Plot of Fear

Though the Raro Video (DVD) looks great, I'd upgrade to a bluray in a second.From the director of the classic giallo, The Black Belly of the Tarantula and Jacopetti and Prospero's right hand man - indeed, he did most of the heavy lifting on the essential J&P Mondo classics. Alas, he passed in the early 80s and was written out of the history of the Mondo genre. Sadly, he was barely mentioned in the (otherwise) definitive documentary The Godfathers of Mondo, commissioned and produced by Blue Underground - and directed by David Gregory, probably best known for the doc, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Dr. Moreau. (A must-see). Perhaps this was to ensure the cooperation of Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi. Who knows?Anyway...A truly entertaining and bizarre film for those who thought they've seen it all. One highlight is a pornographic animated scene by the Italian smut master, known as "Bibbo." His work here is a cross between the stoner classic Fantastic Planet (1973) and the S&M stylings of Eric Stanton. Bibbo's work here was commissioned for this movie.Throw in Eli Wallach, a bewildered looking Tom Skeritt, and the always fetching Corrine Clery (Hitch Hike, Story of O and Moonraker) and an onslaught of insane sex and violence - enough pathology for a second volume of Psychopathia Sexualis. That's Entertainment! In a legitimately great film, no less. Oh, and some offhand/casual racism - inappropriate in the 70s, and certainty now.Why this isn't that well known is mindbogglingly odd. (It was new to me anyway.)Weird and wonderful - check it out!One of the best. Bluray, please!

Ok gaillo explained in flashbacks. Not the amount of nudity other reviewers have claimed. Plot made harder to follow than necessary.

[PLOT OF FEAR - (1976) - Widescreen - directed by Paolo Cavara - In Italian w/ English subtitles] An effeminate middle-aged man in an extremely colorfully decorated, well-to-do apartment sits in his afghan reading aloud from a book about artful decadence when his doorbell rings. He's both expecting and excited by this caller, and has to disarm an elaborate alarm system to open the door. In walks a large, expressionless tall woman, whom he greets with a glass of champagne after she takes off her coat. She slaps his face, then once again as he slumps to the floor submissively, and she drags him to his feet by his hair and proceeds to strangle him. Opening credits roll.A bus pulls into its last stop, and the sole passenger, an attractive woman with brunette hair, gets up to leave by the rear door. It won't open; she makes a harsh comment to the driver, tries the door again, and sees the faceless driver with his cap pulled downward walking down the aisle with an extremely large wrench. Instead of using it to pry the door, he bludgeons her with it. He then leaves a children's book illustration on her lifeless torso.In a packed police station, we're introduced to a stereotypical selection of societal outcasts (hookers, pimps, drunks, trannies, cons, etc.) and the inspector in charge of these two particular homicides, Lomenzo (Michele Placido). We soon learn that the male victim was known by the hookers as 'Lollipop', due to his penchant for licking feet, legs and buttocks of the hired women, and he was into S+M fetish clubs. There was a calling card left there too, and both were from a 19th century children's classic, "Shock-Headed Peter". The victims were both members and founders of a now defunct sect, 'The Fauna Lovers Club', affluent animal lovers who went on safari to collect endangered species and transport them back to Villa Hoffman, and also pot and hashish in the process - so probably more flora than fauna. They disbanded when their leader, Hoffman, split for Amsterdam with all the proceeds, and is now rumored deceased. And the Villa abandoned.Elsewhere, someone who's missing a few fingers is compiling a scrapbook from the obituaries of the fallen members. The Inspector and his lowbrow assistant get a lead and are off to an address in a low income apartment area, and while they're sidetracked by an attractive tenant who undresses as distraction after telling them to leave, the person of interest gets away on a scooter. They find the scrapbook in his apartment and locate him hiding nearby, and Lomenzo and he scuffle brutally before the suspect is arrested. He's a former pimp who just got out of stir, and now they believe they've got their killer but, that same night, a streetwalker in a secluded area is accosted, bound to a tree, doused with gas and set aflame. Another illustration is left on her scorched corpse, and the inspector is back to square one.Soon enough, three more members of the notorious club are killed in different but equally grisly manners, more illustrations are left at crime scenes, and Inspector Lomenzo meets a fashion model (Corrine Clery) who too was once a club member, and they begin a relationship that unveils new information regarding a party held at The Villa Hoffman four years ago where bizarre sex games, drugs, and a dead call girl all tie into the homicides currently under investigation. The backstory now unfolds through a series of ingenious flashbacks, and there's also a unique subplot involving a high-tech surveillance company run by Eli Wallach (in one of his better late-career roles) that plays more than a passing role in the film's interesting plot and outcome. But that's all that can be divulged without spoilers, and this little gem is certainly worth hunting out and watching the 'Plot of Fear' unfold for you. There's much more than I've even suggested going on in this flick, and Cavara does a solid job directing a fine cast in a late-period giallo that keeps you unaware of the final outcome and killer (or is he?) until that moment arrives. Peppered throughout with dark humor and wry dialogue, this one won't insult your intelligence while you're awaiting the next kill or probable outcome.RaroVideo again delivers a little-known film that's newly transferred with great colors and contrast, crystal-clear audio, new subtitles (though there are a few typos) and the occasional blemish here and there to remind us of its age (and probable poor storage through the decades), but these in no way diminish your viewing enjoyment. I was entertained from start to finish, and recommend this one highly to anyone looking for an older oddity to help bring them down from the bad acid of all that CGI crap they've been ingesting lately. 4 stars.

I finally got around to viewing Director Paolo Cavara's 'PLOT OF FEAR' aka 'E TANTO PAURA'-1978 and was riveted to my monitor wanting this film to never reach its climax. I agree with the other reviewers in that the plot is so intriguing that the story line becomes superfluous as the characters careen off each other beautifully to the pace of screenwriters Cavara, Bernardino Zapponi and Enrico Oldoini excellent script. Actor Michele Placido is the perfect anti hero and gorgeous French actress Corinne Clery who would go on to become a Bond Girl in Director Lewis Gilbert's 'MOONRAKER'-1979 the following year keep the pace moving at a rapid clip with cameos by American actor Eli Wallach and a very early take by Tom Skerritt before his encounter with Director Ridley Scott's 'ALIEN'-1979. The other reviewers have delved into the plot so enjoy the great photography from Franco Di Giacomo who also worked with Dario Argento among others and the Morricone-like music score by Daniele Patucchi. Director Cavara who started out with documentaries like 'MONDO CANE'-1962 directed one of my favorite Giallo's 'THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA' aka 'LA TARANTOLA DEL VENTRE NERO'-1971 and really shows style as he delivers the goods. This Raro Video release has great interviews with the Director's son Pietro, writer Enrico Oldioni, and actor Michele Placido who has a great story about actress Clery. I viewed the DVD release and it is presented in a gorgeous 1.85 transfer with Dolby Digital Stereo sound and English and Italian with English Subtitles. All in all, a great purchase for Euro Horror and thriller fans. Highly recommended.