Frenzy (1972)
A serial killer is murdering London women with a necktie. The police have a suspect... but he's the wrong man. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Written By: Anthony Shaffer, Arthur La Bern
Starring: Billie Whitelaw, Anna Massey, Bernard Cribbins, Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Jean Marsh, Barry Foster, Clive Swift, Vivien Merchant, Michael Bates, Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Genres: Suspense/Thriller, Crime
Country: UK
Where to Stream
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Frenzy belongs to 36 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)
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| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
BillyShears | 80 77th |
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The worst food I have ever seen in any movie and baby I've dabbled in Italian cannibal exploitation and watched Divine eat dog shit. British cooking is hell, every year I find myself in awe watching this youtube video of this pie and mash shop in England where oi there is no gravy just the green liquer and dont forget the jellied eels - I'd rather suck on the gum under the tables. I was actually shocked to see a bare breast in an Alfred Hitchcock film probably as much as Alfred Hitchcock was
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| 6 |  |
Paxton | 70 63rd |
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I know that fashion goes through decennial phases with just about everything becoming a faux pas of some form at some point, but honestly, I wouldn't be caught dead in some of these neckties.
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| 4 |  |
Magb | 80 61st |
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Frenzy is a lot more explicit than any other Hitchcock film. The master is clearly playing with a lot of the elements of his earlier work here, notably his "wrong man" theme and sexually motivated crimes. In retrospect there has been something "clean" and artificial about much of his earlier work involving those themes. Frenzy, however, makes them dirty, disturbing and realistic. I'd say Frenzy is a "tier 2" Hitchcock movie: not as good as his very best, but pretty damn good.
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| 2 |  |
djross | 72 80th |
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In some ways an odd mix, with stylistic features that may already have been a little outdated in 1972, yet with a clear attempt at pushing cinematic boundaries, not only in terms of nudity, but with its cold, hard treatment of sexuality, and containing some excellent shots that rival anything in the director's earlier work in terms of the significance conveyed by the movement of the camera. An unusual work, but one that seems to be the work of a director still very much artistically alive.
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| 2 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45th |
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Certainly a very interesting film from Hitchcock, if not particularly one of his best. He returns to the classic "wrong man" theme, only this time it's 1972, allowing a more liberal depiction of content. A weak plot and drab acting (with the exception of Barry Foster) are notable drawbacks, but Hitch's technique of suspense is consistent throughout, with moments of odd black humor scattered about. A few scenes in need of some trimming as well.
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| 2 |  |
Seryxa | 25 43rd |
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Has-been, unconvincing, cliche-ridden thriller, an old man's sex suspenser, which would have been derided if anyone but Hitchcock had made it. As it is, a few comic and suspenseful touches partly atone for the implausibilities and lapses of taste.
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| 1 |  |
fudgieb | 83 50th |
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Hitch in his decline. He'd made better movies and probably should have left this one on the shelf. It doesn't stain his legacy, but it's like Jordan playing for the Wizards before he retired.
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| 1 |  |
schnofel | 11 1st |
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A bloated, ugly late work that reflects badly on Hitchcock's lifelong obsession with murder - clearly he couldn't always have been this listless dirty old man who hides behind "technique".
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| 1 |  |
doctor7 | 76 64th |
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Definitely not Hitchcock's best but still an above average solid thriller. It's really eye-opening to see some of the views toward rape as this movie doesn't pull any punches as to the brutal nature of rape and murder, it's quite shocking in fact. That said, the best part of the film, for me, has to be the banter between the detective and his wife, who is insistent on cooking seemingly increasingly inedible dinners.
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| 1 | DTI | 83 69th |
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The central premise, or at least how it's presented, is probably darker than most of his other stuff. It all evens out, though, as there's more than enough humour.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 84 77th |
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A good Hitchcock film with an interesting plot and his usual dark humour. Far from his best but still a very good film.
