Frenzy (1972)
86%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 9 nominations
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
Frenzy is a classic Hitchcock thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. With a gripping plot and excellent cast, this film is a must-see for any fan of the genre. The tension builds throughout the movie, and the final reveal will leave you stunned. Plus, it’s always fun to see London on the big screen, even if it’s being terrorized by a psychopathic killer. So grab some popcorn and get ready for a wild ride with Frenzy!
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
The Globe pub, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1972
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1972 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2005
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey, Alec McCowen, Vivien Merchant, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Arthur La Bern, Anthony Shaffer, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Penelope Houston, TIME Staff, Variety Staff, David Parkinson, Dave Kehr, Fernando F Croce, Mike Massie, Michael J Casey, John Hofsess, Sue Heal, Dick Lochte, David Keyes, R rating, London, serial killer, necktie, ex-Royal Air Force officer, suspect, best friend, fruit merchant, psychopathic killer, sex-strangulation murders, nudity, trial, detective, French haute cuisine, horror, suspense, underrated
Worldwide gross: $4,121
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $32,708
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,103
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,567
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Barry Foster – Robert Rusk
Barbara Leigh-Hunt – Brenda Margaret Blaney
Anna Massey – Barbara Jane “Babs” Milligan
Alec McCowen – Chief Inspector Oxford
Vivien Merchant – Mrs. Oxford
Alfred Hitchcock – Director, Producer
Arthur La Bern – Writer
Anthony Shaffer – Writer
Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
Writer(s)
Arthur La Bern, Anthony Shaffer
Producer(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
Film Festivals
Venice
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 9 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (4)
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.
May 13, 2020
Penelope Houston
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
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.
May 13, 2020
TIME Staff
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Armed with a superior script by Anthony Shaffer, an excellent cast, and a top technical crew, Alfred Hitchcock fashions a firstrate melodrama about an innocent man hunted by Scotland Yard for a series of sex-strangulation murders.
May 13, 2020
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Hitchcock’s penultimate film deals with many of his previous themes with typical grim comedy and insight into a psychopathic killer’s mind.
May 13, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
There’s no sign of the serenity and settledness that generally mark the end of a career. Frenzy, instead, continues to question and probe, and there is a streak of sheer anger in it that seems shockingly alive.
May 13, 2020
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Frenzy is easily the strongest of the master’s final works.
June 19, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Fernando F. Croce
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Somewhat lacking for Hitchcock, despite its fascinating deviations from his usual projects.
August 29, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Hitchcock’s most graphic film is also his most unsettling.
August 1, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Boulder Weekly
By using London, a city that has preserved a tradition of citizen safety and civilization, as the background, Hitchcock creates a sharp tension between the city and the rapist-strangler who is running loose.
May 13, 2020
John Hofsess
Maclean’s Magazine
While some regard this as inferior fare, it remains an unsettling piece from a director in his twilight years.
May 13, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Sue Heal
Radio Times
Alfred Hitchcock’s best suspense film in over a decade.
January 16, 2020
Dick Lochte
Los Angeles Free Press
There is a thorough sense of entertainment boiling over the pot here, and the material is well acted, skillful, and photographed with intensity.
March 1, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Frenzy on Fresh Kernels.
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