Frenzy (1972)

A serial killer is murdering London women with a necktie. The police have a suspect... but he's the wrong man.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Arthur La Bern (novel), Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Stars:

Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Finch	...	Richard Ian Blaney
Alec McCowen	...	Chief Inspector Oxford
Barry Foster	...	Robert Rusk
Billie Whitelaw	...	Hetty Porter
Anna Massey	...	Babs Milligan
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	...	Brenda Margaret Blaney
Bernard Cribbins	...	Felix Forsythe
Vivien Merchant	...	Mrs. Oxford
Michael Bates	...	Sergeant Spearman
Jean Marsh	...	Monica Barling
Clive Swift	...	Johnny Porter
Madge Ryan	...	Mrs. Davison
Elsie Randolph	...	Gladys
Gerald Sim	...	Mr. Usher - Solicitor in Pub
John Boxer	...	Sir George

Storyline

London is terrorised by a vicious sex killer known as the neck tie murderer. Following the brutal slaying of his ex-wife, down-on-his-luck Richard Blaney is suspected by the police of being the killer. He goes on the run, determined to prove his innocence.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | suspect | police | necktie | secretary | 

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Taglines:

A deadly new twist from the original Hitchcock.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frenesí

Filming Locations:

Leicester Square, Soho, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 2,348,248 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alfred Hitchcock originally planned to do his cameo as the body floating in the river. A dummy was even constructed to do the shot. The plans were changed and a female body, a victim of the Necktie Murderer, was used instead. Hitchcock instead became one of the members of the crowd who are listening to the speaker on the river bank. The dummy of Hitchcock was used in the typically humorous trailer hosted by Hitchock himself.

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Goofs

After Blaney escapes from the hospital and is trying to find Rusk, he starts opening his apartment door and opens it about a foot. In the next shot from the inside, we see him opening the door again.

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Quotes

Bob Rusk: Got a place to stay?

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Crazy Credits

The Universal Pictures logo does not appear on this film.

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Connections

Referenced in Halloween (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Poem"
(uncredited)
Music by Zdenek Fibich
Arranged by Ron Goodwin

User Reviews

Exceptional Hitchcock thriller

"Frenzy" was Alfred Hitchcock's next-to-last film. And though it's not a great classic like "Psycho" and "North by Northwest", it's still a very good movie. After making mostly American movies for four decades, Hitchcock returned to his native Britain to make "Frenzy". It's about a series of murders that's devastating London. These murders have two things in common: 1) The victims are all women; and 2) they're all raped and then strangled with a neck-tie. When a marriage counselor is murdered this way, the police suspect the woman's ex-husband is the culprit. But actually the husband is innocent, and is forced to hide out from the cops. "Frenzy" has all the usual Hitchcock elements: thrills, suspense, comedy, and Hitchcock's cameo appearence. The two best scenes in the movie are the hilarious moments when the police inspector (who's heading up the investigation of the neck-tie murders) is served two gourmet dinners by his wife. These scenes are very funny. The comic moments is what gives "Frenzy" a edge over Hitchcock's previous film "Topaz". Plus, it's a more entertaining thriller.

*** (out of four)