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High Anxiety

High Anxiety

Comedy · Mystery · Thriller · 1977

A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep.

Movie details

High Anxiety

“Danger, intrigue, romance...and a touch of kinkiness!”

1977 Comedy · Mystery · Thriller 1h 34m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over High Anxiety?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Mel Brooks

Written by

Mel Brooks · Ron Clark · Rudy De Luca · Barry Levinson

Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke

Madeline Kahn

Madeline Kahn

Victoria Brisbane

Cloris Leachman

Cloris Leachman

Nurse Charlotte Diesel

Harvey Korman

Harvey Korman

Dr. Charles Montague

Ron Carey

Ron Carey

Brophy

Howard Morris

Howard Morris

Professor Lilloman

Dick Van Patten

Dick Van Patten

Dr. Philip Wentworth

Court is in session

Put High Anxiety on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.