J&B Scotch, the Unlisted Star of Italian Giallo

In the past few months, I have undertaken a challenge of watching 300 horror movies I have not seen that are sitting on my massive watchlist. Many of these films include slashers, psychological thrillers, and the occasional horror comedy. I have also undertaken the task of watching several Italian crime thrillers that were popular in the 1960s and '70s called Giallo's. Giallo's were named for the cheap paperback crime novels with yellow covers popular in the pre-war era. These movies often had creative titles like Blood and Black Lace, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, and What Have You Done to Solange. These films were often crime thrillers that eventually matured into slasher films that were quite popular in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Giallos often employed a standard set of tropes that were ubiquitous to the films. Most featured a killer wearing black leather gloves and often featured murders from the perspective of the villain. Weapons used were most often knives, ropes or plastic bags with a convenient slash of the throat to get that bright red blood flowing. Giallos were usually set in Europe in cities like Rome, Paris or Milan and captured the beautiful architecture and prominent landmarks of those cities. The victims were beautiful women who were often models, students of a prestigious school or actresses in a stage production. As the story would unfold and victims were revealed, there were discussions by the characters of the film who were often witnesses and potential victims themselves, yet one more common lesser trope was the appearance of a distinctive bottle of liquor. In a region known for its fine wines and beers, the notable green bottle and yellow labeled Scotch J&B was often seen in the background or consumed by the cast.

Like a fun easter egg hunt I am now enjoying looking out for that distinctive green bottle that seems to turn up in Giallo films and several other horror films such as The Thing, Don't Look Now and even recent films such as American Psycho. As to why that particular brand of scotch is used it is most likely because the distinctive color of the bottle and yellow label stand out so well that even if it is in the background, you recognize that brand. The round bottle also makes it easier for it to roll and it's not uncommon for an actor or actress to knock a bottle of J&B over for a quick cameo. So next time you watch a thriller, horror or Giallo don't forget to look out for that bottle of J&B as it may be the last drink the characters get to enjoy.