Alfred Hitchcock’s contributions to cinema cannot be overstated. From his early silent films tohis most essential movies, he left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, and his presence as a personality paved the way for many more auteurs to follow. Hitchcock’s work acrossthe genres of horror, thrillers, and even comedy defined many of the decades within which he was directing, and his entire career is worth reviewing for any serious fan of cinema.
Many films within the director’s filmography could be considered must-watches. Indeed, any cinema lover would have a tough time limiting their list to just ten, but like any good Hitchcock villain, this list will aim to be cutthroat in its choices.These are the ten films from the iconic Master of Suspense that must be watched at least oncebecause of their importance to the film medium, quality, and overall legacy and cinematic gems.
10’The Trouble with Harry' (1955)
Starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine
While evenHitchcock’s darkest movieswere known to have a macabre sense of humor about them, no sensible person would consider any of them comedies. That’s what makes the unexpectedly delightfulThe Trouble with Harryso special in Hitchcock’s career. Based on the novel byJack Trevor Story, this light-hearted romp still involves a dead body, the titular Harry, but the cause of his deathdoesn’t spur on a tense mystery so much as it does a comedy of errors.
Set in an idyllic Vermont town, the movie is filled with gorgeous fall foliage, making itHitchcock’s coziest film by far. The cast, fromEdmund Gwennas a kindly local hunter,John Forsythe’s laissez-faire artist andShirley MacLainein her film debut, are all effortlessly charming as they set about trying to figure out what to do about the recently departed Harry, whose body was found in a field and whose death several townsfolk claim responsibility for.Hitchcock’s penchant for black comedyhas never had a better vehicle than in one of his most underrated films, showing the director could master a punchline just as well as a shocking twist.
The Trouble with Harry
9’Rope' (1948)
Starring James Stewart, John Dall and Farley Granger
More than anything else,Hitchcock knew how to craft a suspense sequence, using his camera to draw out tension as audiences waited with bated breath for the inevitable climax. No film is a better or more experimental showcase of this thanthe linear thrillerRope. Set entirely in one apartment,Ropewas based on the play of the same name byPatrick Hamilton(which in turn was inspired by the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder) and takes place in real time, with Hitchcock tracking the action across ten long takes.
John DallandFarley Grangerplay two young men (explicitly gay in the play but left unstated in the film for obvious censor-related reasons). At the start of the film, they have just murdered a former classmate and hidden him in a trunk in their apartment, where he remains throughout a dinner party. While the movie might seem a bit stage-bound at times, and its highly technical shooting process bristled with some of the actors, the result is a thriller that isa technical marvel for the time and a major influenceon decades of similar films.Critics and Hitchcock himself may not have lovedthe film, but it’s an absolute powerhouse in camerawork and staging, all in service of amplifying the suspense.
8’The 39 Steps' (1935)
Starring Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Lucie Mannheim
PerhapsHitchcock’s most important filmof his career,The 39 Stepsfeatures some of the director’s favored trademarks, including a wrongfully accused protagonist and a classic MacGuffin.Madeleine Carrollalso established the icy character archetype that would come to be known asthe Hitchcock blonde. The film starsRobert Donatas a tourist in London who unwittingly becomes involved in a convoluted espionage plot when he is blamed for the death of a mysterious female spy, played byLucie Mannheim.
For all the tropes it established that would become hallmarks of the director’s career, as well as the recognition it would garner him in the U.S. which would eventually lead to a fruitful period in Hollywood,The 39 Stepsis simplyan extremely well-made and entertaining piece of escapism. It shows all the talents for suspense, intrigue and misdirection that Hitchcock would return to time and time again throughout his life, and how well-formed they were so early in his directorial career.
The 39 Steps
7’The Birds' (1963)
Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Jessica Tandy
The follow-up to thelandmark horror moviePsychowas always going to pale in comparison, but Hitchcock still managed to create a terrifying film filled with suspense with thegenre-breaking creature featureThe Birds. StarringTippi Hedrenin her debut role (and who suffered a personal horror story at the hands of the controlling Hitchcock during her career), this nature-gone-wild movie features a number of standout sequences that mix slow-burning suspense with highly technical visual effects.
Hedren plays a socialite who followsRod Taylor’slawyer to his hometown, where her arrival is met with an attack from a harbinger seagull. As the avian attacks continue to occur with increasing frequency and violence, Hitchcock pushes the boundaries of onscreen violence, withan eyeless corpse as a visual standout.The Birdswas given a muted response from critics, butits iconic attack scenes and haunting endinghave allowed it to endure and gain the acclaim it richly deserves.
