
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Giallo and Police Procedural Work Together in ‘What Have They Done to Your Daughters?’
Despite the shake up,What Have They Done to Your Daughters?does retain some hallmarks one would expect from Giallo. There is definitely a black-gloved killer, only this one wears all-leather motorcycle gear complete with a black visored helmet to hide their face.There are still grizzly murder scenes involving edged weapons(a meat cleaver in this case) but there is also a car chase scene in classic ‘70s fashion. And of course, there is a massive mystery to solve, but not just the who-done-it murder mystery. What makesWhat Have They Done to Your Daughters?so interesting is thatthe cops have more than just a serial killer on their hands, but rather, a ring of truly evil people that the audiencereallywants to see busted.It is not a perfect film, but it is well directed and reasonably well acted, though the English dub is a little bit melodramatic at times. But that’s just part of the fun with Giallo!
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?is a fascinating merging of genres that ought to excite any murder mystery lover.It is also a gritty Giallo slasher with plenty of scary scenes for horror fans, too. The realistic, sometimes heavy themes are handled with some level of care by the director, and the frightening nature of the crimes makes even the most casual viewer root for the investigators. Any fan of Giallo, slashers, or even police mysteries should queue upWhat Have They Done to Your Daughters?this Halloween and prepare for an exciting horror who-done-it.
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?is available to stream on The Criterion Channel in the US.
watch on the criterion channel