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| 1 |  |
evrana | 48 13th |
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Ah, Hitchcock, the ultimate hit or miss director, Lovely. The problem with this kind of scenarios is that they are so tightly constructed that they border being ridiculous. Add in an annoying, stupid "hero" and it becomes even more lovely. Sexist, stereotyping, treating the audience as if they were dumb, what can I say, Lovely. In the end, aside from a good musical score and some good acting it was not Lovely at all.
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| 1 |  |
twincinema | 80 75th |
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Honestly, the disgusting food that the cop's wife was serving seemed indistinguishable from the other disgusting British food in this film. Yes, even the grapes. This feels like a cross between Hitchcock and De Palma, where it is more unrestrained than Hitchcock's previous work, but still leaves some subtext unlike De Palma (his work is more putting the subtext of Hitchcock into the text).
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| 1 |  |
AFlickering | 2 19th |
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hitch is unmasked and at ease here, his worldview laid bare, and the result may be the closest he got to justifying his boring career-long persona as a deviously manipulative puppetmaster. i prefer his more neurotic, desperately conservative works, brought to life by their frictions, their sweaty wrestling for control. the haunting shot away from the third murder really got to me (lang would've been proud), but the rest is cheekily repugnant in a way that speaks only to his tiresome misanthropy.
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| 1 |  |
nilkynarfy | 60 48th |
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Hitchcock returns to England...and rips off the Italians who ripped him off because he's jealous of the Americans who aren't ripping him off enough. So that's the assessment I had a million years ago when I saw Frenzy, which was basically confirmed by books and shit later. I say 'basically' because I might be making that up. First things last: Frenzy is bad but not boring, and it's also a little attention-starved.
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| 1 |  |
Stain | 100 95th |
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Outstanding late Hitchcock. Stylish, perverse (in a good way, per usual with Hitch :-) ), fascinating throughout. Solid evidence that if Hitch had just managed to live another decade or so, he would have treated us all to numerous films jam-packed with all the explicit nudity and violence that he'd always wanted to include but was disallowed for most of his career. Also a strong candidate for the best closing line in cinema history
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 88 95th |
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For the first hour I figured it was alright, and that was it, just alright, but every time I thought it was over Hitchcock added a little more that gave the plot such intricate character that made me realize this is movie to behold--a wonderous masterpeice truly worthy of praise.
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| 1 |  |
Frosty | 65 51st |
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... lovely... lovely... It's a black comedy blended with classic Hitchcock themes and styles.
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| 1 |  |
DavidBlast | 65 59th |
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Apart from a murder which is LOVELY (ahem) and a scene involving a dead woman's hand - both surprisingly nasty for their time - plus some almost Edward Blakesque dinner gags, this isn't the best I've seen from Hitchcock.
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| 1 |  |
billkerwin | 89 80th |
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Leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but it is still a well-made film.
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| 1 |  |
glumpy_99 | 97 93rd |
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*Moderate spoilers* Outstanding latter day Hitch spotlights Barry Foster in an incredibly creepy performance as the serial killer on a rampage. Finch is excellent in a less showy role as the man all the evidence points to. Alec McCowen is also great as the detective on the case (gotta love his wife's cooking!) and all standard Hitch elements are in place (mothers, an innocent man on the run etc.) Also features one of the most horrifying murder-rape scenes I've ever seen, even 40 years on!
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| 1 |  |
Barraoc | 70 64th |
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An unsympathetic main character, one slimy killer, an inspector who puts more effort into a weird psychological war against his wife than doing any detecting. A silly (rape?) murder scene. A slapstick naked corpse in a bag of spuds on the back of a lorry scene. Methinks this is far from classic Hitchcock.
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| 1 |  |
Ag0stoMesmer | 4 91st |
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The blunt, angrily anti-misogynist script juxtaposed with hitchcocks -particularly lurid and 'un-pretty' here- psycho-sexual delivery made for a strange mix. Despite some eye-rolling misses and even entire scenes that don't work -that silly truck bit for one- it's still good thanks to some interesting shots and a good final act.
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| 1 |  |
ott | 65 47th |
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'anotha necktie murda!' feels a little like a hitchcock parody
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| Average Percentile 60.21% from 1419 Ratings |  |