Top 10 Hitchcock Films 

I like Hitchcock's bomb theory. You can do a bomb scene in two ways. One is you have two men sitting at a table talking about baseball for five minutes when a bomb under the table explodes and the audience has a brief, horrible shock. Or you let the audience know there is a bomb under the table when the scene starts so during the five minutes the audience will be yelling, "stop talking about baseball you a-holes, there is a bomb under the table!" That is how you create suspense.

Rear Window has to be my favorite. When I first saw, I couldn't even comprehend my emotions: I was in bigger suspense that moment that in most of my life. And for that, Rear Window deserves a place in my heart.

The Birds is fascinating becasue it has no music whatsoever. It's good for budding composers as it's basically a clean slate in which to practise.

I think that 'Rebecca' is a truly under appreciated Hitchcock film. It's one of my favorites.

The 39 Steps is really underrated. It’s probably one of Hitch’s best British films.

James has two groups of fans: gamers and movie lovers. I am both.

Nice to see Rope on your list, often overlooked - I think it is a masterpiece.

Great list! Frenzy, Rebecca, Notorious, and The 39 Steps are also absolute MUST-SEES. Frenzy and The 39 Steps are perfect for those who love Innocent Man Accused thrillers (Frenzy feels very modernand fresh to this day while 39 Steps is the choice for those who like b&w classic). Rebecca and Notorious are simply first rate films on any level. For those who are just discovering Hitchcock movies, you're in for a fantastic ride. There are TONS of fantastic films and highlight moments!

I just watched Dial M For Murder for the first time. Brilliant film.

He's my personal favorite director.

I found Rope very interesting

Took a class on Hitchcock. Watched a bunch of his films. I like this list. Shadow of a Doubt is great. I was lucky to have that class. Hitchcock was way ahead of his time and could still teach the directors now a thing or two

James, you oughta teach film classes in college. You'd be a great professor

I love vertigo! Kim Novak was so beautiful and with the music it just set things right. You even fall in love with Kim Novak with that music. Ugh it gives me chills!

My favorite thing about Psycho is that it doesn't have a Hollywood super star playing a character supposed to be 20 years younger than him.

North By Northwest will always be my favorite Hitchcock film. The humor, adventure and cast are phenomenal. It's one of a handful of movies (like the original Die Hard) where the villain is so charismatic (James Mason) that you can't help but like him. Glad to see Rope make this list as well. I always thought it was seriously underrated.

Its great and very relieving to know that there are still young kids growing up and having such an appreciation for great cinema classics. Good for you lad.

I still have quite a lot of the movies to get through, but here's my list so far- 1) The Lady Vanishes 2) Notorious 3) Spellbound 4) The 39 Steps 5) Rope

James has a mini movie store in his basement it looks like, awesome.

I would have to include Rebecca.

Hitchcock is my favourite director of all time! I loved watching this video, thank you!

This list just proves how underrated Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat really is. What a criminally underrated film for anyone to see. It's personally one of my favorites. It's interesting how the movie didn't need much to grab the audiences attention. All it had was a clever script, classic brute acting and the feeling of surreal helplessness. I highly recommend it to anyone that's starting a Hitchcock marathon.

love to see rope ranked such highly on your list. it's my fav hitchcock film!

Rear Window is the BEST!

Hi, for me it is impossible to classify Hitchcock's films as the relationship between his films and the viewer is so intimate. The 39 steps, Rebecca, Spellbound and many others are true masterpieces. Thank you very much for this video ! Cyril, Hitch fan from France.

My favorite was probably North by Northwest

My personal favorites. 12. Family Plot 11. Spellbound 10. The Birds 9. Rear Window 8. Rope 7. Frenzy 6. Rebecca 5. Psycho 4. Notorious 3. Strangers on a Train 2. Vertigo 1. North By Northwest

I always love Jame's reviews/opinion wish I started looking at his movie related videos sooner, the Friday the 13th guide is great..watched them all and was waiting like a kid for each new episode.

