Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 30, 2025

Paolo Cavara's "Plot of Fear" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with new progra, with assistant director Roberto Palmerini; archival program with Michele Placido; archival program with Corinne Clery; screenwriter Enrico Oldoini; new audio commentary by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth; vintage promotional materials; and more. In Italian or English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Chasing rabbits

Belgian writer Stanislas-Andre Steeman’s work remains unknown on this side of the Atlantic, which is unfortunate and rather odd, because several of his crime novels are brilliant and could have produced terrific genre films. However, on the other side of the Atlantic, in France, Steeman’s work has been tackled by several directors. The most prominent of these directors is Henri-Georges Clouzot, who turned two of Steeman’s best crime novels into popular films. The first is Quai des Orfevres a.k.a. Jenny Lamour, a somewhat transgressive film noir with a wicked sense of humor, which is rightfully considered a masterpiece. The second is The Murderer Lives at 21, shot right before the notorious Le Corbeau a.k.a. The Raven, which nearly destroyed Clouzot’s career. Ironically, Quai des Orfevres and The Murderer Lives at 21 are both very unfaithful adaptations of Steeman’s crime novels. In fact, even though the two officially credit Steeman’s crime novels, these films are essentially big improvisations on chunks of the great material in them.

Paolo Cavara’s film Plot of Fear is not in any official way connected to any of Steeman’s crime novels. However, Plot of Fear is a very close relative of Quai des Orfevres and The Murderer Lives at 21, incorporating some of the same tricks from Steeman’s crime novels that they share as well. In fact, its entire final act looks like a contemporary Italian improvisation on the final act in The Murderer Lives at 21, which is filled with misdirection plays of the kind Italian directors perfected during the 1970s and 1980s in the gialli. On top of this, Cavara also spices up the narrative a lot like Clouzot does in Quai des Orfevres, though, for obvious reasons, he shows quite a bit more of the transgressive as well.

In Plot of Fear, as in Quai des Orfevres and The Murderer Lives at 21, there is a mysterious killer on the loose. His targets are various middle-aged men and women, all enormously wealthy, who are systematically eliminated in very creative, painful ways. Detective Gaspare Lomenzo (Michele Placido) begins tracking down the mysterious killer and soon after discovers that all of his targets had frequently engaged in S&M games staged at a posh mansion. After meeting Jeanne (Corinne Clery), a beautiful full-time model and part-time escort girl, a former participant in the S&M games, Lomenzo is lured into a deep, most confusing rabbit hole, and while guessing which way to go, he unexpectedly begins falling in love with her. Meanwhile, the host of the S&M games, fearing that he might be the mysterious killer’s next target, reaches out to veteran private investigator Peter Struwwel (Eli Wallach) with a request for help, and he promptly enters the same deep rabbit hole where Lomenzo has gotten lost. However, Struwwel chooses a different strategy to hunt and nab the mysterious killer, and, much to Lomenzo’s annoyance, begins making progress.

All of Steeman’s crime novels that have been turned into films feature a major reset, altering the viewer’s perception of all significant events that have preceded it. The same major reset emerges in Plot of Fear. However, the buildup to it is embellished in a distinctly Italian fashion, which ultimately is what makes Plot of Fear a unique genre film.

It is worth clarifying that, despite many claims to the contrary, Plot of Fear is not a giallo. It is a political film disguised as a crime film, delivering an offbeat social commentary that is likely to resonate only with viewers who have a proper grasp of 1970s Italian politics. At the time, it was widely speculated that some of the biggest criminals and terrorists operating on Italian soil were working closely with the Italian authorities and carrying out executions on their behalf. These speculations became particularly intense after members of the far-left terrorist organization Red Brigades kidnapped and executed Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978. However, in Plot of Fear, the social commentary is not that far-reaching. It is very similar, though much less effective, to the one channeled through Elio Petri’s Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, another political film disguised as a crime film from the same era.

Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Plot of Fear arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Plot of Fear. The same restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this release.

When Raro Video released Plot of Fear on DVD in 2012, I immediately grabbed a copy for my library, and currently this is the only other release of the film I have. The DVD release was sourced from a then-new and exclusive master, which I still think offers a fine presentation of the film. (I have included several screencaptures from the DVD release with this article).

