Alfred Hitchcock, one of the few film directors equally adored by critics, film scholars and the box office, was notorious for his explanation of the difference between surprise and suspense: A bomb explosion will surprise the audience, but a bomb planted under a table will keep them in suspense.

And for the Master of Suspense, the 1950s were an "extraordinarily productive decade," says film professor Raymond Foery, with 1972's "Frenzy" being considered Hitchcock's final masterpiece. The film, which gets a close examination in Foery's new book, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece” (Scarecrow Press), is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its nationwide U.S. theatrical release this month.

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