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This article claims that homophobia was displaced in Hitchcock's films from an issue of national security to a condemnation of women's sexuality in the domestic sphere. The article further asserts that the knowledge that men acquire in the film is the result of their ability to suppress and manipulate women. Essentially, Hitchcock was a force in Cold War culture.

In the case of Blackmail, Frank doesn't gain any knowledge from his suppression and manipulation of Alice. If Alice's feminist gaze had been verbalized or if Frank had let Alice express herself without the threat of shame or judgment, the entire premise of the film might have been averted. It might be the case that Crewe's murder is a result of the male suppression of Alice. Perhaps the film is meant to serve as a warning that the suppression and manipulation of women is something to be feared.