PLOT OF FEAR (1976, original title E tanta paura) is a lesser-known giallo from Paolo Cavara, who previously helmed BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA. This one tells a familiar story and perhaps packs a little too much story into its running time, but it has some novel twists and interesting moments along the way. It begins with two murders seemingly unconnected: a man strangled to death by a prostitute in his own apartment, a woman bludgeoned on a bus, but both killers leave illustrations from the same book of fairy tales on the corpses...
The film is saddled with a really dull and unlikeable cop protagonist, but we do get Hollywood stars Tom Skerritt and Eli Wallach in support alongside Corinne Clery (HITCH-HIKE), so it's not all bad. There are two separate mysteries to solve here, one a sinister historical mystery involving murder and disappearances, the other the modern-day murders. It's not overly gory but there is some graphic content and creative killing, and one scene with an obscene cartoon which really makes the viewer uncomfortable. The eventual explanation is overly talky but has a very novel method of murder.
The film is saddled with a really dull and unlikeable cop protagonist, but we do get Hollywood stars Tom Skerritt and Eli Wallach in support alongside Corinne Clery (HITCH-HIKE), so it's not all bad. There are two separate mysteries to solve here, one a sinister historical mystery involving murder and disappearances, the other the modern-day murders. It's not overly gory but there is some graphic content and creative killing, and one scene with an obscene cartoon which really makes the viewer uncomfortable. The eventual explanation is overly talky but has a very novel method of murder.