As the master of suspense, it’s no surprise thatAlfred Hitchcockis behind some phenomenal scary movies perfect for Halloween. The iconic English director is well known as one of the greatest minds to ever step behind the camera, particularly when it comes to his terrifying thrillers. FromAlfred Hitchcock’s murder mysteriesto his more straightforward horror movies, the man’s filmography is a perfect library to reach for during the spooky season.
Admittedly, by modern standards, Alfred Hitchcock’s work can sometimes feel quite tame, groundbreakingly terrifying at the time of their release but noticeable aged. Still, his scariest films offer some level of creep factor, slow-burn dread, and above all else, suspense that make them well worth watching even today. With a whole coterie of noticeably frightening films,Alfred Hitchcock forever changed cinemawith his unique sensibilities for fear and tension.
10Vertigo
1958
A surreal masterpiece,Vertigois the perfect choice for a Halloween celebration on the more far-out side. The movie depicts one man’s obsession with a woman he is hired to spy on, going to greater and greater lengths to prevent her from taking her own life. The only problem is the protagonist’s fear of heights, which Hitchcock manages to convey with some of the earliest examples of cinematic techniques still used heavily to this day.
Indeed,Vertigolives up to its name with some dizzying gravity-wielding sequences quite potent for viewers who suffer from acrophobia. With a genius color palette and recurring swirl visuals,Vertigois a hypnotic thriller guaranteed to lull even the most cynical of modern viewers into a trance. Sprinkle in Bernard Herrmann’s eerie score and the undulating San Francisco setting, andVertigois a reliable object of idolatry for the Halloween season.
9Psycho
1960
The most famous and arguably most terrifying of Alfred Hitchcock’s works is easily 1960’sPsycho,theoriginal slasher filmthat continues to influence horror movies even 60 years after its release. The film revolves around the Bates Motel, a seemingly normal inn that becomes the subject of an investigation when a young woman goes missing there. Soon, suspicion is leveled against the sole proprietor, Norman Bates, who harbors a horrific secret.
Psycho’s influence on pop culture is well-earned, as is its status as one of the most revered horror movies of all time. From the infamous shower scene to Norman’s haunting visage that closes out the movie, Alfred Hitchcock was able to leverage his aptitude for paranoia and psychology to great effect, squeezing screams out of simple chocolate syrup. Even today, it’s hard not to be anxious in the shower after givingPsychoa well-deserved re-watch.
8Strangers On A Train
1951
Another one of Hitchcock’s odd stories that obsess over the idea of an impossible-to-solve murder,Strangers on a Trainis a chillingly delightful descent into madness. The narrative kicks off with two strangers striking up a conversation in a chance encounter on a train, only to learn that both of them have someone whom their lives would be much easier without. In a callous act of crime, the two agree to murder one another’s tormentors so that it would be impossible to establish a motive, only for things to quickly go off the rails.
Strangers on a Traincleverly plays with morality and trust, with its two strangers going on arcs in vastly different directions on the scale of good and evil. The result is one of Hitchcock’s most fantastic, charismatic villains that goes to increasingly terrifying lengths to get what he wants. The visual language on display is also quite masterful here, obsessing over the concept of “crisscross” imagery representing the chance encounter of the two leads.
7Rope
1948
A unique horrorbottle movie,Ropeis one of Hitchcock’s most ambitious and daring experiments that nonetheless manages to wrack the nerves of its audience through sheer tension. The story takes place entirely within a cramped New York City apartment, unfolding in real time. When two “close roommates” commit a heinous act of murder and stuff their victim’s corpse in a wooden chest, they have to make it through a normal dinner party before any of the guests wise up to the atrocity they’ve just performed.
Rope’s editing gives it quite a uniquely thrilling quality, with deviously long takes that allow the tension to slowly reach a boiling point as the smoking gun of a wooden chest looms in the foreground. The editing techniques aren’t the only groundbreaking element of the film, with co-conspirators Phillip and Brandon hinted at being more than friends as heavily as Hitchcock’s time would allow. A deliciously ironic story of murder and deceit,Ropeis a great testament to Hitchcock’s scary movie talents.
6Rear Window
1954
Perhaps Hitchcock’s single greatest collaboration with longtime favorite James Stewart,Rear Windowis a horrific journey into voyeurism that almost seems to question its own existence. The plot centers on a man bound to a wheelchair after an injury who copes with the boredom of being trapped in his house by spying on his neighbors with a long-lens camera. When he accidentally witnesses a grisly murder, he’s suddenly thrust into a dangerous world in which he must admit his own wrong-doings to prevent ever-worse disasters.
