Martin is a troubled young man. With a mother who insists on treating
him like a child, a stepfather who can't wait to see the back of him,
and a brother with downs syndrome shut away in an institution, is it any wonder he
retreats into an alternate personality... that of six year old Georgie?
It is Georgie who befriends Susan Harper, but friendship soon turns into
obsession. When Susan begins to distance herself, something inside
Georgie snaps and he embarks on a killing spree, with Susan as the next
target.
From the start, as we are given a an educational reminder that "mongolism" is not directly connected to criminality, it is clear that this is a film very much on the edge of its time. It was only a few years before that Haley Mills had been starring in Disney films, so to see her appear in this psychological thriller must have unnerved some viewers as to its warped nature. Hywel Bennett uses tongue in cheek simplicity to manipulate his way closer to the source of his character's unhealthy affections and yet still manages to capture the darker side of his personality. The supporting cast is also strong, and apparently Alfred Hitchcock decided to use both Barry Foster and Billie Whitelaw for Frenzy after watching it. For me, Bernard Herrmann's catchy whistling score throughout the film helps to certify it a true original and definitely reaches it to the point of a 1960s cult classic.
From the start, as we are given a an educational reminder that "mongolism" is not directly connected to criminality, it is clear that this is a film very much on the edge of its time. It was only a few years before that Haley Mills had been starring in Disney films, so to see her appear in this psychological thriller must have unnerved some viewers as to its warped nature. Hywel Bennett uses tongue in cheek simplicity to manipulate his way closer to the source of his character's unhealthy affections and yet still manages to capture the darker side of his personality. The supporting cast is also strong, and apparently Alfred Hitchcock decided to use both Barry Foster and Billie Whitelaw for Frenzy after watching it. For me, Bernard Herrmann's catchy whistling score throughout the film helps to certify it a true original and definitely reaches it to the point of a 1960s cult classic.
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