Frenzy

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Frenzy

R

1972

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

London is held in the grip of a serial killer whose modus operandi is to murder his victims by strangling them with a necktie. When short-tempered ex-Royal Air Force officer Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) discovers his ex-wife (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) murdered, Blaney becomes a suspect. Forced to go on the run, Blaney attempts to take refuge with his best friend, fruit merchant Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), however Rusk may, in fact, be the necktie murderer himself.

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Critics Consensus

Marking Alfred Hitchcock's return to England and first foray into viscerally explicit carnage, Frenzy finds the master of horror regaining his grip on the audience's pulse -- and making their blood run cold.

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

01/22/2024

There is also a sort of sabertoothed gentility that [Hitchcock] greatly relishes, and no one else in the commercial cinema uses savage silence so well.

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Penelope Houston

Sight & Sound

05/13/2020

Once a Londoner, always a Londoner. Hitchcock's return to home ground, twenty-two years after Stage Fright, is a remarkable performance in most senses of the word.

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TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

05/13/2020

In case there was any doubt, back in the dim days of Marnie and Topaz, Hitchcock is still in fine form. Frenzy is the dazzling proof.

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Carson Timar

ClapperCast

Oct 5

Hitchcock struggles without the restrictions of the Hays Code and creates a film that is quite abrasive and confusingly boring.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 19

3/5

…Anthony Shaffer’s adaptation is very much a pot-boiler, but 'old man's sex suspenser' Frenzy offers some mercurial touches from director Alfred Hitchcock that make the rather grubby story offer an arcane poetry of tatty, early 70’s London attitides….

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Jun 11

For a modern audience, Frenzy impresses as another example of expert Hitchockian terror and humor, but it disappoints in many particulars.

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Stephen M

Nov 28

This is a gripping film in which the director gets his hands dirty through several excellent performances. Foster in particular is chillingly credible. Hats off to Hitch for rising to the occasion in his home town when he'd largely been written off.

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Mark H

@Zeppo Jul 20

A long slog through old ideas. Michael Caine seemingly unavailable for Rusk.

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Isa B

Jul 13

This film has it all. Suspenseful plot twists. Hilarious comedy. It is well-written, well acted, and one of Alfred Hitchcock's best, most underrated motion pictures. I didn't even know of this film until yesterday. Psycho is a great film, and one of the most iconic horror films in the history of cinema. However, once you've seen it, that's it. It really is devoid of replay value. I love Psycho, by the way. I think Vertigo is a great film, but it is highly overrated, in my humble opinion. Frenzy, on the other hand, truly has it all. The camera work is brilliant. The scenes where the chief inspector is eating his wife's cooking are among the funniest I've ever seen. I love this picture, as it immediately became one of my favorites. I highly recommend it. 96/100

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Kyle M

Jun 30

Hitchcock’s attempt to supposedly return to form started promising till it gradually became your generic crime thriller that he questionably lost his forte since decidedly unmasking the terror early on without growing any suspense except for occasional chill shots that are graphic manifestations of the bold, discomforting subject. Sure there are few tactically intellectual aspects in regard whilst seemingly attempted an unconventional approach, but what’s the point when the plot’s been spoiled if nothing mattered besides hoping for a satisfying resolution? Only one conversing subplot is rewarding over its cleverness and amusing pattern amid a performative testament. (B-)

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 27

Success in 1 hour and 56 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kalissa H

@kali_416 Jun 22

Not my favorite Hitchcock film, but the scene showing the act of the first murder was chilling.

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Jon Finch

Richard Ian Blaney

Barry Foster

Robert Rusk

Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Brenda Margaret Blaney

Anna Massey

Barbara Jane "Babs" Milligan

Alec McCowen

Chief Inspector Oxford

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Synopsis

London is held in the grip of a serial killer whose modus operandi is to murder his victims by strangling them with a necktie. When short-tempered ex-Royal Air Force officer Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) discovers his ex-wife (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) murdered, Blaney becomes a suspect. Forced to go on the run, Blaney attempts to take refuge with his best friend, fruit merchant Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), however Rusk may, in fact, be the necktie murderer himself.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Arthur La Bern, Anthony Shaffer
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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