Few film makers get to have a descriptive term named after them, but for the portly Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock spawned a wave of spiritual imitators and successors whose works would end up being monikered as homages and throwbacks to Hitchcock's reign of terror.
Ranging from maniacs, phobias, to conspiratorial networks, this particular style of thriller goes back several decades; to the point where I once assumed Stanley Donen's Charade (1963) was actually directed by Hitchcock himself. Fast forward to today and Chloe Okuno's Watcher (2022) is the latest example of what qualifies as a Hitchcockian thriller, as it owes its entire existence to Rear Window (1954). It will hardly be the last film in this criteria, that's for certain.
There's a long list of great Hitchcockian thrillers not helmed by Leytonstone's finest son. Below is a very small selection of personal favourites or slept-on gems which fall under the great director's descriptive label.
Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955): Pipping Hitchcock to the post for the film rights to She Who Was No More, Clouzot's film adaptation details a perfect murder alibi thriller. However it all goes awry once the body goes missing. It culminates with an unforgettable bath tub scene. This has Hitchcock written all over it in everything but name.
Bunny Lake is Missing (Otto Preminger, 1965): Already covered this film in some depth, but it's worth adding that Preminger's classic is what one might have expected from Hitchcock had he returned back to England before making Frenzy (1970). Both the escape from the hospital and doll shop scenes are incredible moments in the film.
Twisted Nerve (Roy Boulting, 1968): A real shame that its controversy usurped Boulting's British masterpiece. Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills display incredible chemistry together, and it's this aspect that elevates it aloft amongst other similar concepts in this mould. One of those rare films where I find myself wishing the antagonist's psychopathy would be cured.
And Soon the Darkness (Robert Fuest, 1970): Before Taken (2009) came along, this was the perfect film for any concerned parent with a naive daughter planning to go to France with her dumb friend. What makes this a perfect old school thriller is its impeccable atmosphere. The sense of being a stranger in a strange land is perfectly realised in this film. The brooding senses of terror and suspense are sadly lost in the inferior 2010 remake.
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (Dario Argento, 1970): Originally considered Argento's debut somewhat overrated in comparison to some of his other films. Grew to appreciate it over the years, largely because I became far more aware of other films since I first watched it. Much like De Palma, Hitchcock's DNA is all over this film. Its everyman protagonist is hardly much different from James Stewart in a number of Hitchcock's films. But what makes this my pick amongst Argento's other films are some of the visual tricks and techniques involved which harken to Hitchcock's style. Argento also plays with shadows and silhouettes during some scenes which also give it a rich film noir quality in those instances. Wouldn't be my pick for Argento's best film, nor his best giallo for that matter, but it's certainly his most Hitchcockian film before perfecting his own unique style with Deep Red (1975).
Rabid Dogs (Mario Bava, 1974): Often described as the Italian Hitchcock, Bava spent much of his career under the Master of Suspense's shadow. It didn't help matters calling one of his films The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), I guess. Bava laid the template for the Italian giallo, but Rabid Dogs is a different pedigree of film to what he's largely associated with; as it is closer to the poliziotteschi in style. A tense and claustrophobic crime thriller that does away with Bava's traditional gothic visuals and replaces it with gritty contemporary realism. There's also one hell of an unforgettable climax. Composer Stelvio Cipriani finishes things off with a killer soundtrack.
Road Games (Richard Franklin, 1981): Franklin's classic Ozploitation film shares the same trend as many personal favourites of mine: classic films associated with its nation, with foreign actors in their leading roles. Road Games is no different, with both Americans Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis in the lead roles. This cat and mouse thriller set in the vast Australian Outback is laden with suspenseful set pieces which ought to be taught in film school for any aspiring film maker. It's little wonder that Franklin's next film would wind up being the underrated Psycho II (1983).
Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984): Considering De Palma was essentially the spiritual successor to Alfred Hitchcock's legacy, you can pretty much take your pick when it comes to a favourite thriller from B.D.P's filmography. Body Double resonates with Dada Debaser's very ethos as it treads the tight rope which seperates serious cinema and sleazy exploitation; to the point that De Palma had originally considered Annette Haven for Melanie Griffith's part; Taking cues from both Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958), De Palma's film is criminally neglected over other films in his repertoire, unless you're Patrick Bateman.
Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992): Kind of ironic how Hitchcock was one of the innovators who kickstarted the slasher genre, and by the late eighties and early nineties, it would germinate with the erotic thriller as one its off-shoots. Basic Instinct carries many of Hitchcock's slasher and film noir sensibilites with Verhoeven's trademark love of sensational sex and violence. Sharon Stone's Catherine Tramell would become an iconic femme fatale with one scene in particular that made most of us forget Michael Douglas' flabby naked arse.
Vacancy (Nimród Antal, 2007): If the Hitch had been around in the twenty-first century then Vacancy would have been the type of concept thriller he would have made. Coming from the era of "torture porn", Vacancy ditches visceral gore for suspense and dread while pitting its couple against snuff film makers. Sadly, Vacancy feels largely forgotten today which is a crying shame as it was a far worthier Hitchcockian style thriller than Phone Booth (2002) ever was.
6 comments:
Hitchcock's cameos in his own movies was one of the connections on last week's Only Connect. One of the three connections I managed to get right in that episode.
Body Double is absolutely the one in De Palma's filmography. Bonus points for Melanie Griffith's accidental resemblance to Paula Yates.
Convinced De Palma cast Melanie Griffith because of her mother being Tippi Hedren.
Hah yeah that would definitely be a Hitchcock move.
Gotta mention Throw Momma From The Train as a movie which was Hitchcockian in a different way.
That's a good one.
Managed to catch the Fragment of Fear (1970) recently, which falls under the "hitchcockian" label. Another example of a film soundtrack being better than the actual film.
Stepping Stones 🖤🖤🖤
Exactly 😀
Always assumed it was off some action packed blaxploitation flick instead of some Brit mystery thriller.
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