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Frenzy (1972)

 Frenzy (1972)
type
TVTItem
 Frenzy (1972)
label
Frenzy (1972)
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy1972
 Frenzy (1972)
comment
The penultimate film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Frenzy (1972) was adapted by screenwriter Anthony Shaffer from Arthur La Bern's 1966 novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. It's notable as one of the rare films Hitchcock shot in his native Britain after moving to Hollywood in 1939.Our "hero" Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) is down on his luck; just as he's fired from his job at a London pub, his estranged wife Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) becomes the latest victim of a necktie-wielding rapist and Serial Killer. Because of a witness's mistake, Blaney is now the prime suspect, with only a few of his friends believing in his innocence. When he's left without his allies and implicated by actual murderer Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), Blaney is left to the mercy of the police, led by Chief Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowen). Will Oxford discover the evidence to catch Rusk and clear Blaney's name?No relation to the 1990s PlayStation shooter.
 Frenzy (1972)
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2024-02-25T18:05:17Z
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2024-02-25T18:05:17Z
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DBTropes
 Frenzy (1972) / int_127fc252
type
Creator Cameo
 Frenzy (1972) / int_127fc252
comment
Creator Cameo: Hitchcock as usual, this time in the crowd looking at the body in the river. Before the body is spotted, he stands out during the politician's speech as the only person not applauding.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_127fc252
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Frenzy (1972) / int_127fc252
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1285edb8
type
Fugitive Arc
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1285edb8
comment
Fugitive Arc: When he reads the newspaper at the Coburg Hotel, Blaney realizes that the police is after him. So he hides at Johnny Porter's flat, then at Rusk's, where the police arrests him.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1285edb8
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Frenzy (1972) / int_1285edb8
 Frenzy (1972) / int_12dd1d4c
type
Rape as Drama
 Frenzy (1972) / int_12dd1d4c
comment
Rape as Drama: Rusk rapes his victims before murdering them.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_12dd1d4c
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 Frenzy (1972) / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: Hitchcock's second film to get an R rating, and his only bona fide R-rated picture. This might well be because it was the first film Hitchcock made after the Production Code had been abandoned and ratings were instituted. If he could have filmed Janet Leigh naked he probably would have. The only other two Hitchcock films to be rated R were Torn Curtain in 1968, allegedly for a scene where one of the heroes falsely shouts "FIRE!" in a theatre and causes a panic, something no less than SCOTUS saw as potentially illegal as both dangerous and false, and Psycho which was rated thusly in 1984, during a particularly reactionary period in the MPAA system's history when more modern slashers were causing a moral panic, resulting in an unusually high number of official X ratings at the time—a sizeable school of thought believes that it could qualify for a hard PG-13 if rated today.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_191535aa
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Eiffel Tower Effect
 Frenzy (1972) / int_191535aa
comment
Eiffel Tower Effect: The film gets this out of the way by showing the London skyline in the opening credits. Other than that, it avoids showing the usual landmarks.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_191535aa
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_1cd602ef
type
Calling Card
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1cd602ef
comment
Calling Card: Bob Rusk murders his victims with a tie which he leaves on the body. At one point, Richard mentions that one reason why he can't be the killer is that he can't afford to buy so many ties (tellingly, he is only seen wearing one tie throughout the film).
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1cd602ef
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_1e584efa
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Cruel and Unusual Death
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1e584efa
comment
Cruel and Unusual Death: Brenda's murder remains one of the most horrific, disturbing depictions of violence in film history.
