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CrimeThrillerHorror

Frenzy

- Just an ordinary necktie used with a deadly new twist.

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.

Release Date : 1972-05-25

Language :EnglishFrenchItalian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal PicturesAlfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Jon Finch

Character Name : Richard Ian Blaney

Original Name : Jon Finch

Gender : Male

Barry Foster

Character Name : Robert Rusk

Original Name : Barry Foster

Gender : Male

Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Character Name : Brenda Margaret Blaney

Original Name : Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Gender : Female

Anna Massey

Character Name : Barbara Jane 'Babs' Milligan

Original Name : Anna Massey

Gender : Female

Alec McCowen

Character Name : Chief Inspector Tim Oxford

Original Name : Alec McCowen

Gender : Male

Vivien Merchant

Character Name : Mrs. Oxford

Original Name : Vivien Merchant

Gender : Female

Billie Whitelaw

Character Name : Hetty Porter

Original Name : Billie Whitelaw

Gender : Female

Clive Swift

Character Name : Johnny Porter

Original Name : Clive Swift

Gender : Male

Bernard Cribbins

Character Name : Felix Forsythe

Original Name : Bernard Cribbins

Gender : Male

Michael Bates

Character Name : Sergeant Spearman

Original Name : Michael Bates

Gender : Male

Jean Marsh

Character Name : Monica Barling

Original Name : Jean Marsh

Gender : Female

Madge Ryan

Character Name : Mrs. Davison

Original Name : Madge Ryan

Gender : Female

Elsie Randolph

Character Name : Gladys

Original Name : Elsie Randolph

Gender : Female

Gerald Sim

Character Name : Mr. Usher the Solicitor in Pub

Original Name : Gerald Sim

Gender : Male

John Boxer

Character Name : Sir George

Original Name : John Boxer

Gender : Male

George Tovey

Character Name : Neville Salt

Original Name : George Tovey

Gender : Male

Jimmy Gardner

Character Name : Hotel Porter

Original Name : Jimmy Gardner

Gender : Male

Noel Johnson

Character Name : Doctor in Pub

Original Name : Noel Johnson

Gender : Male

Alfred Hitchcock

Character Name : Spectator at Opening Rally (uncredited)

Original Name : Alfred Hitchcock

Gender : Male

Lewis Alexander

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Lewis Alexander

Gender : Male

Brian Badcoe

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Brian Badcoe

Gender : Male

Michael Bilton

Character Name : Trial Jury Foreman (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Bilton

Gender : Male

Joby Blanshard

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Joby Blanshard

Gender : Male

Willy Bowman

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Willy Bowman

Gender : Male

Jim Brady

Character Name : Juror (uncredited)

Original Name : Jim Brady

Gender : Male

Donald Campbell

Character Name : The Mayor (uncredited)

Original Name : Donald Campbell

Gender : Male

John Cannon

Character Name : Murder Scene Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : John Cannon

Gender : Male

John Cater

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : John Cater

Gender : Male

Pauline Chamberlain

Character Name : Woman in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Pauline Chamberlain

Gender : Female

Terence Conoley

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Terence Conoley

Gender : Male

Gerry Cowper

Character Name : Spectator at Opening Rally (uncredited)

Original Name : Gerry Cowper

Gender : Female

Maxwell Craig

Character Name : Fruit Buyer (uncredited)

Original Name : Maxwell Craig

Gender : Male

June Ellis

Character Name : Maisie - Barmaid (uncredited)

Original Name : June Ellis

Gender : Female

Hugh Elton

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Hugh Elton

Gender : Male

Mabel Etherington

Character Name : Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Mabel Etherington

Gender : Female

Charles Farrell

Character Name : Complaining Pub Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Farrell

Gender : Male

Harry Fielder

Character Name : Covent Garden Lorry Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Harry Fielder

Gender : Male

Otto Friese

Character Name : Juror (uncredited)

Original Name : Otto Friese

Gender : Male

Alan Gibbs

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Alan Gibbs

Gender : Male

Roberta Gibbs

Character Name : Body in River Thames (uncredited)

Original Name : Roberta Gibbs

Gender : Female

Jill Goldston

Character Name : Woman in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Jill Goldston

Gender : Female

John Golightly

Character Name : CID Police Photographer (uncredited)

Original Name : John Golightly

Gender : Male

Josie Grant

Character Name : Woman in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Josie Grant

Gender : Male

Aidan Harrington

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Aidan Harrington

Gender : Male

Victor Harrington

Character Name : Spectator on South Bank (uncredited)

Original Name : Victor Harrington

Gender : Male

Drewe Henley

Character Name : Forensics Technician (uncredited)

Original Name : Drewe Henley

Gender : Male

Hubert Hill

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Hubert Hill

Gender : Male

Ken Hutchins

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Ken Hutchins

Gender : Male

Barry Keegan

Character Name : Hospital Patient (uncredited)

Original Name : Barry Keegan

Gender : Male

Juba Kennerley

Character Name : Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Juba Kennerley

Gender : Male

Roy Lansford

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Roy Lansford

Gender : Male

Ricky Lansing

Character Name : Market Worker (uncredited)

Original Name : Ricky Lansing

Gender : Male

Tommy Little

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Tommy Little

Gender : Male

Doreen Mantle

Character Name : Woman in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Doreen Mantle

Gender : Female

Mary Maxfield

Character Name : Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Mary Maxfield

Gender : Male

Bunny May

Character Name : Barman (uncredited)

Original Name : Bunny May

Gender : Male

Margaret Nolan

Character Name : Young Woman (uncredited)

