Stranger, have you ever seen Argento's Giallo(2009)? Must see.

No, I haven't. Didn't realize this ranked highly with....anyone, really.

I'll look into it but what I'm really after is classic '70s gialli. Help me out!

No, I was joking, the only Argento film worse than Giallo(2009) is The Card Player of those I've seen IMO. If you haven't seen The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, I'd go with that. Profondo Rosso is probably his best giallo IMO.

I need to see Bird already. Keep putting it off.

I also love Tenebrae. It took a few viewings for me to have much appreciation for Deep Red. Always enjoyed the violence and music, but it's a little slow at times.

Without knowing what other gialli you've seen, I rec Argento's Phenomena and Opera. I've always ranked them among my favorites of the genre. If it counts as a giallo, there's StageFright (1987).

I find it hard to rec many, especially since you're looking for "the best of the best." I've seen a lot of gialli and while they're not all bad, most of them are far from what I'd consider the best of anything.

Seen all of those Ballz but thanks.

Whatcha rec from the 70s? What the finest to offer, after Deep Red?

You've possibly seen them as well, but there's Argento's early 70s "Animal Trilogy": The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o' Nine Tails, and Four Flies on Grey Velvet. While I've always liked Bird the most, the other two are decent.

For some non-Argento:

The Fifth Cord (1971)
A Bay of Blood (1971)
Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971)
What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)
Don't Torture a Duckling (1972)

Admittedly, I might be biased when it comes to The Fifth Cord since it stars Franco Nero. A lot of gialli I've seen I don't remember much about, even some I own and have watched at least a couple times.

One I haven't seen, but I'd really like to and you might consider it as well is Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin. I often see praise for it.

A few of those I haven't seen, so I will definitely look into them.

Bay of Blood is one I'm itching to rewatch. I don't really consider it a giallo, though.

I hope you'll get some sort of enjoyment out of them.

I don't think of A Bay of Blood as a giallo either, but both IMDb and Wiki list it as one. I'm certainly no expert on what a movie needs to be to count as a giallo, besides Italian.

Defining gialli is a tricky one 'cause it wasn't really used by actual Italians as a movie genre term when they were making them. It did refer to literature, but it was only really later critics (possibly Alan Jones was the main one) who made it a film "genre". Think the only film to directly refer to itself as such back in the day was Giallo A Venezia and there's a pretty high chance that the name was referring to how sleazy it was rather than it being an Argento/Martino/whoever imitant. This being said, I think of them as lurid, convoluted and improbable (in plot and/or psychology) mystery/crime films, with often an emphasis on aesthetics and the lurid over meaning or sense (not that they by any means all ignore deeper meaning or sense). And importantly for exclusion purposes, not straight supernatural (no Suspiria) or bodycount (i.e. slashers) or elaborate jokes (like Bay of Blood), but still descended from your Edgar Wallaces, Agatha Christies, Carter Dixons etc.

I'm not really big on giallos either often it is looking too arty losing itself in visuals and stuff that don't really matter to the storyline which is usually weak. I guess style over substance is one of the features of the giallo. Suspiria is applauded for it and there is some good scenes but overall I think it is slow and not that engaging.

I second The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a bit more straightforward than Argento's later stuff.

Also the earliest of Fulci's are easy to sit through: Perversion Story, Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling.

My faforite is perhaps The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) also rather simple not too much beating around the bush.

I really disliked Don't Torture A Duckling, but perhaps a rewatch is in order. I'll check into Lizard and Red Queen.

Duckling is the weakest of the 3 I think.

top 5 giallos

Hotel Fear (1978)
Tenebre (1982)
Glass Ceiling (1971)
House with the Windows That Laugh (1976)
Deep Red (1975)

Always heard good things about House with Laughing Windows. I'll definitely look into that one.

Of things others have mentioned I'll strongly second The Red Queen Kills Seven Times and What Have You Done To Solange. But no one has mentioned any that aren't good. Otherwise, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Blood and Black Lace, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, and Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key.

Some of my favorites include

Torso
What Have You Done to Solange?
Death Laid an Egg
Death Walks in High Heals
Death Walks at Midnight
Killer Must Kill Again
The Queen Kills Seven Times
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key.