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Frenzy (1972) / int_1e584efa
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1e8f4221
type
Fingore
 Frenzy (1972) / int_1e8f4221
comment
Fingore: One of Rusk's victims managed to grab his pin, forcing him to break her fingers to get it back. Even though she's dead, it's pretty wince-inducing.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_21f3aa44
type
Good Is Not Nice
 Frenzy (1972) / int_21f3aa44
comment
Good Is Not Nice: Richard is an unpleasant piece of work, but is indeed an innocent victim Wrongly Accused of murder.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_222dc873
type
Black Comedy
 Frenzy (1972) / int_222dc873
comment
Black Comedy: Even by Hitchcock's standards, there's some very, very dark comedy in this movie. In the opening scene, a politician's speech is interrupted by the nude body of a woman, strangled with a tie, washing up out of the river. The politician's response is: "I say, that's not my club tie, is it?". All of the scene in which Rusk is bouncing around in a moving potato lorry, scrambling to remove his tie pin from the clutches of Babs's corpse which has gone into in rigor mortis. Especially apparent when the lorry swerves, and the corpse's foot swings up and smacks Bob in the face. Mrs. Oxford snapping sticks of crisp bread in two as her husband talks about how the killer had to break a corpse's fingers.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Frenzy (1972) / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: Rusk's tie pin. Just before killing Brenda, he removes it from his tie. It becomes an important plot device later, when he realizes that he has lost it after disposing of Babs's body into a potato lorry. The potato lorry. Rusk discusses in a pub about the potato business. He says that he has to send a truckload of potatoes back to Lincolnshire tonight. Later, he hides Babs's body in this truckload.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_2de7bbf1
type
Nominal Hero
 Frenzy (1972) / int_2de7bbf1
comment
Nominal Hero: Richard Blaney. He's an unpleasant Jerkass, but not a serial killer.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_313e9485
type
Hero with Bad Publicity
 Frenzy (1972) / int_313e9485
comment
Hero with Bad Publicity: Even before he was framed for murder, Richard Blaney already developed a bad reputation for his attitude towards others, his alcoholism, his short temper and his messy divorce. They are only added as possible motives for Blaney being the killer.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_33029735
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Dies Wide Open
 Frenzy (1972) / int_33029735
comment
Dies Wide Open: And with tongue sticking out.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_33029735
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_33987735
type
Disposing of a Body
 Frenzy (1972) / int_33987735
comment
Disposing of a Body: Early on, we see a body floating on the Thames, Rusk having evidently chucked that particular victim in the river. He does not bother with this after killing Brenda as he just leaves her body in her office. After killing Babs in his flat, though, he has to get rid of her body — which he throws into a potato lorry due to head out of London. At the end of the film, he kills another girl in his flat and brings a chest to hide the body, which is when Inspector Oxford apprehends him.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_33f1c576
type
Not Helping Your Case
 Frenzy (1972) / int_33f1c576
comment
Not Helping Your Case: Blaney honestly only has himself to blame for a lot of his predicament. He keeps doing things that appear suspicious, like getting mad at his ex-wife in public, going to her office just minutes after she is murdered, and asking to clean his clothes when he gets to the hotel. After Blaney is wrongly arrested, he acts out and ultimately escapes from prison. He returns to Rusk's apartment and attacks what he assumes to be Rusk sleeping, but it's the corpse of Rusk's newest victim. To add insult to injury, he does this in front of Inspector Oxford, the one man in a position of authority who doesn't think he's the killer. Fortunately, Rusk quickly shows up in a way to finally implicate himself.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_33f1c576
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_34f8042a
type
Gratuitous French
 Frenzy (1972) / int_34f8042a
comment
Gratuitous French: Mrs Oxford always gives the original French name of the meals she prepares for her husband.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_35ae6a23
type
Lethal Chef
 Frenzy (1972) / int_35ae6a23
comment
Lethal Chef: Mrs. Oxford. Everything she cooks tastes bad, in particular her French gourmet cuisine. Even a cocktail made by her is impossible to drink.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_35ae6a23
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_3cb1d38d
type
Bad Boss
 Frenzy (1972) / int_3cb1d38d
comment
Bad Boss: Forsythe, the publican who fires Blaney at the start of the film and later informs the police that he thinks he's the killer. It's also implied that he is trying to coerce Babs (who works for him) to sleep with him.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_3cb1d38d
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_3d455888
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Then Let Me Be Evil
 Frenzy (1972) / int_3d455888
comment
Then Let Me Be Evil: Since everybody is convinced that he is a murderer, Blaney decides to go Vigilante Man and murder Rusk.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_43a831db
type
Epic Tracking Shot
 Frenzy (1972) / int_43a831db
comment
Epic Tracking Shot: The aerial Oner of the Thames slowly zooming onto the Tower Bridge during the opening credits. Hitchcock had wanted to open Psycho with a similar shot of Phoenix before plans were scuttled, so he must've relished being able to do it for real here, especially since he was from London.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_4c851777
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Black Comedy Rape
 Frenzy (1972) / int_4c851777
comment
Black Comedy Rape: Discussed.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_4c851777
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_4e3decd5
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A Friend in Need
 Frenzy (1972) / int_4e3decd5
comment
A Friend in Need: Johnny Porter hides Blaney in his flat, even if he is accused by the police to be a serial rapist and killer.
