One thing I love about Hitchcock movies is they keep you on the edge of your seat with very little violence, blood, or gore. Hitchcock was a master of allowing the plot and our imaginations to do the work of scaring us. All Hitchcock fans have their favorite movies. Here’s mine.
10. Torn Curtain (1966)
Starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews
This Cold War era movie is one of the best. There are so many great scenes in this movie like when Paul Newman told Julie Andrews he wasn’t a traitor while agents were watching. She had to mask her reaction and pretend he was trying to convince her to defect. The most chilling scene was when Paul Newman, a scientist, had to kill a man to get away. But the man wouldn’t die easily.
9. Strangers on a Train (1951)
Starring Farley Granger and Robert Walker
On a train, a tennis pro tells another man who wants a divorce his plan. They each will murder the other’s wife. The man thinks the tennis pro is joking until his wife is murdered and the tennis pro orders the man to murder his wife.
8. Notorious (1946)
Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains
A woman is asked to spy on a group of Nazis in South America because of her immoral past. They send her in harm’s way, but she has to compromise her morals even more to get information. Then, when she’s in danger of getting caught, they don’t want to come to her rescue because of the kind of woman she is. There’s a lot of exposure of hypocrisy in this movie.
7. The Birds
Starring Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedron
This is the first Alfred Hitchcock movie I ever saw. I was a little girl at the time, and it gave me the creeps everytime I saw a bird for weeks afterwards.
6. The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Starring John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine
Hitchcock tries his hand at comedy here and is brilliant. Harry is dead, and everyone’s trying to hide the body because each one thinks they killed him.
5. North By Northwest (1959)
Starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint
An insurance agent is mistaken for a spy and chased across the country. It’s almost comical how he tries to convince them he’s not the man their looking for. There’s a great twist at the end.
4. Suspicion
Starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine
This is the best of Hitchcock’s earlier movies. An heiress believes her husband who she adores is trying to murder her for her money.
3. Rear Window (1954)
Starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly
A man with a broken leg spies on his neighbors. When he sees what he believes is his neighbor murdering his wife, nobody will believe him. But the neighbor catches on.
2. Rope (1948)
Starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger
This movie isn’t as well known as some of the others. That’s a shame because it’s one of the best. In fact, it’s number two on my list. Two men kill their friend because they believe they are superior, and the rules of society don’t apply to them. This movie really delves into the mistaken notion that some people are superior to others and that morality is relative.
1. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Starring James Stewart and Doris Day
What would you do to protect your child? A man’s only son is kidnapped when he stumbles on a murder plot. If he stops the murder, his son will die. This is my all time favorite.
Of course, there are other Alfred Hitchcock movies I enjoy. Psycho and A Shadow of Doubt are two of them. Do you agree with my list? Are there any of your favorites I haven’t listed?
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