Frenzy (1972)

A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

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

Stars:

Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

London is terrorized by a vicious sex killer known as The Necktie 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 | rape | strangulation | murder of a nude woman | on the run | 

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Taglines:

A shattering tale of psychological horror

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy

Filming Locations:

Coburg Hotel, 129 Bayswater Road, London, England. UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,000,000, 31 January 1989

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (uncredited)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the awful meals prepared for Chief Inspector Oxford by his wife, cailles aux raisins (quail with grapes), is what both Andre and Wally order at the beginning of My Dinner with Andre (1981).

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Goofs

When Rusk gets into the potato truck, he lowers the tailgate. After getting in, he tries to raise the tailgate, but cannot. Later on the highway, a shot from behind the truck shows the tailgate is up. When the driver stops after being told he is spilling his load, the tailgate is down again and the driver raises it and pins it shut.

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Quotes

Richard Blaney: Do I look like a sex murderer to you? Can you imagine me creeping around London, strangling all those women with ties? That's ridiculous... For a start, I only own two.

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Crazy Credits

The Universal Pictures logo does not appear on this film.

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Alternate Versions

The main titles were completely redone for the 2012 Blu-Ray release. This includes a completely different font, and quite a few typos were accidentally left in.

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Connections

Featured in Aquarius: Alfred the Great (1972)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

One Potato...Two Potato...Three Potato...Four

The grand man of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, directs this dark film about a man that kills women with neckties with relish, aplomb, and an atypical grimness. The story is typical Hitch as an innocent man is pushed into a world of intrigue around him as everyone believes him to be the necktie killer. Jon Finch plays the innocent with earnestness and is quite good in his role. The rest of the cast is very effective as well. Hithcock, however, is the real star with his camera. Although much of the film is nothing more than tried and true material, Alfred Hitchcock makes the mundane spectacular with his camera and some great shots and spaces of silence. The scene where a girl coming back from lunch is awesome as we the audience are made to wait what seems an eternity for her to discover what has taken place since she left. The scene of the camera moving in and out of the house of the killer is also wonderful, as is the scene with the killer in the potato truck. That scene is easily the most suspenseful of the entire film. The film is particularly dark for Hitchcock as a women is raped rather abruptly(for lack of a better word) showing naked breasts and genuine terror. To counter-balance the more lurid aspects of the film is a subplot story of a police inspector, played with charm by Alec McCowen, whose wife constantly feeds him nothing but gourmet meals that sound and look quite horrible! These scenes are so funny and charming! A good thriller from the master of suspense!