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Frenzy (1972) / int_4e3decd5
 Frenzy (1972) / int_544b2bff
type
Signature Item Clue
 Frenzy (1972) / int_544b2bff
comment
Signature Item Clue: Narrowly averted. Although we don't actually see her murder, Babs grabbed Rusk's distinctive tie pin at the last minute. He notices that it's missing only after dumping her body in the potato lorry. He retrieves the pin before anyone else can find it, but the trouble he has in retrieving it creates new, albeit less definite, evidence.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_56725578
type
Driving a Desk
 Frenzy (1972) / int_56725578
comment
Driving a Desk: Very noticeable as Babs and Richard ride in a taxi.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_56725578
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_59907e4f
type
Police Are Useless
 Frenzy (1972) / int_59907e4f
comment
Police Are Useless: Subverted; Oxford is the only one to suspect Richard's innocence from the start. One of very few subversions of this in Hitchcock's work, as he was famously afraid of cops.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_60194b82
type
Spanner in the Works
 Frenzy (1972) / int_60194b82
comment
Spanner in the Works: Barbara grabs Rusk's tiepin as he kills her; his attempt to pry it from her cold dead hands helps provide the evidence to finally send him away.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_60194b82
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Frenzy (1972) / int_60194b82
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6b05b601
type
Jerkass Has a Point
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6b05b601
comment
Jerkass Has a Point: Both Forsythe and Hetty Porter hate Blaney, but their hatred is justified thanks to Blaney's poor work performance at the former's pub (whether or not he intended to pay for the drink, the fact that he was helping himself to the spirits before opening time is in itself reasonable grounds for dismissal) and Blaney's past emotional abuse (to a point of outright cruelty) towards Brenda, which resulted in their messy divorce. Blaney's attitude problem in general has likely earned him the dislike of most of his acquaintances. And, of course, Blaney's protestations of innocence count as this since, unpleasant though he is, he's not a serial killer.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6b05b601
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Frenzy (1972) / int_6b05b601
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6ec4232f
type
Casting Gag
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6ec4232f
comment
Casting Gag: Babs is played by Anna Massey from Peeping Tom.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_6ec4232f
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7012424f
type
Stealth Hi/Bye
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7012424f
comment
Stealth Hi/Bye: Rusk and Blaney are talking at the market. A policeman shows up and says a few words about the necktie murders. Rusk wants to introduce Blaney to the policeman, but Blaney has already disappeared.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7012424f
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_72852a93
type
Henpecked Husband
 Frenzy (1972) / int_72852a93
comment
Henpecked Husband: A couple of examples. Brenda has paired off a man and a woman with a shared interest in beekeeping, but as the newly-matched couple leave her office, the woman reveals herself to be an overbearing control freak who wants her new husband to clean the house before she wakes up like her deceased first husband did, while the man is too timid to raise any objections. When Richard is hiding out with the Porters, Johnny correctly deduces that he couldn't possibly have killed Babs (as he was with them) but his wife Hetty forces him to kick Richard out anyway. Fittingly, Johnny is played by Clive Swift, whose role on Keeping Up Appearances made him the page image for this trope.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7301ae04
type
Serial Killer
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7301ae04
comment
Serial Killer: The Big Bad, of course. His victims are all women he rapes and then murders violently.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7301ae04
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7453bc5b
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Spared by the Adaptation
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7453bc5b
comment
Spared by the Adaptation: In the novel, Rusk's final victim is Brenda's secretary Monica. In the film, the body we see is that of a previously unseen woman.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7453bc5b
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7a143509
type
Shell-Shocked Veteran
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7a143509
comment
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Richard Blaney is an ex-RAF officer whose Jerkassery is caused by his experience during his service which is said to have included Suez. It is likely he suffered PTSD, causing him to become very aggressive.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7a143509
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7c1bf001
type
Character Name Alias
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7c1bf001
comment
Character Name Alias: Blaney and Babs check in at the hotel under the name of "Mr and Mrs Oscar Wilde".
