He’s been called “The Master of Suspense” for nearly as long as his films have existed, but it’s pretty easy today to just write off Alfred Hitchcock as the guy who made all those movies people like. But even just a cursory watching of one of his many masterpieces will surely put that out of your mind. The man was a genius, and his ability to weave gut-wrenching tension with humor and deep psychological dilemmas is still unsurpassed today. There is a reason Hitchcock gets his own course in a lot of film schools and why the subgenre of “Suspense Film” even exists. He only made really 3 horror movies in his whole career (Psycho, The Birds, and Frenzy) but they are all pretty darn scary in one way or another.
To that end, editor Shaun Higgins has put together a nearly 13 minute supercut of all of Hitchcock’s existing films, dating all way from 1925 to 1976. Set to the music of some of the master’s finest and most well-known films (Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, etc) and featuring a lovely intermission, it’s a jolly great tribute to the excitement, the thrills, the romance, and the sly humor of a true film legend.
Fun fact: Hitchcock made 25 movies between 1940 and 1960, and 14 of them are considered unmitigated classics, and most of the rest are quite good too. That’s a crazy-good batting average for any filmmaker.
What are your favorite Hitchcock movies? Let’s say, you can only pick three, what are they? Mine would probably be (today as I type this) Strangers on a Train, North By Northwest, and Rear Window. But ask me tomorrow, I bet they’ll change.
Image: NBC—NBCU Photo Bank
1.Vertigo 2.Psycho 3.Ummm, High Anxiety lol!
I would say: Vertigo,Birds and Psycho.
Remember how Benchley’s book, and later the movie, “Jaws” scared the bejabbers out of you? It’s because they connected with one of the primal human fears, big fish with teeth that eat you. Hitchcock did the same thing decades earlier with “The Birds.” All the birds in the world, suddenly turning against people. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nothing you can do about it. This is why I regard Hitchcock as a genius. Possibly a mad genius, yes, but isn’t that the best kind? My top three Hitchcock movies are “The Birds,” North by Northwest,” and “Rear Window.”