CinemaPsych Podcast

Author: cinemapsychpod

Where psychology meets films. We dissect and analyze popular films and their psychological content.
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Language: en

Genres: Science, Social Sciences, TV & Film

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Episode 114: If We're Going to Do Homages, Let's Do Psych Ones — High Anxiety (1977) with Ed Hansen
Episode 114
Monday, 11 May, 2026

Join Alex and friend of the show Dr. Ed Hansen as they discuss the delightfully silly and usefully psychological High Anxiety (1977), Mel Brooks' send-up to the master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. The film stars Brooks as Dr. Richard Thorndyke, a world-renowned psychiatrist who begins a new career at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. Joining him are his normal contributors, including Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, and Madeline Kahn. When Thorndyke is framed for murder, he must use all the Hitchcockian tools at his disposal to clear his name. Of course, no discussion of Hitchcock films can be made without a discussion of Freud, as well as the use of the term "High Anxiety", using humor as a means to cope with anxiety, the role of suspense to build a crescendo of anxiety, and a brief foray into institutionalization and its foibles. After listening to this podcast, you recovery rate might also be "once in a blue moon"! Follow Ed on BlueSky @EdHansen_PhDAD or Threads EdHansen_PhDAD If you like this content, you might like my new Audible audiobook/course, A Psychologist Goes to the Movies, available now! It features six films that have been on this show, condensed into 25-30 min essays, researched and analyzed. Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you! Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs! Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0. Episode Transcription Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!