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7c1bf001
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_7eebe99c
type
The Alcoholic
 Frenzy (1972) / int_7eebe99c
comment
The Alcoholic: Blaney has a glass of alcohol in his hand in most of his scenes. Early on in the film, Forsythe fires him from the pub for helping himself to the spirits first thing in the morning.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_8163e2bb
type
Dramatic Drop
 Frenzy (1972) / int_8163e2bb
comment
Dramatic Drop: At the very end of the film, Rusk returns to his apartment with a trunk to dispose of the body of another woman he raped and murdered. However, he finds Oxford and Blaney there. When the former comments dryly that he isn't wearing is tie, Rusk realizes that it's over. With that, he drops the trunk to the floor.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_8163e2bb
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_8767b1f3
type
Black-and-Gray Morality
 Frenzy (1972) / int_8767b1f3
comment
Black-and-Gray Morality: The hero is a Self-Centered Jerkass, while the villain is an Ax-Crazy, sociopathic rapist Serial Killer.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_8767b1f3
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_8928fe5f
type
Dead Man's Chest
 Frenzy (1972) / int_8928fe5f
comment
Dead Man's Chest: Two examples. Rusk hides Bab's body in a sack that he dumps in the back of a lorry full of sacks of potatoes. He then realises that his tie pin is still clutched in the dead woman's hand and has to retrieve it from the back of the moving lorry. In the climax, Oxford and Blaney are interrupted by Rusk dragging a large trunk into his flat, and the implications of what he intends to put inside it are clear.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_92f674e5
type
Revenge
 Frenzy (1972) / int_92f674e5
comment
Revenge: After realizing Rusk is the one who framed him for the killings (including the death of the two loves in his life Brenda and Babs), Richard Blaney at the climax escapes from prison to confront Rusk to avenge himself and presumably the deaths of his two loves.
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_95b7c400
type
Faux Affably Evil
 Frenzy (1972) / int_95b7c400
comment
Faux Affably Evil: Bob Rusk, when he's killing people. He has an air of charm and friendliness around him but it's clear he's up to something bad.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_95b7c400
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_95b7c400
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_95b7c400
 Frenzy (1972) / int_970c790a
type
Big Bad
 Frenzy (1972) / int_970c790a
comment
Big Bad: Bob Rusk, a Serial Killer who has raped and killed numerous women note  we see four victims if you include the body in the Thames at the beginning, which is clearly implied to not be the first such killing and who frames his friend Richard for the murders.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_970c790a
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_970c790a
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Frenzy (1972) / int_970c790a
 Frenzy (1972) / int_97926168
type
Rewatch Bonus
 Frenzy (1972) / int_97926168
comment
Rewatch Bonus: The scene where Blaney visits Rusk at the fruit market after losing his job at the pub. On first viewing, it's just some exposition about Blaney and his life. On rewatch, when you pay close attention to Rusk, he seems to be dropping hints about his intentions. He's the one who suggests to Blaney that he should see his ex-wife, and he also says something about how beautiful Babs is. Rusk may have been planning his next murders and the framing of Blaney for a while. Since we don't really learn Rusk's last name until later in the film, on first viewing we don't catch the significance of Brenda calling him "Mr. Robinson" when he shows up at her office.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_97926168
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Frenzy (1972) / int_97926168
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9843be73
type
As You Know
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9843be73
comment
As You Know: Used word-for-word by Blaney when he tells Rusk at the start of the film that he hasn't visited his ex-wife in a while.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9843be73
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9843be73
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Frenzy (1972) / int_9843be73
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9fe35833
type
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9fe35833
comment
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: After a Horse Racing tip pays off, Rusk is seen celebrating with an older woman whom he introduces to Richard as his mother (she's played by an uncredited Rita Webb).
