Frenzy (1972)
In 1972 Alfred Hitchcock returned to the Psycho Killer genre he helped popularize. Frenzy is a murder thriller as much like an Italian Giallo as it like anything Hitchcock produced before. Shocking violence, and lurid sexuality is explicitly shown, as opposed to hinted at. Though Hitchcock's typically ghoulish sense of humour is well represented.
London is in the grip of a sex crazed killer, the Necktie Murderer. A woman's body is found in the Thames, and a group of onlookers push and shove for a better view. In a pub, an upper class gentleman jokes that he hopes the killer isn't caught too soon. It's good for tourism. we are introduced to Richard Blaney, a bitter divorcee, just as he's fired from his job as a barman. Richard drinks to much, and is prone to violent outbursts of self pity. Could he be the killer? No, but after his ex-wife is strangled, he's having a hard time convincing the police of that. That might look like a spoiler, but Frenzy isn't a murder mystery. We see the killer in action, and know his identity early on.
Frenzy doesn't rank up there with Psycho, but it's an interesting film, sure to please those who enjoy the Murder Thrillers that popped up world wide in Psycho's wake.
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