I was so happy North by Northwest was placed so highly on this list, because my high school film teacher made us watch it and go over the little things Hitchcock did to make his movie. And my film teacher was really good at making the entire class laugh, so at least we didn't have to suffer the entire school day.

I love Family Plot. Since I was a kid, it has been one of my favorite movies. I've probably seen it at least 30 times.

you should do a video on stanley kubrick james

For you Hitchcock fans out there, I highly suggest you watch one of his lesser known ones called "The Wrong Man" starring Henry Fonda. It's about this innocent guy who was mistaken for a criminal, and it's based on a true story interestingly enough. I watched it earlier today, and I definitely think it's one of his most underrated films in my opinion. It's not suspenseful like his other films, but it's definitely an interesting watch.

It's 7 years old but I'll add mine. Notorious is my personal favorite. Vertigo is his best, it's brilliant and artistic. Psycho is a must. The Birds is a must, especially for horror fans. Rope holds a very special place in my heart because I love long takes. North by Northwest is his most entertaining. Strangers on a Train holds up exceptionally well.

James, being so knowledgable on movies you should definitely do more of these... I'd love to see some top 10 Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang or Luis Bunuel films

while this is a great list, PSYCHO remains my all-time favorite

Notorious was so good. Kinda shocked you left it out, still a good list though. Its easily in my top ten films of all time which would also inlcude Vertigo and North By Northwest

I've watched Frenzy and I think also this movie is underratted, I love it!

Loved "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" -- pretty cool TV back in the day.

this is one of my favourite videos James made. He's just talking about movies and which ones are the best. and he's just talking about it. love it. I really wish he would do more of these. e.g. top 10 Spielberg Films, etc.

With Psycho I always saw Norman as the main character and focus Norma is the villain and if you've seen the movie you know what I mean.

Really enjoy these type of videos that you do. Keep making them.

Before seeing the vid, here are my Top Ten 1) Psycho = Duh 2) Rear Window = Double Duh 3) Rope = MASSIVELY Underrated 4) North By Northwest = Classic 5) Dial M For Murder = Very good 6) Sabotage = my favorite from his earlier years 7) Vertigo = Might be a smidge overrated to me, but still very good. 8) The Lady Vanishes = Kind of an overlooked one, but still very good 9) The Man Who Knew Too Much = 59 version. Great stuff 10) Sabotuer = Also very good.

james always has a down to earth way of explaining things, even though i may not agree i certainly respect his well thought out opinions

Great top 10! ‘Psycho’ & ‘Rope’ are part of my top 5 especially with their technical prowess, the writing & the acting are just brilliant

Frenzy made me laugh the most, even though it's probably one of the most graphic movies with the choking scenes. The part that makes me laugh is the detective and his wife's horrible cooking.

I would have put "The Trouble with Harry" somewhere on the list. I liked the character interaction, the twistedness of the action, and the beautiful scenery. It reminds me of the movie "Fargo"a little in that regard.

How can Notorious not make your list?! Dude!

So many great Hitchcock films. Even the later ones like Frenzy are good. Love the humor in Frenzy with the police chief and his wife's cooking.

I actually took a college course on Hitchcock and watched a lot of his movies. The class was fun.

Psycho is still a shocking movie after all these years... All the other Alfred Hitchcock movies are also great beyond compare. I never get tired of his classics! Good Reviews, James!

I love the films he made in the UK. The Lady Vanishes 1938, and Stage Fright 1950 are both excellent.

I need to watch 'North by Northwest' again because all I remember after the famous Mt Rushmore scene was the movie jump cutting to the VERY brief ending where the hero and heroine share four lines of romantic dialogue before cutting to the classic suggestive shot of a train entering a tunnel. Then "The End." And I was like...."What?"

James Nguyen (direcor of Birdemic: Shock and Terror) wants SOOOOO BAD to be Hitchcock, right down to the blonde leads and personal cameos

My favorite Hitchcock is 'The Lady Vanishes', from back in his Islington days, with Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. The Intrigue is rife in that one.