Original Name : Margaret Nolan

Gender : Female

James Payne

Character Name : Covent Garden Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : James Payne

Gender : Male

Bob Ramsey

Character Name : Man in Pub (uncredited)

Original Name : Bob Ramsey

Gender : Male

Robert Rietti

Character Name : Doctor (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Rietti

Gender : Male

Phillip Ross

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Phillip Ross

Gender : Male

Michael Sheard

Character Name : Jim (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Sheard

Gender : Male

Jack Silk

Character Name : Police Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Silk

Gender : Male

Roy Skelton

Character Name : CID Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Roy Skelton

Gender : Male

Colin Spaull

Character Name : Man (uncredited)

Original Name : Colin Spaull

Gender : Male

Richard Wyler

Character Name : Truck Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Richard Wyler

Gender : Male

Reg Thomason

Character Name : Court Official (uncredited)

Original Name : Reg Thomason

Gender : Male

Susan Travers

Character Name : Victim (uncredited)

Original Name : Susan Travers

Gender : Female

Joseph Tregonino

Character Name : Pub Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Joseph Tregonino

Gender : Male

Paul Tropea

Character Name : Boy at the Thames (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Tropea

Gender : Male

Bert Vivian

Character Name : Man in Crowd (uncredited)

Original Name : Bert Vivian

Gender : Male

Pearl Walters

Character Name : Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Pearl Walters

Gender : Male

Rita Webb

Character Name : Mrs Rusk (uncredited)

Original Name : Rita Webb

Gender : Female

Eric Wetherell

Character Name : Juror (uncredited)

Original Name : Eric Wetherell

Gender : Male

Fred Wood

Character Name : Pub Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Fred Wood

Gender : Male

Martin Wyldeck

Character Name : Sir George's Aide (uncredited)

Original Name : Martin Wyldeck

Gender : Male

Jeremy Young

Character Name : Detective (uncredited)

Original Name : Jeremy Young

Gender : Male

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Chillingly humorous Hitchcock piece of work. It's always great to take a revisit to Frenzy some years after your last viewing, to re-evaluate it post haste. As a proud Englishman it gives me great pleasure to see the Master back in England capturing the English time frame of London perfectly, for the film works because we really get the vibe of the place and believe in the characters who frequent the area, Hitch delivers this no problem at all. The story stands up as genuine thriller material, some crazy fruit loop is strangling women with neck ties and the police are trailing the wrong man...Sound familiar? Well yes it is, but Hitch being Hitch, he manages to bring dashes of humour to go with the tense taut terror unfolding on the screen. The cast do fine here, and I do believe that the fact that none of the actors are top draw names actually helps the film bring out an uneasy feel, here the interesting fleshing of the characters is one of Hitchcock's great strengths in this particular piece. The villain of the piece stands up as one of the best because he could easily be your best mate, someone you readily turn to in times of need, yet strip away that facade and you get the savage murdering rapist that Hitchcock takes great delight in assaulting our eyes with. Lovely...Lovely...LOVELY....LOVELY ! Although its rating on the IMDb movie site hovers around 7.5 I have always been led to believe that Frenzy wasn't all that well thought of, with tales of America refusing to embrace the film because of the London sensibility, and tired old arguments about the great man being past his peak etc. I have no idea if any of those statements are true? But what I personally know is that Frenzy is a very good film that has me squirming and laughing in equal measure. So with that it may just be shy of being a Hitchcock classic, but still it stands up as better than what most other thriller directors could ever have hoped to have achieved back in that era. 8/10

D

DalekDave01

@DalekDave01

2021-06-23

This is one of those thrillers that is in no way a whodunnit as it becomes evident very early on that the killer is who you think it is going to be. But that is not sloppy film making, it is entirely deliberate, for the mystery here is not who is the killer, but will he get away with it, and what will happen to our hero? It is a well plotted piece, and, oddly, based on a true story. [see Jack The Stripper - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_nude_murders] Some fine performances from good, steady actors, all giving well rounded characterisations, especially Barry Foster and Billie Whitelaw. The general feel of London in the early 70s is well presented, and the locations are well chosen to give the overall viewing of the film a very satisfactory glow. Not one of Hitchcocks classics, to be fair, but still a great film and one that will certainly entertain.

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-05-28

This is probably my least favourite Hitchcock story. It is still cleverly constructed, but somehow it has a vulgarity to it that I rather struggled with. The premiss is a serial killer who has been brutally killing women using a neck tie, then dumping their bodies. The police are baffled until "Brenda Blaney" (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) is found raped and killed in her office, and suspicion falls on her ex husband "Dick" (Jon Finch). He flees, is apprehended and judicial process takes it's course. We all know who actually killed "Brenda" so insofar as this is a murder mystery, then that's that. It is, though, quite a curious character study of the mind of a man who is jovial and engaging one moment, then brutally lethal the next - a sort of deadly schizophrenia that might be borne out of sexual frustration, or misogyny, childhood - all of the above? Barry Foster is efficient, if a little lightweight as "Rusk" and there are enthusiastic efforts from Anna Massey and pub landlord Bernard Cribbins. What raises this (slightly) above the norm, is the fun sub-plot between Alec McGowen ("Chief Insp. Oxford") and his wife Vivien Merchant - she a budding gourmet who seems intent on offering the poor man the most complex dishes when all he wants is pie and mash; and - as ever with Hitch - intimate and clever use of the camera. What suspense there is all comes to a rather weak head, I felt, and though this is still an eminently watchable film, it is all just a little bit tacky, and it lacks much that made it's director great. It might have worked better in black and white?