Hitchcock cleverly usesRear Window’s protagonist as a self-insert for the audience, raising questions about what enjoyment one might get out of watching tales as morose as this one unfolds. This makes it all the more terrifying when the killer finally does spot Jeff’s interference, almost breaking the fourth wall as he stares down the barrel of the camera and straight into the viewer’s soul. Because of its atmosphere and tension,Rear Windowis a murder story not to be missed before one’s last Halloween season.
5The Birds
1963
Likely Hitchcock’s second most widely-known films,The Birdsis a little bit of an outlier in his filmography, dispensing with his traditional fascination with human madness and murder in favor of nature’s wrath. Here, the iconic Tippi Hedren stars as Melanie, a young socialite looking for love amid the fallout of a practical joke gone wrong. On a trip to a small town, she’s caught up in a horrifying situation as the local bird population goes berserk, viciously attacking all humans they see on sight.
The escalation of danger inThe Birdsis easy to appreciate, going from a single gull that gets tangled in Melanie’s hair to entire swarms that envelop the whole county. Even if some of the practical effects are quite cheesy by modern standards, the chaos, panic, and terror inflicted by the avian menace is still quite potent. Add inthe ominous ending ofThe Birds,and the film remains a horror staple long past its expiration date.
4Frenzy
1972
Hitchcock’s penultimate movie,Frenzyproves that the director was still an innovative horror storyteller well into the later stages of his career. Much more of a straightforward horror story compared to the usual shroud of mystery that blankets Hitchcock’s films,Frenzyfollows the trail of carnage left by a serial killer fond of taking out women by strangling them with neckties. When an ex-soldier’s wife becomes one of the murderer’s victims, he’s forced to investigate in order to clear his own name.
Compared to the rest of Hitchcock’s filmography,Frenzyis quite openly brutal, making it all the more suited for Halloween movie nights. Similarly toRear Window,the media frenzy whipped up by the necktie killer’s actions pokes uncomfortable questions at Hitchcock’s own audience, making the film both a wicked delight for the nerves and a cerebral dissection of morbid fascination. A classic serial-killer hunt,Frenzyis a great pick for a more traditional scary movie under the Hitchcock banner.
3Dial M For Murder
An incredible performance from thelegendary actress Grace Kelly,Dial M for Murderjust might be the archetypal Hitchcock film. Kelly stars as a woman whose husband secretly plots her murder behind her back, insidiously maneuvering to have her killed the second he leaves the house in order to establish an alibi. After the plan is botched, he’s forced to improvise a new plan - Frame her for the murder of the assassin he sent.
The tension present inDial M for Murderis some of Hitchcock’s best, with the smarmy assassin gliding silently in the background as Grace Kelly is none the wiser. The film also establishes many classic tropes used in other Hitchcock films, including adultery, financial motivations, and the idea of the “perfect crime”. The palpable dramatic irony makes for an alarmingly anxiety-ridden ride sure to get the adrenaline pumping.
2Shadow Of A Doubt
1943
One of Hitchcock’s more underrated pictures,Shadow of a Doubtprods at some more sacred subject matter than typical of his other films. The movie begins brightly, following a young woman named Charlie whose Uncle, whom she is named after, comes to visit from the big city. But before long, Charlie begins to suspect that her jolly family member may be harboring a dark secret, possibly even being a murderer.
As Charlie grows more and more distrusting of her once-idolized family member, he becomes more desperate to assague her fears, only making himself more suspicious. Eventually, the affable uncle turns on Charlie once he realizes that she knows too much, presenting a darker, more true-to-life enemy than the rest of Hitchcock’s villains. While one might likely never meet a Norman Bates or be attacked by a swarm of birds, an Uncle Charlie could easily haunt one’s real life, making for a particularly chilling Halloween option.
1Rebecca
1940
Hitchcock wasn’t exactly one to revel in the supernatural in most cases, butRebeccais the closest he ever got to amovie ghostwith scares from beyond the grave. The plot concerns the new bride of a widower who struggles to fill the shoes of the woman before her upon moving into her husband’s impressive, but empty manor. Tormented by the mansion’s housekeeper, it’s all the young woman can do to keep from being made privy to the mysterious circumstances behind her predecessor’s death.
The brilliant drama ofRebeccalends itself well to Hitchcock’s understanding of the human condition, with brilliant performances all around. From the eerie mystery behind Rebecca’s death to the spooky subject matter,Rebeccais the perfect macabre tale for the Halloween season. As far asHitchcockmovies go, it’s hard to get scarier than the haunted corpse of a former lover that commands the narrative.
