Film Synopsis
A wealthy couple runs a high-tech poultry farm where genetic experimentation and corporate ambition collide with secrets and betrayal. When the husband begins an affair with his wife’s cousin, a twisted power play unfolds, involving murder and psychological manipulation. As the boundaries between industrial progress and human depravity blur, the farm becomes a stage for paranoia and existential dread.
Critical Perspective
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Every now and again, avant-garde filmmakers would try their hand at something commercial like the giallo. … Perhaps the most bizarre and off-the-wall contribution would come from Giulio Questi, whose Death Laid an Egg contains all the basic elements one associates with the genre, even if the end result is as perplexing as it is difficult to categorize. … The thriller elements are as playful as they are deceptive, but the film builds to a memorably nasty finale. Questi’s use of mise en scène ensures that the film looks terrific from start to finish, and if the film does not go in for the same sleazy and ultra-gory excesses of so many lesser thrillers of later years, it was still pretty strong stuff for its day.
Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, Volume 1, 1963-1973 (Midnight Marquee Press, 2015)
Death Laid an Egg Blu-ray editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Cult Epics BD-ALL/US 2020 | Cult Epics BD-ALL/US 2017 | Nucleus BD-B/UK 2018 | Elea BD-ALL/DE 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson | ||||
| Audio Commentary by Alan Jones and Kim Newman | ||||
| Antonio Bruschini: A Movie Review By | ||||
| Discovering Questi - Interview with BFI’s James Blackford | ||||
| The Outsider - Interview with Director/Co-Writer Giulio Questi | ||||
| Sonic Explorations - Interview with Lovely Jon | ||||
| Alternate English Credits as “Death Laid an Egg” | ||||
| Alternate German Credits as “Die Falle” | ||||
| BBFC Cuts | ||||
| European Trash Cinema: “Death Laid an Egg” - Fanzine Pages | ||||
| Stills Gallery [Cult Epics] - Lobby Cards | ||||
| Stills Gallery [Elea] | ||||
| Stills Gallery [Nucleus] - Promotional, Home Video | ||||
| Isolated Score | ||||
| English Theatrical Trailer | ||||
| Italian Theatrical Trailer | ||||
| “Doctor Schizo e Mister Phrenic” - Directed by Giulio Questi |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Nucleus’ “The European Cult Cinema Collection” Blu-ray is also available as a “Limited Edition” containing 5 postcards.
- Elea’s “Giallo Double Feature” Blu-ray also includes Yellow: The Cousins (1969) and a 12-page booklet with writing by Christian Keßler (in German).
Blu-ray comparison available on 
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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Antonio Bruschini: A Movie Review By (2009, 5:07) -
Discovering Questi (19:47) -
The Outsider (2009, 12:40) -
Sonic Explorations (23:51) -
“Doctor Schizo e Mister Phrenic” (Short, 2002, 14:58)
| Editions |
Cult Epics BD 2020
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Nucleus BD 2018
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Elea BD 2015
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| Extras | Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson Cult Epics BD |
| Audio Commentary by Alan Jones and Kim Newman Nucleus BD | |
| Antonio Bruschini: A Movie Review By Nucleus BD | |
| Discovering Questi - Interview with BFI’s James Blackford Nucleus BD | |
| The Outsider - Interview with Director/Co-Writer Giulio Questi Nucleus BD | |
| Sonic Explorations - Interview with Lovely Jon Nucleus BD | |
| Alternate English Credits as “Death Laid an Egg” Nucleus BD | |
| Alternate German Credits as “Die Falle” Nucleus BD | |
| BBFC Cuts Nucleus BD | |
| European Trash Cinema: “Death Laid an Egg” - Fanzine Pages Nucleus BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Cult Epics] - Lobby Cards Cult Epics BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Elea] Elea BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Nucleus] - Promotional, Home Video Nucleus BD | |
| Isolated Score Cult Epics BD | |
| English Theatrical Trailer Nucleus BD | |
| Italian Theatrical Trailer Nucleus BD | |
| “Doctor Schizo e Mister Phrenic” - Directed by Giulio Questi Cult Epics BD |