Frenzy

Richard Blaney is fired from his job as a barman near Covent Garden, leaving him penniless and frustrated. He leans on his friend Bob Rusk, who hints at a forthcoming horse race that could change their fortunes. With no money to bet, Blaney ends up spending the night at a Salvation Army shelter, where Brenda subtly slips money into his coat pocket.

Blaney visits Brenda, his ex-wife who runs a matchmaking agency, and they argue briefly about his plight. She invites him to dinner and offers a gesture of help, showing a possible ray of support. He later discovers Brenda slipped money into his coat, reinforcing the more complicated feelings between them.

The following day, Bob Rusk arrives at Brenda's office, finds her alone, and rapes her before strangling her with his necktie. The newspapers brand him the 'Necktie Murderer' as Blaney's world starts to collapse. The sensational crime sets Blaney on a path toward suspicion and danger.

Blaney returns to Brenda's office hoping to speak with her, only to find the office locked and the murder discovered. Brenda's secretary sees him leaving, making Blaney the prime suspect in both Brenda's murder and the escalating crime spree.

Blaney trusts his former pub coworker Babs Milligan and convinces her of his innocence. They hide at a hotel, share a close moment, and resolve to dodge the pursuing police as they search for safety. The alliance pulls them deeper into the danger surrounding Brenda's and Brenda’s killer's crimes.

Blaney persuades Babs to retrieve his belongings from the pub. On the way, Babs encounters Rusk, who offers to let her use his flat for the night. Rusk then rapes and murders Babs, hiding her body in a sack inside a potato lorry.

Rusk realizes his distinctive jewelled tie pin with the initial 'R' is missing and understands Babs may have torn it off during her murder. He retrieves the pin from the back of the potato lorry as it travels, but the danger of exposure looms. The tie pin becomes a critical clue linking him to the crimes.

With Brenda's murder’s fallout and Babs missing, Blaney faces suspicion for both killings. He seeks help from Rusk, who pretends to offer protection but instead tips off the police, revealing Rusk's treachery and deepening Blaney's peril.

At the trial, Blaney is found guilty while the prosecution's case seems airtight. Chief Inspector Oxford quietly reconsiders the evidence and discusses the case with his wife, hinting at a hidden truth that could overturn Blaney's conviction. The detective work plants the seeds for a dramatic reversal.

Blaney vows to escape and seek vengeance on Rusk. He deliberately injures himself and is moved to the hospital, where his fellow inmate patients help him stage an escape. The plan marks Blaney's shift from passive innocence to active pursuit of justice.

Blaney travels to Rusk's Covent Garden flat, only to find him absent at first. In a tense moment, Blaney hits a sleeping person he mistakes for Rusk, discovering a dead woman in Rusk's bed. Inspector Oxford arrives, and a loud banging from the stairwell announces Rusk's dramatic entrance with a large trunk.

Cornered by Blaney and Inspector Oxford, Rusk's game collapses. The trunk is dropped in defeat as the two men close in, and the web of lies begins to unravel. The true killer is finally exposed, bringing a grim justice to the ordeal.