 Frenzy (1972) / int_9fe35833
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Frenzy (1972) / int_9fe35833
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a10775b7
type
Mean Boss
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a10775b7
comment
His (ex-)Mean Boss at the pub, Forsythe, is a nasty piece of work as well.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a10775b7
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a10775b7
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Frenzy (1972) / int_a10775b7
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a681bfc6
type
Amicable Exes
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a681bfc6
comment
Amicable Exes: Played with in the case of Richard and Brenda. Richard is nasty and bitter towards her (as he is to just about everyone else), but she takes him out for lunch and offers to lend him some money.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_a681bfc6
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1.0
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_a681bfc6
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ab5eea65
type
Dramatic Irony
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ab5eea65
comment
Dramatic Irony: Filled to the brim with it. A lot of it derives from the audience knowing the killer's identity.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ab5eea65
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ab5eea65
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ab5eea65
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: Rusk, when he's finally caught red-handed by Oxford.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ad1db87c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ad1db87c
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ad1db87c
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: Rusk tells each of his victims: "You're my type of woman". Then he rapes and strangles them.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b01abe4f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b01abe4f
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_b01abe4f
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b02f21f
type
Digital Destruction
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b02f21f
comment
Digital Destruction: One reviewer of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs received a screener copy of the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-Ray set, and noticed that this movie's original opening credits sequence had disappeared in favor of one riddled with misspelled names. After his critiques on the set became widespread among film fans, Universal delayed its retail release by about one month, to correct this and other errors.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b02f21f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b02f21f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_b02f21f
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b352e864
type
Sexless Marriage
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b352e864
comment
Sexless Marriage: It's obliquely implied that a lack of intimacy was one of the reasons the Blaney marriage failed. Richard says of Brenda's matchmaking job: "If you can't make love, sell it!"
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b352e864
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b352e864
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 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_b352e864
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b9af5ef3
type
The Film of the Book
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b9af5ef3
comment
The Film of the Book: It's a Pragmatic Adaptation of Arthur La Bern's 1966 crime novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square, updating the book's post-World War II setting to The '70s and adding the scenes of Oxford sampling his wife's cooking for comic relief.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b9af5ef3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_b9af5ef3
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Frenzy (1972) / int_b9af5ef3
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: Taking advantage of the film's R-rating, "shit" is uttered a few times.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc00493f
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc00493f
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_bc00493f
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc3cb7ff
type
Clear My Name
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc3cb7ff
comment
Clear My Name: Richard is very insistent about this, but with his quick temper he hardly helps his case.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc3cb7ff
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bc3cb7ff
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_bc3cb7ff
 Frenzy (1972) / int_be009bbc
type
Alliterative Name
 Frenzy (1972) / int_be009bbc
comment
Alliterative Name: Robert Rusk. There's also Brenda Blaney.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_be009bbc
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_be009bbc
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_be009bbc
 Frenzy (1972) / int_beb9a361
type
Anti-Hero
 Frenzy (1972) / int_beb9a361
comment
Anti-Hero: Richard Blaney, big time. Perhaps his biggest redeeming feature is that he is not a murderer.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_beb9a361
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_beb9a361
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_beb9a361
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bec0417c
type
Happily Married
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bec0417c
comment
Happily Married: The Oxfords, despite Mrs. Oxford's new hobby.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bec0417c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_bec0417c
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_bec0417c
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c16f48aa
type
Monster Misogyny
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c16f48aa
comment
Monster Misogyny: Chief Inspector Oxford sums up the Necktie Killer/Bob Rusk this way, saying that serial sex-killers "hate women, and are mostly impotent". Richard Blaney himself is something of a misogynist, implied to be because of his failed relationship with Brenda.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c16f48aa
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1.0
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_c16f48aa
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: This is the first and only Hitchcock film to feature nudity. Not in a very inviting context, though.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c660bc15
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c660bc15
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1.0
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hasFeature
Frenzy (1972) / int_c660bc15
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c6655b23
type
Fallen Hero
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c6655b23
comment
Fallen Hero: Richard is an ex-RAF officer veteran of the Suez Crisis who was said to have been decorated and even hailed as one of the "Chivalrous Knights of the Skies," but he's been reduced to British Stuffiness. The beginning of the film strongly suggests that he is the murderer. Subverted, when he is revealed to be innocent.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c6655b23
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_c6655b23
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_c6655b23
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: The novel that Shaffer adapted into the film is named after the lyric that was borrowed from the 1912 song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary".
