Plot of Fear – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1976
Director: Paola Cavara
Writers: Paolo Cavara, Enrico Oldoini, Bernardino Zapponi
Cast: Michele Placido, Corinne Clery, Tom Skerritt, John Steiner, Eli Wallach

Release Date: November 17th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99

"Inspector Lomenzo (Placido) investigates a series of bizarre murders, each linked by the fact that pages from the German children’s book Shock-Headed Peter have been left at the scene of the crime. As the bodies pile up, Lomenzo is guided by a model (Cléry) and a surveillance expert (Wallach) to a decadent club frequented by the rich and powerful..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “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 thousand instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other perfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

Plot of Fear comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 87.7 GB

Feature: 68.8 GB

This new transfer is an exceptional restoration that is vastly superior to all of this film's previous home media releases; it is difficult to imagine this film ever looking any better. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in excellent shape, and once again they are a marked improvement over all of this film’s previous home media releases. Dialogue always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (19 images - stills/home video art/posters), an Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an international theatrical trailer (3 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an alternate English-language opening sequence (4 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay about the cast by film researcher Andrea Meroni titled Plotting the Cast (35 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Eugenio Ercolani titled The Wild Eye of Fear (20 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Italian film clips), a newly edited interview with director Paolo Cavara’s son, Pietro Cavara titled titled Family Plot (15 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a newly edited interview with screenwriter Enrico Oldoini titled The Third Man (13 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a newly edited interview with actor Michele Placido titled On the Beat (15 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a new presentation of a 2013 interview with actor Corinne Cléry titled The Golden Years (22 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with first assistant director Roberto Palmerini titled The Fearless AD (16 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Too Much Fear written by Ade Smith, an archival writing titled The Bizarre Geometry of Crime and Dyamics Domination written by Fogliato, an archival career-spanning interviews with screenwriter Bernardino Zapponi conducted by Lorenzo Codelli, an archival interview with animator Gibba conducted by Renato Venturelli, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Paola Cavara directed Plot of Fear. He’s known for Mondo Cane, Women of the World, The Wild Eye, and Black Belly of the Tarantula. 

An inspector’s only clue in a series of killings is that all of the victims are affluent. To unmask the killer, he must figure out what the common link that they all share is.

Although frequently categorized as an Italian thriller, Plot of Fear stands apart from typical examples of the genre. While it does utilize a common technique, the killer's perspective, the outcome aligns more closely with the Poliziotteschi genre. In fact, by the time Plot of Fear was released, the Italian thriller genre had already been eclipsed by the poliziotteschi genre, which was nearing its apex in popularity.

The cast has several familiar faces that fans of foreign and cult cinema are sure to quickly recognize. Tom Skerritt (Alien) in the role of the chief inspector in charge of the murder investigations, John Steiner (Tenebrae) in the role of a man named Hoffman (his death plays an integral part in the mystery at the heart of the film), Corinne Cléry (Hitch Hike) in the role of the protagonist’s love interest, and Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) in the role of Pietro Riccio, an underworld crime boss. All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Michele Placido’s (La Orca) portrayal of Inspector Gaspare Lomenzo. The burden of solving the murder falls on his character, and he delivers an exemplary performance that enhances every moment he appears in.

The narrative does a phenomenal job drawing you in and holding your attention with a series of well-executed surprises. Paola Cavara's direction is impressive; he has a talent for crafting tense moments that propel the narrative forward. This skill is especially evident in the murder set pieces. Another area where Plot of Fear excels is Daniele Patucchi’s (Man from Deep River) score, which does a remarkable job heightening the mood. That said, Plot of Fear is a satisfying mix of two of Italian cinema’s most popular genres of the 1970s. Ultimately, while Plot of Fear often diverges from the typical conventions of these two genres, the outcome is a thrilling experience that fans of Italian thrillers and Poliziotteschi films will likely find immensely enjoyable.

This is an outstanding release, and, more importantly, it is region-free. That said, there is no reason for anyone to wait for or purchase Raro Video’s Blu-ray release. Plot of Fear receives a definitive release from Powerhouse Films and comes highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Note: Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 1,000 Blu-rays) for the UK.

Written by Michael Den Boer