Secret Burger Kitchen’s Saucy Syringes, and Italy’s Giallo Movies
A more-than-decent Seattle burger spot serves sauces in weird ways.
Secret Burger Kitchen’s Smash Burger and Sauce in a Syringe
That’s right, Secret Burger Kitchen serves its sauces in syringes. It’s baffling. But, before I put on my snark pants, I must, in all fairness, say that SBK makes quite decent burgers. Flavorful, pepper-y, well-charred, the whole gamut. They’re tasty, and that’s about all one needs to say about them. There aren’t too many nuances to a good smash burger, and that’s fine. Not everything needs to be complex.
Maybe that’s why I’m flummoxed about the syringe, or, as it’s called, The Drip. Two ounces of a sauce of your choosing, filled in a heavy-duty plastic injector. I have no idea why they chose this needlessly convoluted method. It’s not like you can inject anything into a smashed patty, so it has to go on top of something. Why not serve the sauce right on the burger or on the bottom bun, as that’s where it’ll end up anyway?
In what can only be called a rebellious act of defiance, I squirted the garlic sauce over the fries and, you know – it worked pretty well. It’s a pungent, flavorful, and very stinky sauce. The type of garlic sauce I’m a fan of. The thick-cut fries are good on their own, too, with a nice bite. Not too greasy or soggy.
Is this all “old man yelling at cloud?” It sure is, though I don’t know why Secret Burger Kitchen wants to overshadow a good burger with an “experience.”
Now, get off my lawn.
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Spiveavore: The Pinnacle of Food Injection
During the first half of the 2010s, we ran a trilogy of “Spiceavore” events, which were exactly what they sound like: spicy food contests. The most intense round was the Peeps challenge, where Dave’s Insanity Hot Sauce was injected into sickeningly sweet Easter candy. It’s what nightmares are made of.
For the reader with a strong stomach, witness a contestant falling victim to injected Peeps. (Warning: This is a very graphic video.)
I didn’t fare much better and have since retired from spicy-food contests. (Warning, yet again: That link is not for the faint of heart.)
Giallo: Italy’s Very Yellow Crime Genre
Hollywood has film noir; Italy has giallo, a word that literally translates to “yellow.” This is a sub-genre of the thriller and often centers on a masked, knife-wielding killer. Typically, the films are also very stylish, cinematically speaking.
The giallo has been considered a violent genre, but compared to the “true crimes” Netflix churns out these days, the films now feel fairly tame. The gialli are graphic, certainly, but few would call them realistic. Connoisseurs will frame the genre as “expressionistic”; detractors may call it “incoherent.” It is an acquired taste, the giallo, which had its heyday during the seventies.
The first proper entry in the genre was Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much, a 1963 “whodunnit.” In 1964, he would release the more influential Blood and Black Lace, which became the blueprint for gialli going forward: a masked murderer with black gloves and a knife has remained a staple of the genre, as have the deeply saturated colors.
And why is it called giallo – yellow? During the late 1920s, Mondadori published a series of Italian pulp novels with distinct yellow covers. Other publishers adopted the style that soon became synonymous with the genre. You can draw a straight line from these types of books to giallo films.
A Handful of Recommended Gialli
There are literally hundreds of 1970s gialli – likely more – and many of them are excellent. Eccentric, sure, but tense, and well-made. You will also notice the titles are very dramatic. To wit:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Dario Argento – often dubbed “the Master of Horror” – can rightfully be credited with bringing giallo to the mainstream. This murder mystery, which literally features all the giallo tropes, is his first entry in the “Animal Trilogy” and is notable for its Ennio Morricone1 score.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage currently streams on Kanopy and Prime. Check JustWatch for the full, up-to-date list.
A Bay of Blood (1971)
Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood is the blueprint for the American “slasher” genre – without it, you likely wouldn’t have Scream, or I Know What You Did Last Summer. The basic plot follows a group of (let’s be honest, not-the-brightest) kids stuck on an island where they get taken down one by one by an unknown assailant.
Even the trailer is more artistic than most modern horror movies. You can find the movie on Prime and Shudder. Again, check JustWatch for other options.
Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971)
I’d count Aldo Lado’s Short Night of Glass Dolls as one of the classier entries on the fringes of the genre. The movie features some giallo tropes, but is more of a political thriller framed around a kidnapping. It stars Bergman-player Ingrid Thulin, and Ennio Morricone here, too, provides the score. I’m not going to go as far as to say Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut was inspired by Glass Dolls, but there are thematic similarities between the two.
Fans of Murder, She Wrote – and who isn’t?! – will notice that a shot used in its opening is a straight remix of one in the trailer.
Short Night of Glass Dolls – which has one of the most tense endings I can think of – keeps jumping between streaming services, so, yet again, check JustWatch for the latest updates, or just get a physical copy.
Deep Red (1975)
Many will call it the best giallo, and probably correctly so. Argento’s Deep Red stars David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi, and while there isn’t much of a plot – the two are on the hunt for a psychic’s killer – their banter is spitfire, and the movie looks gorgeous. Truly, it sounds even better, and this is the first collaboration between Argento and the Italian prog band, Goblin.
The killer’s reveal stands as one of the more clever gotchas, too, one worthy of Hitchcock at his best.
As for streaming… this is where it gets tricky. You can find Deep Red on Shudder, Prime, AMC+, etc., but there are three different cuts of the movie. The original American version makes no sense, as half an hour or so is missing. It’s no wonder the New York Times called Argento “a director of incomparable incompetence” in their 1976 review. Therefore, look for the 126-minute cut – the two others are not worth your time. Your best bet is probably to use Arrow’s streaming service or buy their 4K physical copy. You can find both over on Arrow’s website.
The House with Laughing Windows (1976)
After Deep Red, the giallo heyday began to wane, and its tropes were mixed into other genres. Argento’s follow-up to Deep Red, Suspiria, might be the best example of that.
Pupu Avati’s The House with Laughing Windows is another example, though it is at its core more of a conventional thriller. An art restorer working in a church finds that the town harbors a dark secret related to the fresco he is restoring.
While there are no one-to-one comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs, Laughing Windows still reminds me of that film. Maybe it’s the oppressive tone of them both? Either way – Avati’s magnum opus finally streams in the US after being out of print for well more than a decade.
The House with Laughing Windows can be rented or bought from your favorite VOD purveyors. Arrow also has a nice-looking 4K/Blu-ray limited edition.
Source
Wikipedia. “Giallo” (Jan 26, 2026)
Merch for the People!
Don’t just read Awesomeness – wear it! This distinguished publication proudly features two official shirts – or magnets, stickers, or whatever medium you can think of: The Hallgrrrl and Zune. Why those? For one, the Hallmark channel and Riotgrrrl are, as I’ve previously stated, the natural combination. And, who doesn’t love the Zune?
Go shop at The Better Taster Boutique for only the finest goods.
He won the Academy Award for The Hateful Eight and was nominated five additional times. He also got an honorary Oscar.
The Saranac will never be the same after that lovely event. Nor will Peeps.