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_c75df49a
 Frenzy (1972) / int_cdfe12c3
type
Nothing Is Scarier
 Frenzy (1972) / int_cdfe12c3
comment
Nothing Is Scarier: Rusk's murder of Babs occurs offscreen.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_cdfe12c3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_cdfe12c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_cdfe12c3
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce1d78bc
type
Foreign Queasine
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce1d78bc
comment
Foreign Queasine: Given the choice between wading through grim murder scenes and tasting his wife's French gourmet cuisine—pig's feet, fish head soup, etc—Oxford always opts for the former.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce1d78bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce1d78bc
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ce1d78bc
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce6b54d9
type
Enemy Eats Your Lunch
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce6b54d9
comment
Enemy Eats Your Lunch: Frugal or not. Before Bob strangles a woman to death, he picks up her apple from her desk and eats it.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce6b54d9
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ce6b54d9
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ce6b54d9
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d51263b9
type
Fake Shemp
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d51263b9
comment
Fake Shemp: When Barry Foster pulls down Barbara Leigh-Hunt's top, revealing her breasts, a body double was used.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d51263b9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d51263b9
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_d51263b9
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d5a1770a
type
British Stuffiness
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d5a1770a
comment
British Stuffiness: In contrast to the various Mean Brit characters, there are a few of these, like Mr. and Mrs. Porter and Monica, Brenda's uptight secretary.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_d5a1770a
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1.0
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_d5a1770a
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dae815bb
type
A Glass in the Hand
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dae815bb
comment
A Glass in the Hand: Dick does this while he's out with Brenda.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dae815bb
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dae815bb
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_dae815bb
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dbca2c99
type
Red Herring
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dbca2c99
comment
Red Herring: The beginning of the film suggests that Blaney is the killer. A body is found in the Thames. The crowd notices the victim was strangled with a tie. Cut to Blaney tying his tie. Then, Blaney is showed to be bitter, alcoholic, and violent. In a scene in a pub, two patrons talks about the behaviour of a serial killer next to Blaney. Blaney's behaviour in the pub matches quite well with the description of the serial killer.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dbca2c99
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dbca2c99
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_dbca2c99
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dc057cf3
type
Adaptation Name Change
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dc057cf3
comment
Adaptation Name Change: Blaney's surname is the rather unsubtle Blamey in the novel.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dc057cf3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_dc057cf3
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_dc057cf3
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ddab9ac8
type
Bad Samaritan
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ddab9ac8
comment
Bad Samaritan: With nowhere else to turn, Richard hides out in Bob Rusk's apartment, whereupon Bob promptly frames him for his crimes.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ddab9ac8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ddab9ac8
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ddab9ac8
 Frenzy (1972) / int_de19df2b
type
The Matchmaker
 Frenzy (1972) / int_de19df2b
comment
The Matchmaker: Brenda's job. Her record is patchy at best; when Richard shows up at her office, she has just paired off a man and a woman with a shared interest in beekeeping, but as the newly-matched couple leave her office, the woman reveals herself to be an overbearing control freak who plans to shape her new husband into a clone of her deceased first husband, while the man is too timid to raise any objections.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_de19df2b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_de19df2b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_de19df2b
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e3b0cd87
type
Morality Pet
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e3b0cd87
comment
Morality Pet: It seems Richard's ex-wife Brenda and his girlfriend Barbara are this each to Richard, even though he still acts like misogynistically towards Brenda. It could be argued that he goes after Rusk at the end in order to avenge their deaths in addition to clearing his name.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e3b0cd87
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e3b0cd87
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_e3b0cd87
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e52e0dc1
type
Clothing Combat
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e52e0dc1
comment
Clothing Combat: Serial Killer Bob Rusk (a.k.a. 'the Necktie Killer') strangles his victims with a tie which he leaves on the body.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e52e0dc1
