Releasing my favorite Hitchcock movie list for the week of Halloween. This is a great movie list for fall as well! Nothing like snuggling up with a blanket, cup of hot tea, and a Hitchcock film! I created a fall movie list that was divided up into nostalgic fall films, favorite thriller & suspense movies, favorite final girl movies, and favorite classic thriller & suspense movies (check it out here). There’s nothing like watching a Hitchcock movie in the fall. I hope you find some good ones to check out and re-visit! Hoping to expand the list as I continue to find new favorites! I am going to link the collections I just recently bought and I absolutely love them! Great way to start or to see some you may have missed (check it our here or here)! The DVDs from 1935-1946 are really expensive new for some reason from amazon so make sure to check out the used ones on that link and eBay. Grab a cup of hot tea, a warm blanket, someone you love (dogs & cats included), and enjoy!
May you be well :)
~Brooke
"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." -Alfred Hitchcock
o Psycho (1960)
A classic. Probably everyone's favorite Hitchcock. It's hard to beat. The suspense and twists are just so chilling and unpredictable. A must see for fall.
o To Catch a Thief (1955)
One of my all time favorite classic films and favorite Hitchcock movies. Grace Kelly and Cary Grant are perfect together. Such a fun cat and mouse thriller set on the Riviera. I may be biased by the actors, but it's such a wonderful film. Very underrated. I actually didn't even know it was a Hitchcock film until I watched it.
o Vertigo (1958)
o I absolutely love the colors in this film. I think this is the peak of color use in Hitchcock's films and the cinematography is stunning. The story line is captivating and Kim Novak stunning. Keeps you guessing until the end. A class thriller story.
o The Birds (1963)
This is one of my mom's favorites. She grew up in the 60s and it terrorized her. So of course she had to share it with me when I was younger. It's true, you'll never look at birds the same.
The movies directed by Hitchcock before 1946 almost seem to be directed by a different person entirely, yet they still have his signature. It reminds me of Picasso’s periods of colors in paintings. How they can be so uniquely his, yet so distinctly different if only looking at his art is fascinating. To me, Hitchcock had a much more romantic side in this earlier period. He never really lost this romance and it can still be seen in his later pieces, but there’s something really unique and moving about the love stories in these earlier films. I fell immediately in love with them. I had been avoiding the earlier Hitchcock films for some reason. Maybe I was thinking that he wouldn’t have developed his signatures or have mastered his art of suspense. No, he was gifted from the beginning, but it is very interesting to see these different periods of his films. Hitchcock loved colors and keeping with the Picasso theme, I would envision this earlier period to be a prettier crimson color. One still of suspense, but with a love story of equal weight and value. Later phases becoming black and blood red. Just my take on the colors scale. Lol. I haven’t delved into his movies from the 20s and 30s yet, but can’t wait to see what they hold. I relate immensely to this difference in his work. I feel like the person before being diagnosed with my rare and aggressive autoimmune disorders is a completely different person from the one I am now. But just like Hitchcock, I still have the same essence and signature. It was so much fun to find a whole new period of his films I had never seen before. And these have to be my favorites behind the classics. I think you get to see a lot more of his heart and character.
o Suspicion (1941)
I fell in love immediately with these Joan Fontaine movies from Hitchcock's earlier films. These are my favorites from this 1935-1946 period. And paired with Cary Grant for Suspicion and Laurence Oliver for Rebecca you just couldn't ask for better pairings. Suspicion has such great twists. It's a tale of caution: you never know someone fully even your partner. I love delving into this great psychological conundrum that plagues so many relationships; can you ever really know someone?
o Rebecca (1940)
The pairing of Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier is stunning in this film. The ending is magnificent. By far one of Hitchcock's best endings in my opinion. There are so many layers to this film both suspenseful and psychological. It's a masterpiece. Sometimes it's our own outlook and warped perspective that damages relationships and this is a great example. Projecting feelings and thoughts onto the other person that they don't have and not confronting them leads to torment and ruins a relationship. I think we've all been there at one point or another with our own insecurities, that's what makes this film so relatable and enjoyable.
o Spellbound (1945)
A psychologist's dream movie. Centered around dream theory and psychoanalysis this is a fun film filled with layer after layer. Could watch it over and over again. I think that's why I love this period of Hitchcock's films. They really are filled with such juicy psychological layers with so many angles. The dream sequence with Salvador Dali's art is especially breathtaking. And I love seeing Gregory Peck in such a suspenseful role not knowing if good or evil is going to win.
o Notorious (1946)
Another favorite ending. I think we all need a Cary Grant. lol. This has to be one of my favorite movie endings. Didn't see it ending this way, but so happy it did. The chemistry is off the charts and the adventure is incredible as well. I love Casablanca, but the chemistry in this movie is undeniable and the ending marvelous. Way underrated!
o Lifeboat (1944)
This was so different than any movie I have seen of Hitchcock's. All the characters stories are woven together so well and he makes you feel for each character. Really gripping and intense tale of survival.
Back to more known classics of Hitchcock's later career.
o Strangers on a Train (1951)
A great film noir about two strangers who meet by chance and how circumstances quickly get out of control. Such a great element of suspense because we know absolutely nothing about the character in question or their mental state making for one crazy ride.
o Dial M for Murder (1954)
Another fantastic thriller featuring Grace Kelly. This film is mostly set in one room, which seems very difficult and problematic to keep intriguing, but not for Hitchcock.
o The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
I did not know that Doris Day starred in any thriller movies. She actually made three and one of them with Hitchcock. This is a great mystery set in the Middle East about the kidnapping of her child. Very theatrical and climatic. Each scene is beautifully staged.
And lastly, not directed by Hitchcock, but a great film to learn a little more about the Master of Suspense.
o Hitchcock (2012)
This is a great movie about the making of Psycho and an inside look into Alfred Hitchcock and his relationships. I really enjoyed watching this film as someone who is a huge fan of his work!
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