Plot of Fear (Limited Edition) 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

From the director of “The Black Belly of the Tarantula” comes this dark and twisted thriller.

With 1976’s Plot of Fear (original title: E tanta paura), Paolo Cavara—a director with a strong understanding of the macabre due to his background in the “Mondo” documentary genre and his earlier giallo, The Black Belly of the Tarantula—produces a quintessentially Italian thriller. The movie has a sense of decadent psychosis that was co-written by the renowned Bernadino Zapponi, a frequent colleague of Federico Fellini who also contributed to Dario Argento’s Deep Red. Right from the start, Plot of Fear establishes itself as a captivating, twisted, and gloomy addition to the genre, promising a mystery that is both stylized and sinister.

The Persistent Inspector Lomenzo, Portrayed by Michele Placido

The center of the inquiry is Michele Placido, who genre enthusiasts will remember from the similarly somber The Pyjama Girl Case. In this film, he portrays Inspector Lomenzo, a detective dealing with a string of murders that are becoming more and more strange. In a world that is becoming increasingly chaotic, Placido acts as the audience’s anchor by bringing a somber, realistic resolve to the character. His quest for the truth is systematic, but the signs he discovers are far from typical. The procedural is given a distinctively somber and fairy-tale ambiance right away by the central thread connecting the murders: a page from the disturbing German children’s book Shock-Headed Peter that was left at each crime scene.

The World of Decadence with Corinne Cléry

Fresh off her performance in the contentious thriller Hitch-Hike, French actress Corinne Cléry portrays a model who becomes Inspector Lomenzo’s vital guide. Within the gloomy story, her role serves as a beacon, guiding the investigator through a maze of wealth and deception. The film’s central, pulsating hub of suspicion revolves around her relationship to an opulent club that is popular with the wealthy and influential. In this environment, Cavara is able to experience the genre’s characteristic lavishness, in which beauty and violence coexist, and where every opulent façade may conceal a hidden truth.

The Odd Story of Tom Skerritt

The inclusion of American actor Tom Skerritt, who would later star in Alien and attain science fiction immortality just three years later, is arguably the most distracting aspect of Plot of Fear for viewers outside of the United States. Skerritt’s presence as a supporting character seems strange. Even though he is a skilled performer, his presence in this very Italian setting, where he frequently seems to be dubbed in like the rest of the cast, produces a little but continuous disconnect. Although his character is a part of the plot, his portrayal lacks the distinctive neurotic energy that distinguishes so many outstanding giallo characters, which makes his participation seem more like a marketing strategy for English-speaking audiences than a natural component of the film’s overall narrative.

Eli Wallach’s Grizzled Knowledge

In sharp contrast, the legendary Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Lineup) enters the picture with remarkable ease and authority. His character, a veteran surveillance specialist, offers the inspector valuable philosophical and technical advice. Wallach’s grizzled visage and world-weary appeal give the inquiry more substance and believability. His participation is a genuine highlight because his scenes are grounded and provide a welcome counterpoint to the film’s more flashy and surreal aspects.

An Engaging and Unsettling Giallo Experience

The final result of Plot of Fear is a compelling and stylish success. The Fellini-esque influence of co-writer Zapponi is apparent in the movie’s bizarre and dreamlike scenes, especially Francesco “Gibba” Guido’s specially created erotic animation, which lends a layer of psychosexual oddity that is entirely giallo. The tension in Cavara is masterfully built up as the viewer is led through a maze of red herrings and unexpected violence. The fact that Tom Skerritt was cast in this captivating and gloomy thriller is an odd error, but it’s not enough to ruin it. Plot of Fear is still a chilling and compelling deep cut for genre enthusiasts, filled with the atmospheric dread and visual flare that characterize the finest Italian horror-thrillers.

The Video

According to Indicator:“Plot of Fear was scanned in 4K at Augustus Color in Rome using the original 35mm negative. 4K HDR color correction and restoration work was undertaken at Filmfinity, London, where Phoenix and Diamant image processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.” The film is presented in a 1.85:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. There is plenty of crisp, organic grain, and textures are palpable throughout with little film softness coming into play. The colors are natural and the Dolby Vision grading brings subtle shadings, nuanced shadows, rich midtones, and a little more pop in some highlights like lamplight in dark rooms.

The Audio

Plot of Fear comes with Italian and English LPCM 1.0 audio mixes. Both tracks are ultimately dubbed as is and was usually the Italian way, but the Italian track is much better acted than the English voice cast. Indicator states that “audio conform and restoration work on the Italian and English tracks was carried out by Michael Brooke using iZotope RX 10.” The sound for each is clear and clean with a decent amount of dynamics.

The Supplements

Indicator includes several new interviews and featurettes in this release plus an 80-page book with essay and writings. This is a very collectible and gorgeous looking set.

Limited Edition Contents:

• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Adrian J Smith, archival writing on the work of director Paolo Cavara, an archival career-spanning interview with screenwriter Bernadino Zapponi, an archival profile of animator Gibba, and film credits
• World premiere on 4K UHD
• Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 1,000 Blu-rays) for the UK

Bonus Features:

• Audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth (2025)
• Roberto Palmerini: The Fearless (1080p; 00:16:32) (2025) – An interview with the first assistant director
• Corinne Cléry: The Golden Years (1080p; 00:22:02) (2025) – A new presentation of a 2013 interview with the actor
• Enrico Oldoni: The Third Man (1080p; 00:13:47) (2025) — A newly edited archival interview with the screenwriter
• Michele Placido: On the Beat (1080p; 00:15:47) (2025) — A newly edited archival interview with the actor
• Pietro Cavara: Family Plot (1080p; 00:15:34) (2025) – A newly edited archival interview with director Paolo Cavara’s son
• Eugenio Ercolani: The Wild Eye of Fear (1080p; 00:20:56) (2025) – Interview with Ercolani
• Plotting the Cast (1080p; 00:35:46) (2025) — Video essay looking at the cast of Plot of Fear 
• Alternative Opening Sequence (1080p; 00:04:07)

The Final Assessment

Plot of Fear is a giallo that works as a counterpoint to the gialli of Argento, but equally wild and engaging. Indicator gives their usual high-quality 4K restoration on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray packed with bonus features and extras that collectors, videophiles and giallo fans should definitely pick up.

Plot of Fear (Limited Edition) is out in the UK on 4K Ultra HD November 17, 2025 from Indicator

Details

• Rating Certificate: BBFC cert: 18
• Studios & Distributors: Centro Produzioni Cinematografiche Città di Milano | G.P.E. Enterprises | Indicator
• Director: Paolo Cavara
• Written By: Paolo Cavara | Enrico Oldoini | Bernardino Zapponi
• Run Time: 111 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: Italian LPCM 1.0
• Secondary Audio: English LPCM 1.0
• Subtitles: English | English SDH