The 4K restoration is wonderful. I think that there is only one area of it that could have been managed better. In several places, faces begin revealing a pink hue that is a tad too strong. The rest is either very good or excellent. Delineation, clarity, and depth are noticeably better than those of the standard definition presentation. Unsurprisingly, on a big screen, this improvement is easy to appreciate everywhere, even in the darkest footage. Grain exposure is stable and healthy. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. Color reproduction is convincing. It preserves the color temperature of the previous master, though some small, entirely predictable enhancements are noticeable. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy as well. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and Italian LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided for the main feature.

In the past, I have used both tracks to view Plot of Fear. I think that both are equally disappointing because they are overdubbed by people who completely mismanage the tone and attitude of the film. I tend to prefer the Italian track because it is a little less distracting, but the English track should have been the better option given that several leads deliver their lines in English. Both tracks have a limited dynamic range. In some areas, there is noticeable unevenness and flatness as well. Obviously, this is how these tracks were finalized in the 1970s, which is unfortunate because better dubbers and mixers could have made them substantially better. I revisited the film with the English track and did not encounter any distracting age-related anomalies to report.

Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Roberto Palmerini: The Fearless AD - in this new program, assistant director Roberto Palmerini discusses his earliest days in the Italian film industry and confesses that he does not remember much about his involvement with Plot of Fear. Palmerini also comments on his excellent relationship with Ruggero Deodato (The Barbarians), whose grasp of cinema he admired greatly, and interactions with Lamberto Bava (Delirium) and Mauro Bolognini (The Charterhouse of Parma). In Italian, with English subtitles (17 min).

• Corinne Clery: The Golden Years - in this archival program, Corinne Clery discusses the evolution of her acting career and mentions several of the great Italian directors she was able to work with. Clery also comments on the characters she was cast to play and the four-year contract she rejected at Paramount, as well as her interactions with the other stars of Plot of Fear. Towards the end of the program, Clery also addresses her contribution to Hitch-Hike. In Italian, with English subtitles (23 min).

• Michele Placido: On the Beat - in this archival program, Michele Placido discusses the Americanization of Italian films during the 1970s, stimulated by trends in Milan, and contribution to Plot of Fear. Placido also recalls his interactions with Corinne Clery and Eli Wallach, and how Paolo Cavara allowed him to alter the character her was cast to play. In Italian, with English subtitles (16 min).

• Enrico Oldoini: The Third Man - in this archival program, screenwriter Enrico Oldoini discusses the early days of his career and the conception and production of Plot of Fear. Oldoini also comments on his relationship with Paolo Cavara and his directing methods, as well as his decision to act in Plot of Fear. In Italian, with English subtitles (14 min).

• Pietro Cavara: Family Plot - in this archival program, Paolo Cavara's son, Pietro, discusses his father's career and some of the unique qualities of his work. In Italian, with English subtitles (16 min).

• Eugenio Ercolani: The Wild Eye of Fear - in this new program, critic Eugenio Ercolani discusses Plot of Fear and Paolo Cavara's career. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Plotting the Cast - presented here is a new video essay on the cast of Plot of Fear, created by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Andrea Meroni. In English, not subtitled. (36 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth.

• Alternative Opening Sequence - presented here are rare English-language opening credits for Plot of Fear. Silent. (5 min).

• Original Trailers -
  
  1. Italian Theatrical Trailer. In Italian, with English subtitled. (4 min).
  2. International Theatrical Trailer. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Plot of Fear.

• Book - an 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 technical credits.

Plot of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 1970s, remembered by older Italians as Anni di Piombo (Years of Lead), remain the most tumultuous period in Italy's contemporary history. As the decade came to an end, a majority of Italians became convinced that criminals and terrorists routinely took orders from high-ranking government officials pursuing radical agendas. Many Italian genre films that were made at the time reflected this belief. Plot of Fear is one of these films, though its speculations are neither as far-reaching nor as effective as those channeled through masterpieces like Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release introduces a new, very good 4K restoration of Plot of Fear with a large selection of bonus features. RECOMMENDED.