People are voting emotionally.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

In FRENZY, Hitchcock returns to his beloved London, and throughout the film one gets the impression that he was really enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of his city. The wonderful Cockney accents keep coming up, the typical wisecracks, all conjure up a wonderful plot, based on one of the Master's favorite themes: the wrongly accused man who has been framed, and fights outrageous (mis)fortune.Direction is inspired, acting is generally of the highest order, although a stronger actor than Finch might have elevated FRENZY to masterpiece status. In contrast, Foster is superb as the tie murderer, clearly intelligent enough to frame Finch and to lure his victims, and yet bearing some signs of split personality, both loving and despising women. The rape scene with Barbra Leigh-Hunt is disturbing even today, especially because of they way he changes from a crescendo of lust to one of hatred once he is done. Alec McCowen as the chief inspector, and Vivien Merchant, as his wife, steal the show with some truly delicious cullinary discussions, with McCowen wishing he could just eat fish and chips, while Merchant keeps coming up with pig's trotter and other supposed French delights. The drink she makes for a visiting police inspector is one of the film's comic highlights, in all its British understatement. In fact, the McCowen-Merchant relationship is the only durable one in the film - all the others break down tragically and otherwise, but always with darkly comic touches.Photography is very economical but extremely well done, and script is great, with an ending that is textbook stuff in its simplicity and objectivity: "You are not wearing your tie, Mr Rusk". FRENZY is reminiscent of other films in Hitch's early British period, notably THE 39 STEPS and YOUNG AND INNOCENT, but imbued with the cynicism of the 1970s. Hitch was on top form here.Strongly recommended. 8/10

Sometimes, a movie is made that focuses on the wrong things for its type. "Frenzy" is exactly that type of movie.For a basic plot summary, "Frenzy" is set in England where a mysterious "Necktie Murderer" continues to claim victim after victim (strangling them with a necktie). Minor Spoiler: Very quickly into the movie, we learn that one man is truly the vicious murderer, while another is being wrongly pursued for the killings. This sets up the drama as the rest of the movie unfolds.The trouble with "Frenzy" is that it seems like the film was Hitch's way of entering "the modern era" of filmmaking. After being criticized for his mostly boring Cold War "thrillers" like "Topaz" & "Torn Curtain", Hitch sets "Frenzy" in "today" and ups the ante in the violence department (this is also the only Hitchcock film in which nudity is present).Sadly, while making that jarring transition, Hitch seemed to have left behind some of the terrific suspense and storytelling in his earlier film. For "Frenzy" to work, it needed to be a taut, tense, psychological treatise on the mind of a serial killer. Instead, Hitch turns it into a rather procedural piece that sometimes even borders on predictability. The only real character insights given are done so in Hitch's trademark comedic tongue-in-cheek way.Thus, while decent enough to hold one's interest, "Frenzy" falls under the "disappointment" category for this viewer. Worth a watch from Hitch nuts, but otherwise can easily be skipped in favor of other fare.

After seeing this impressive masterpiece for the third time I thought Sir Alfred Hitchcock's active career took place two or three decades too early with reference to his true nature. Here he was free from the constraints of U.S. puritanism of the Forties and Fifties. He was a modern here. He showed how to direct a shockingly macabre story with brilliant flair and impact, but also with a fine balance between slashing and insinuation. Frenzy was Ealing Studio stuff transported into future, as an emancipated variant of Baronets and Good Hearts – so British. Dear John (Carpenter), did you ever see this one? For some strange reason I kept on thinking of Freud all the while I was watching this. 8/10

This. This is more like it. After the last few Hitchcock films left me wanting a little, FRENZY returns to the type of film that he did so well. The plot is one that he frequently used: an innocent man wrongly accused, but he didn't just rehash old material. He upped his game and brought his filmmaking style into a more modern sensibility, all while maintaining the suspense and black humor that had become his trademarks. While I've yet to see any of the films from his British period, I am aware that FRENZY hearkens back to his first real success, which was THE LODGER. And in terms of what I've actually seen, I noticed a lot of DNA from earlier efforts like SABOTEUR, REAR WINDOW, and PSYCHO. The film grabs you and sucks you in from the opening notes of its title sequence, a fanfare which triumphantly announces that he's back: back in his native England, and back in top form. And it wastes no time in thrusting you into this familiar, yet slightly changed world. One thing that benefits the film a lot is the screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, which is filled with great dialogue and biting wit. There was also a sinister, Victorian elegance to the score. And, as with all of his other films, there are a few sequences which stand out. The best of these is probably a long, continuous shot which pulls back from the scene of a crime as Hitchcock leaves it (and its aftermath) to the audience's imagination. Still, perhaps in concession to the changing times, this film does contain some nude scenes and somewhat more vicious-minded, if not particularly graphic, violence. It reminds us that the gory details are often best left to the imagination; they're the icing on the cake, and not the cake itself. Another audacious thing Hitchcock does is make the protagonist rather unlikeable and have us sympathize (at least in one protracted scene) with the villain. Overall, I thought that he was in top form here, adeptly mixing suspense and comedy, all while exploring his favorite themes of sex, death, and food. In regards to food, the Chief Inspector's wife has perhaps a couple of the funniest scenes in the whole film. For me, FRENZY was a welcome return to form after the last few misfires, and it's great that Hitch seems to be going out on top.