Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies Of All Time

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Alfred Hitchcock is easily one of the most influential and studied about movie directors of all time. There have been a lot of movies by this British director that are dubbed as some of the best movies of all time.

Hitchcock was born towards the end of the 19th century, and he defined the complete genres of movies in his long carrier that was active for over 50 years. He was a busy guy too; he released over 50 films during this period.

Alfred Hitchcock’s movies are full of more than one genre; they are psychological thrillers, romantic movies, comedy, and criminal movies, all at the same time.

Moreover, we can comfortably claim that Hitchcock films were the main gateway for acceptance of galore, violence, sex, and deviant behavior in the American cinema.

Out of all these masterpieces, it is now the time to pinpoint some of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies that take the suspense movie genre to the next level.

Rebecca (1940)

Before Alfred Hitchcock became one of the most prominent movie directors in the cinema, his major first movie project Rebecca in 1940, was actually a studio movie as he directed this movie under contract to David O. Selznick.

Rebecca was adapted from a novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. There are certain elements typical to most Hitchcock films like humor, and adventurous thrills are not present in this flick, but there are certain psychological suspense pieces that make Rebecca one of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies.

The movie revolves around an unnamed protagonist played by Joan Fontaine, who is haunted by hallucinations and memories of her new husband’s former wife, who died.

Shadow of a doubt (1943)

Hitchcock realized his actual mastery and expertise just after three years of Rebecca with Shadow of a doubt. There are a lot of typical Hitchcockian tropes of serial killing and deceit, sexual tension, international espionage, and the lack of urban lifestyle.

These qualities really made this one of the most influential movies. The movie revolves around a teenage girl protagonist named Charlie, played by Teresa Wright, who thinks her life is bland and boring until her Uncle Charlie, played by Joseph Cotten, shows up with numerous reports of murder from the key city.

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

In the same year as Rebecca, Hitchcock released this movie the follows an American reporter played by Joel McCrea, who is on a mission to expose agents of the enemy in London on World War II eve.

This picture, which was the second American feature of Hitchcock, showcased his ability to create a meat-and-potatoes adventure. This movie has some really amazing set pieces like the one that is set in a windmill.

Just like his movie Rebecca, this movie also featured in the Best Picture Lineup for that year.

The 39 Steps (1935)

This is easily one of the best British Hitchcock films. It is a spy thriller that revolves around a common man from London (Robert Donat) who, while trying to assist a counterespionage agent, discovers a broader conspiracy.

He then embarks on a journey to prevent a spy ring from getting their hands on top confidential information. He is accompanied by a beautiful blonde (Madeleine Carroll) who assists the man on a mission.

Notorious (1946)      

There were a lot of actors who were constants in many different Hitchcock movies. Ingrid Bergeman was one of the best leading ladies that Hitchcock cast frequently. She had all the things that perfectly complimented the Hitchcock genre; she was cunning, witty, and had sheer sex appeal.

In “Notorious,” she played the role of Alicia Huberman, the open-minded daughter of one convicted Nazi Spy. The spy was recruited by T.R. Devlin, played by Cary Grant, a government agent whose objective was the infiltration of a South American Organization

Alicia falls in love with the handsome Devlin, and they share some of the longest and steamiest intimate moments on screen.

She faces a dilemma when he asks her to marry Alex Sebastian, played by Claude Rains, in order to get more information. Sebastian’s mother is massively overbearing and doesn’t trust Alicia. She begins poisoning her coffee as a result.

Strangers on a Train (1954)

 This is one example of why Alfred Hitchcock is termed as the best director for psychological thrillers. This movie involves two guys that are “Strangers” and are traveling and talking in a boxcar.

While conversing, tennis star Guy Haines (Granger) tosses a mental proposal to Bruno Antony (Walker) that was obviously sarcastic.

The proposal was that Guy murders Bruno’s nagging mother, then Bruno would kill Guy’s whining wife. It is all merely conversational to Guy, but it turns out that Bruno is not kidding. This is one of the best Hitchcock movies in which Walker wonderfully embodies a goal-driven psychotic playboy.

Rear Window (1954)

This is a great instance of how good Hitchcock is in making meaningful uses of confined spaces. In this movie, Hitchcock successfully creates an entire world inside a confined apartment place.

The movie revolves around a photographer who is in his wheelchair. He spends all his time spying and lurking in the lives of his neighbor through the apartment window.

He later suspects that one of those neighbors has murdered his wife and, resultantly, guides his housekeeper and devoted girlfriend to solve this mystery.

Psycho (1960)

Psycho is undoubtedly the most influential film Hitchcock has ever made. He employed the crew from his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Present (Which was a great show by the way) to shoot “Psycho” in black-and-white.

It follows a greedy real estate secretary (Janet Leigh) who flees with over $40,000 to start a new life. She decides to spend some time at a motel run a psychotic proprietor played by Anthony Perkins.   

Vertigo (1958)

Vertigo is widely considered to be the best movie of Alfred Hitchcock. It is about a former police detective who is complied with to leave the force for his fear of heights. Things get really complicated when he is requested by his acquaintance to follow his wife.

During this journey, he falls in love with a mysterious woman who jumps off a high tower. Very creepy and troubling events follow this particular incident.

Vertigo was infamously a bomb when it was released, but over time people have dubbed Vertigo as a true Hitchcock masterpiece.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-65)

This is not a movie but a TV show that was created, produced, and hosted Alfred Hitchcock. “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” was an anthology show that featured different stories, including mysteries, thrillers, and drams. “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” was later remained “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.”

Our View

There is no denying the fact that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest movie directors of all time. He also referred to as “Master of Suspense” due to the majority of films being a Psychological thriller.

There are so many great movies directed by him that choosing some of the best Hitchcock movies can become difficult.

Before signing off, we would say that the Hitchcock films mentioned here as best ones are only best according to our personal opinion. You may enjoy some other flick that is not even on this list, as entertainment is highly subjective.

So, which do you think is the best Hitchcock movie? Do let us know using the comments section down below.