It’s hard to think of horror, mystery, and suspense without also thinking of Alfred Hitchcock. For many horror movie filmmakers that followed him, he was a mentor with his style, technique, and ability to both create psychological and physical horror.
The peak of Alfred Hitchcock’s film career was from the 1930s to the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Despite many of his films being over 80 years old, they're still favorites of many movie makers and fans.
For this list, I am only listing Alfred Hitchcock movies with sound (not his silent film collection), many of which are available through some of the best streaming services out there.
Psycho (Netflix)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
What it’s about: This 1960 film follows Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a seemingly normal hotel owner. Quickly, viewers learn that Norman might not be the good guy.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Psycho continues to find new forms because it’s a memorable and haunting story, and also a little relatable: “We all go a little mad sometimes.” Psycho stunned viewers and continues to make showering a daunting activity.
Dial M For Murder (Tubi)
Starring: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, and John Williams.
What it’s about: The film follows a man who plots to murder his wife after he discovers that she had an affair, then he tries to frame her for murder.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Dial M for Murder is one of my favorite types of films, one where you know who the criminal is, and then you wait and see how all the scheming and plotting starts to bring him or her down. Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job of exploring motive, while also keeping a hint of mystery as well.
North By Northwest (Tubi)
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason
What it’s about: The film follows Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) as he deals with a case of mistaken identity. He must run for his life while also trying to uncover what’s really happening.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: It’s thrilling, funny, sexy, and features a talented cast of actors. Cary Grant really thrives in this movie because of the ease in which he goes from dramatic to romantic to comedy to fearful to sly. He really shows a range of emotions and acting skills in North by Northwest.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Pluto TV)
Starring: James Stewart and Doris Day
What it’s about: A family’s vacation drastically gets turned upside down when they learn about a murder plot, and then the parents must save their son from kidnappers.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: James Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock have worked together in several films, and this is just another one where their collaborative relationship excels. Stewart’s good guy naive charm pairs nicely with Doris Day’s slightly more people savvy character.
Notorious (Tubi)
Starring: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains
What it’s about: This film follows the story of a U.S. government agent, T.R. Devlin, and an American spy, Alicia Huberman, as they take down the Nazis, and the story of how they fall in love while the stakes of war climb higher and higher.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: While Alfred Hitchcock has always been a man of mystery and suspense and thrillers, this was one of his first films where a love story was really at the center of it, and not just one love story, but two men who fall in love with the main woman. Centered around World War II and having plenty of drama, this film is one that you can’t miss if you like romance mixed in with a classic spy film.
Sabotage (Tubi)
Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Oskar Homolka, John Loder
What it’s about: Sabotage is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1936 film about a woman (Sylvia Sidney) who suspects that her husband (Oskar Homolka) is involved with terrorists. The terrorists plan to launch a series of attacks on London. John Loder plays the sergeant who’s investigating the couple and falls in love with the wife.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: The film is another suspense movie that proves why Hitchcock is the master of it. Sabotage keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Family Plot (Amazon Rental)
Starring: Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, William Devane
What it’s about: Several lives intersect in this black comedy thriller about two people hired to find a nephew given up for adoption at birth, only to find out that this supposed nephew isn’t the person they were told he would be.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Hitchcock is pretty much known for being a man of mystery, suspense, and movies that make you rewatch over and over again to see if you missed something. But Family Plot takes a look at that and offers a comedic reprieve from his normal dosage of horror. It’s also significant because it’s Hitchcock’s last directing role.
Rear Window (Amazon Rental)
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly
What it’s about: While healing his broken leg, Jeff witnesses what he believes to be his neighbor killing his wife. He then sets out to investigate the possible crime.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: There is so much to admire about this film, from the acting, the story, the directing style, and so much more. Without getting too geeky about Rear Window, in basic terms, it's just a really good mystery and thriller that keeps you engaged.
Shadow Of A Doubt (Amazon Rental)
Starring: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten
What it’s about: This 1943 film tells the story of an uncle that seems like a regular man, but as his niece begins to unravel the mystery behind him, she finds out that he is wanted for murder - and soon, he realizes she knows.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Shadow of a Doubt feels like one of the best mysteries out there because the audience is in on the mystery - it’s the characters that aren’t, and so you’re hoping they figure it out before it’s too late. It’s a great psychological thriller, one that you can’t miss.
Rope (Amazon Rental)
Starring: James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger
What it’s about: Based on the 1929 play of the same name, Rope follows two aesthetes who decide to commit the “perfect murder” and prove their superiority, but all begins to turn upside down as more people discover who they truly are.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Despite some people’s negative opinions about the 1948 version of Rope, it’s a Hitchcock film that I really enjoy. Rope works for a few different reasons. One it makes you identify with the killers and it makes you root for them, then you remember they’re cold-blooded killers, so you root against them.
The Birds (Netflix)
Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette
What it’s about: The lives of the residents of Bodega Bay, California are suddenly turned upside down when violent birds begin to attack them out of nowhere.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: The legacy of The Birds is now filled with controversy and violent behavior from Alfred Hitchcock, but the film itself is one of his best. The film makes you terrified of a normally peaceful animal. I think what makes the idea of The Birds (at least to me) so frightening is that their attacks come out of nowhere.
Foreign Correspondent (Max)
Starring: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall and George Sanders
What it’s about: An American reporter gets assigned to go to Europe to be a foreign correspondent. While there, he stumbles upon a spy ring and assassination plans.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: Foreign Correspondent was Alfred Hitchcock’s second big Hollywood film. After its 1940 release, it along with Hitchock’s first big Hollywood movie, Rebecca, was nominated for the 1941 Best Picture Academy Award. Rebecca won the Best Picture Oscar that year.
Vertigo (Amazon Rental)
Starring: James Stewart and Kim Novak
What it’s about: A former police detective who retires thanks to an incident in the line of duty is called back into action to investigate the strange behavior of someone’s wife.
Why it is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films to stream: If you’ve taken any college film class, then you probably watched Vertigo at least once. Vertigo is a film that the more I watch, the more I discover new things to admire and appreciate about it. I’m a basic person, so Vertigo is probably in my top twenty favorite films. It’s just so good after you have to watch it four million times.
These are only 13 of the many great Alfred Hitchcock films available to stream. If you can’t get enough of Alfred Hitchcock films, then the internet provides a cornucopia of options.
