Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- sardonic
- comedy night
- classic film marathon
What critics said
Critics generally find the Hitchcock spoof uneven but highly effective in its cleverest set pieces, with affectionate craft and strong comic performances offset by juvenile humor and an inherently difficult target.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film recreates and exaggerates famous Hitchcock set pieces from The Birds, Psycho, and Vertigo while treating its source with admiration.
Dr. Richard Thorndyke is framed for murder and must investigate the suspicious institute to clear his name.
Thorndyke's psychiatric condition becomes both a source of suspense and a recurring mechanism for physical and situational comedy.
Bird attacks, vertiginous effects, murder imagery, and other Hitchcock signatures are heightened into comic set pieces.
Films like High Anxiety, and why
Young Frankenstein
shares irreverent parody, broad physical comedy, and affectionate engagement with classic genre conventions
The Producers
shares Mel Brooks's satirical style, escalating comic absurdity, and spoof treatment of established cinematic formulas
What's Up, Doc?
shares Hitchcock-inspired suspense parody, mistaken identity, and comic manipulation of thriller conventions
Murder by Death
shares genre spoofing, visual gags, and affectionate imitation of familiar suspense and horror imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Release Date
- 1977-12-25
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (419)
Cast
- Mel Brooks
- Madeline Kahn
- Cloris Leachman
- Harvey Korman
- Ron Carey
- Howard Morris
- Dick Van Patten
- Jack Riley
- Charlie Callas
- Ron Clark
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is High Anxiety about?
- A nervous psychiatrist battles institutional intrigue and a murder frame-up in Mel Brooks's affectionate, irreverent send-up of Alfred Hitchcock.
- What is High Anxiety like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of High Anxiety as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is High Anxiety violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in High Anxiety as mild.
- What did critics think of High Anxiety?
- Critics generally find the Hitchcock spoof uneven but highly effective in its cleverest set pieces, with affectionate craft and strong comic performances offset by juvenile humor and an inherently difficult target.
- Which films are like High Anxiety?
- Films with a similar feel include Young Frankenstein, The Producers, What's Up, Doc?, and Murder by Death.
- How long is High Anxiety?
- High Anxiety runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch High Anxiety?
- In United States, High Anxiety is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
