High Anxiety

High Anxiety follows Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, a psychiatrist who takes over as head of a Los Angeles institute for the very, very nervous. He soon notices that the staff behave strangely and that troubling events surround the place, including the suspicious circumstances in which his predecessor left. When Thorndyke is accused of a crime, he must clear himself while wrestling with his own fear of heights.

Mel Brooks directed, produced and stars in the film, which he wrote with Barry Levinson and Ron Clark. It was his fifth feature as director, arriving after Silent Movie and before History of the World: Part I. Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey and Howard Morris round out the main cast. Brooks plays the lead himself, the anxious doctor, rather than leaving the central role to another performer.

Made for about 4 million dollars, the comedy took in roughly 31 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 26,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.4 from just over 400. A critics' score of 6.7 from 31 reviews places it slightly above the audience figure on IMDb. The film mixes comedy with crime, mystery and thriller elements.