Frenzy actual London serial murder cases: the Christie murders in the early 1950s, and the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888. Barry Foster has said that, in order to prepare for his role, he was asked by Hitchcock to study two books about Neville Heath, an English serial killer who would often pass himself off as an officer in the RAF. "Frenzy" was the third and final film that Hitchcock made in Britain after he moved to Hollywood in 1939. The other two were "Under Capricorn" in 1949 and "Stage Fright" in 1950 (although there were some interior and exterior scenes
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) and Doris Day is surprisingly effective as the mother who is frantic about her child ... Even in mammoth VistaVision, the old Hitchcock thriller-stuff has punch." "Variety" wrote that while Hitchcock draws "the footage out a bit long at 119 minutes, he still keeps suspense working at all times and gets strong performances from the two stars and other cast members." "Harrison's Reports" called the film a "highly exciting and entertaining suspense thriller" that "grips the audience from start to finish." Richard L. Coe of "The Washington Post" also liked the film, calling it "a dandy of its popular kind"