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e52e0dc1
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_e52e0dc1
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e63228a7
type
InfoDump
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e63228a7
comment
Info Dump: An early scene in a pub, in which two men chat about how The Sociopath thinks and behaves, serves as this.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e63228a7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e63228a7
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1.0
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Frenzy (1972) / int_e63228a7
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e7e558
type
The Oner
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e7e558
comment
The Oner: Three of them, all pretty chilling: After Brenda's murder, the camera stays on the street as her secretary returns from lunch, followed by about 30 seconds of dead air until she screams, having discovered the body. Rusk invites Babs into his apartment, after we already know he's the killer. The camera again remains outside, then retreats down the stairs and out of the building, where several people walk by oblivious to the murder happening right next to them. Blaney's trial is viewed from behind soundproof doors, with the viewer only able to hear the occasional bit of dialogue when someone opens them. They swing shut just before the sentence is read, followed by Blaney screaming "IT'S RUSK!" loudly enough to be heard through them.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e7e558
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e7e558
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Frenzy (1972) / int_e7e558
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e91cc721
type
In the Style of
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e91cc721
comment
In the Style of: Hitchcock wanted the opening credits to look like the beginning of a London travelogue, hence the proud City of London official crest at the start and the regal, British-sounding music. He hired Ron Goodwin to redo the film's score after rejecting Henry Mancini's music in part because of Goodwin's work on the old Peter Sellers sketch Balham, Gateway to the South.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e91cc721
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_e91cc721
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 Frenzy (1972)
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Frenzy (1972) / int_e91cc721
 Frenzy (1972) / int_eb8ec7c8
type
Jerkass
 Frenzy (1972) / int_eb8ec7c8
comment
Jerkass: Richard is such an unpleasant person that he almost deserves getting wrongfully convicted of murder. One wonders what Babs sees in him. His (ex-)Mean Boss at the pub, Forsythe, is a nasty piece of work as well. Hetty Porter despises Richard and uses every opportunity to express scepticism of his innocence. While her initial disapproval is justified by Richard's past behaviour towards Brenda and how apparent his guilt is at first glance, even when it's clear that he's innocent of the crime (as he couldn't have murdered Babs due to being with the Porters at the time of the killing), she continues to conjure up excuses on how Richard might be the culprit and shuts down any attempts by her husband Johnny to confirm the alibi to the police.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_eb8ec7c8
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 Frenzy (1972) / int_eb8ec7c8
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Frenzy (1972) / int_eb8ec7c8
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ec0ce986
type
Spotting the Thread
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ec0ce986
comment
Spotting the Thread: Oxford is the only person to query why Blaney should have murdered his ex-wife in her office, where he had previously been seen by her secretary.
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ec0ce986
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1.0
 Frenzy (1972) / int_ec0ce986
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Frenzy (1972) / int_ec0ce986
 Frenzy (1972) / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Frenzy (1972) / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: The terrible cooking of Inspector Oxford's wife, part of a background theme of foodstuffs being uncomfortably associated with murder and crime (the killer operates near Covent Garden, at the time a major food market; the body hidden among the potatoes; the breadsticks mentioned above - there was even a trailer drawing attention to the theme, with Hitchcock remarking "Here you may buy the Fruits Of Evil, and the Horrors of Vegetables..."
 Frenzy (1972) / int_f9f2c33
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Frenzy (1972)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Bedroom Window
processingUnknown
Frenzy (1972)
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
A Glass in the Hand / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
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Character Name Alias / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
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Clothing Combat / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
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Cordon Bleugh Chef / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Dead Man's Chest / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Deleted Role / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Dies Wide Open / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Drop Dead Gorgeous / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
Signature Item Clue / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
The Corpse Stops Here / int_b3c07071
 Frenzy (1972)
hasFeature
The Oner / int_b3c07071