Since 1969 Hitchcock had been in the relative wilderness, attempting to launch new projects without much success. 'Marnie', 'Torn Curtain' and 'Topaz' had all failed to ring at the box office and more significantly with the critics, 1972 saw Hitchcock return to England, and embark on a low key thriller for Universal.

Much of 'Frenzy's success stems from the screenplay of Anthony Shaffer, with Hitch occasionally rediscovering the flourishes and flair that he brought to earlier works. On the whole though, there is little for Hitch to embellish with his directorial skills, an unremittingly grim tale which follows the trail of bodies left by a serial killer in the centre of London. The script is a delight, and the low key but familiar cast perform it well, a rather different variant on Hitch's innocent-in-peril. Here the innocent is not so clean cut, and many of the characters in the story have little in the way of redeeming qualities. That we root and feel sympathy for the 'hero' is testament to the writing of Shaffer, and acting of Barry Foster, as the villain.

Richard Blaney, former RAF pilot, has landed on hard times. Divorced, penniless through failed ventures, and working part time behind a bar, he is running out of favours. Through a misunderstanding he loses his bar job, and finds that his only option left is to visit his ex-wife and ask for financial help. His wife now runs a successful dating agency, and Blaney struggles not be resentful. His temper never was his strong point, and for a swift divorce, it was agreed to cite physical and mental abuse on the papers.

Unwittingly, every movement and action of the previous 2 days has linked Blaney with his wifes death. Traces of her makeup on the notes he was given, his temper, the list of coincidences is endless. The only person who believes his innocence as he attempts to escape police capture is his mate Bob Rusk. Good old Bob will make sure 'Dick' is okay, and he will look after Blaneys girlfriend Babs too. He will take good care of her. After all, Bob likes women, so much so that he signed onto the books of a dating agency...

Using great locations around the capital, Hitch gives us a bustling, hustling London free of red buses, Beefeaters and shots of over familiar landmarks. We witness a working city, where everyone is too busy to notice a girl disappearing here, and the erratic behaviour of one man amongst a sea of faces. The set pieces are vintage Hitchcock, and although the rape and murder of Blaney's ex-wife lingers onscreen a little too long, it is well staged and paints a horrifying portrait of the act of rape. A later sequence of great ingenuity follows the attempts of Rusk to recover a vital tie pin from the grasp of a dead victim. Classic Hitchcock. The suspense is unbearable.