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| DIRECTED BY |
| Alfred Hitchcock |
| STARRING |
| Jon Finch |
| Alec McCowen |
| Barry Foster |
| Billie Whitelaw |
| Anna Massey |
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Alfred Hitchcock has always had a penchant for abruptly inserting fatuous humor into his films, which otherwise have a very eerie and sinister atmosphere. Sometimes this sudden drollery is appropriate and fun to watch, but only when it doesn�t seem like simply an excuse to subvert the audience�s attention from the menace of the actual story; unfortunately, Hitchcock�s use of humor in �Frenzy� seems to be used for that reason exactly.
The �actual story� in question is of a seemingly benign and handsome man who prowls the streets of London, stoically asphyxiating beautiful women with his necktie. This is a menacing story indeed, and when Hitchcock doesn�t venture into slapstick territory with it, it�s frighteningly compelling. Now in the 21st Century, the serial killer storyline has become something of a clich�, yet this film still manages to be moderately affective thanks to Jon Finch�s creepy performance.
There isn�t much denying that Hitchcock�s best work came when he carried his direction with the utmost seriousness � la �Psycho� and �Vertigo;� even �Rear Window� and �North by Northwest� aren�t nearly as unnecessarily humorous as �Frenzy,� and when humor is used in those films, it doesn�t seem all that distracting. Of course Hitchcock always was the Master of Suspense, not Comedic Suspense; it�s just a shame that he sometimes seemed to not realize that.
