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Frenzy

Play trailer Poster for Frenzy R 1972 1h 56m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Frenzy

Frenzy

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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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Critics Reviews

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Penelope Gilliatt The New Yorker Jan 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. Go to Full Review Penelope Houston Sight & Sound May 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. Go to Full Review TIME Staff TIME Magazine May 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. Go to Full Review Carson Timar ClapperCast Oct 5, 2025
Hitchcock struggles without the restrictions of the Hays Code and creates a film that is quite abrasive and confusingly boring. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Sep 19, 2025
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…. Go to Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media Jun 11, 2025
For a modern audience, Frenzy impresses as another example of expert Hitchockian terror and humor, but it disappoints in many particulars. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leaburn O @RT35452347 2 days ago One of Hitchcock’s most underrated films. Set in early 70s London, there isn’t much mystery but there are good twists, large characters and a good plot. The depiction of a margarita as a disgusting culinary nightmare made me laugh. Watched on DVD. See more Robert P @Superbad Oct 5, 2026 Frenzy is a *4* star Movie! See more Shawan L @ShawanLLibang Jan 31, 2026 Frenzy is a visceral, sharp masterpiece, proving Hitchcock could command 1970s grit with the same mastery as old Hollywood glamour. It delivers a flawless mix of macabre humor and cold, calculated thrills, serving as a powerful testament to a director who never lost his edge. See more Stephen M @RT88161576 Nov 28, 2025 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. See more Mark H @Zeppo Jul 20, 2025 A long slog through old ideas. Michael Caine seemingly unavailable for Rusk. See more Isa B @RT32418990 Jul 13, 2025 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 and I highly recommend it. 92/100 See more Read all reviews
Frenzy

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Cast & Crew

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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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Frenzy

Frenzy (1972) Frenzy (1972) Frenzy (1972) Frenzy (1972) Frenzy (1972) Frenzy (1972) View more photos

Movie Info

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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