6’Rebecca' (1940)
Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson
Hitch’s first American film, a collaboration with power producerDavid O. Selznick, also gave him his first Academy Award nomination as a director as well as notably being the only one of his film’s to win Best Picture.Rebeccais a gothic classicbased on the novel byDaphne du Maurier,which follows a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who becomes infatuated with a wealthy widower (Laurence Olivier) haunted by the memories of his first wife.
Despite changes made to the source material to appease the Hays Code and the presence of a regrettable remake made in 2020,Hitchcock’s film remains the definitive film version of du Maurier’s novel, thanks to its bleak atmosphere and the performances of its cast. It’sHitchcock’s best film of the 1940sand, like much of his best work, lingers in the mind long after its end.
5’Notorious' (1946)
Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains
Elements of romance feature in many of Hitchcock’s films, but by far hismost romantic is the spy noir classicNotorious. The chemistry betweenCary GrantandIngrid Bergman, as a U.S. government agent and the daughter of a Nazi, respectively, is as steamy as onscreen relationships could be at the time, with Hitch notoriously filminga two-minute kissing scenethat was broken up into three-second intervals to avoid breaking the time restraints as imposed by the Production Code.
Notoriousis filled with intrigue and suspenseas Grant recruits Bergman to infiltrate a group of Nazis in post-War Brazil, a task complicated by his burgeoning feelings for her. The film was recognized as a maturation of Hitchcock’s skills as a director for the way he handled thecomplex themes intertwined with his beautifully executed visuals, and it features some of thebest acting of any of his films.
4’North by Northwest' (1959)
Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason
Cary Grant’s most essential filmis also his greatest collaboration with Hitchcock and is one of themost important films of the spy genre.North by Northwestis not only iconic for its travelogue of scenic settings, which have inspired entire film fanatic road trips, and its massive influence on the early James Bond films. It’s possibly themost perfectly mixed cocktail of all of Hitchcock’s favorite ingredients.
Grant plays an ad exec who is mistaken for a secret agent, which pulls him into a serpentine plot involving microfilm containing deep state secrets. It’s a rollicking adventure film punctuated by some of Hitchcock’s most memorable set pieces, including Grant being chased down by a cropduster and the finale atop Mt. Rushmore. There may be more terrifying or thrilling Hitchcock movies, butnone is more entertaining thanNorth by Northwest.
North By Northwest
3’Rear Window' (1954)
Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr
In addition to his collaborations with Grant, Hitchcock also madefour incredible films with James Stewart, which began with the aforementionedRopeand continued with theimpeccably-made thrillerRear Window. Stewart plays a photojournalist, confined to his apartment due to a broken leg, who passes the time watching his neighbors in their apartments. What begins as light voyeurism turns into dogged sleuthing when Stewart becomesconvinced that one of his neighbors has murdered their wife.
Rear Windowis as expertly crafted a thriller as has ever been made. Hitchcock usesa meticulously designed soundstage to formulate the singular setting of the filmand wisely keeps the soundtrack very limited, focusing on the sounds of the neighborhood as well as the silence of Stewart’s apartment to ratchet up the tension. Hitchcock is in control of every frame of film inRear Window,andthe result is a masterclass in suspense.
Rear Window
2’Vertigo' (1958)
Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and Tom Helmore
If there’s any film that can outrank their work together inRear Window, it’s Stewart and Hitchcock’s final film together, which may also be the director’s unequivocal masterpiece: themust-watch mysteryVertigo. Visually astounding and emotionally intricate, thisdark psychological thrillersaw Hitchcock making innovations in camerawork while crafting his most compelling mystery.
Stewart plays a retired police officer who suffers from a fear of heights that triggers the titular response. He is hired to follow the wife of a friend, played byKim Novak, who he begins to fall for until he witnesses her falling to her death. Her fate sends him into a deep depression, which he is only brought out of when he begins to see a woman who looks remarkably like his perished paramour.Vertigois unparalleled in its form and techniques, withHitchcock pioneering the use of the dolly zoomto represent the lead character’s intense fear of heights, but it is alsoone of the director’s most obsessive and tragic films.
1’Psycho' (1960)
Starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles
It can be argued that Hitchcock made better films thanPsycho, but none will ever match the combined impact this horror film had on pop culture and cinema. In what may be themost important horror film ever made, Hitchcock took audiences away from the gothic castles and atomic monsters that had dominated cinematic scares and presented them witha terrifying killer who looked like the boy next door.
Based onRobert Bloch’snovel, which was inspired by real-life killerEd Gein, Hitchcockput up money to getPsychomadeand used the crew from his television series to shoot it efficiently. From anuntimely death in the showerto the shocking twist lying in wait in Norman Bates' cellar, the movie redefined horror at the start of the ’60s and launched a legacy of terror that hasn’t ceased since.Psychoisan absolute must-watch in every qualifying category.