Hitchcock was clearly one of the masters. He has been studied more than any other director, and left behind a legacy of artistic achievement that's really hard to beat. It's also hard to narrow the list down to only 10 features, as so many were masterful. I would have to add Notorious and the grossly under appreciated Marnie to that list.

I think To Catch a Thief and Frenzy should make the Top 10. Probably Notorious too.

It amazes me how Hitchcock could go so deep into the twisted recesses of the human mind within the constraints of the time period in which he worked. Although he is the master of suspense, he literally worked in every genre and even created a few. Aside from the psycho 'slasher genre' I think one could make an argument for the 39 steps being the first wisecracking buddy thriller (even though his partner is a 'dame'). The way Rope incoporated latant homosexual themes was also revolutionary.

I really enjoyed 'The Wrong Man' lots of nice camera movement in the film!

I agree. I think that Notorious is probably one of my favorite Hitchcock films. It seems to have better writing, directing, and camera work. I think that it doesn't get quite high marks as Vertigo simply because it lacks some of the crazy plot twists of a typical Hitchcock classic, and it's probably one of Cary Grant's weaker Hitchcock films. Ingrid Bergman is amazing and gorgeous, and Claude Raines is outstanding. He really makes the film as far as acting is concerned.

One of the oldest Theaters in Vienna screened Vertigo, and I remembered you recommending it, so I watched it. Great Experience, thanks!

Hitchcock made two of his greatest in England in the 30's. The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. Great films. Maybe you should do another Hitchcock video of his best movies before he went to the US. 👍🏻

Great list James, btw.

Cinemassacre top movies or top hit reviews are always interesting. Keep up the good work!

I love the quick edit on Stewart at the end of Rope. It shows a jolt in the plot. Great list.

I remember seeing "The Birds" as a kid, and it scared the daylights out of me, Oddly enough, seeing it as an adult many years later, I love it!

I know you will probably never read this, but would you ever consider doing a top 10 Stanley Kubrick movies?

Jimmy Stewart...Jimmy Stewart...Jimmy Stewart. Seems like Hitch was todays Scorsese/DeNiro/now DiCaprio.

Just want to say I really love you're videos well done mate

9:03 “she’s insanely beautiful and too perfect for him” And too young for him

everyone needs to stop saying something should've been > or < on the list this is his personal list you have no right to change it

Definitely good choices, but I'd have liked to see Notorious on there. There's an amazing part where the camera starts above a balcony during a party scene and there's a long, continuous dolly shot that finally ends up focusing on a tiny key in Ingrid Bergman's hand. A very slick and stylish spy film.

Everyone in the comments talking about all these old movies without spoiling their endings I love to see it

I love frenzy. One of the most disturbing. But has great lines and suspense in it

So far, I've seen: Psycho The Birds Vertigo Rear Window Rope Frenzy & Strangers on a Train

I needed this thank you so much for this!

Love listening to James talk about movies.

I love Hitchcock's movies, especially 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window'

For me: 3. Rear Window, 2. Dial M for Murder and 1. Psycho. Easily my favorite Hitchcock film.

Quite possibly your best review ever, nerd. You should do more of theese, with you simply talking, it's quite effective, and you have a greate voice too.

Notorious would be in my top 4 instead of North by Northwest

Hey! How about Kubrick movies? What do You think about them? Greatings from Poland! Keep it up!!!

What I love about it is the score by Bernard Hermann (which I think is amazing), the story and its sense of mystery, the direction, atmosphere, visual style and performances make it my favourite Hitchcock film. We all have our different tastes, so there's nothing wrong if you don't like it that much, but that's why I and many others love it.

Vertigo will always hold a special place in my heart since it was the movie that introduced me to Hitchcock and his trademark suspense and twists

Great list but my personal favourite didn't get a mention. Marnie.

"Dial M for Murder" is my favorite. (and I've seen most of his films - all of what he mentioned too)

Now I am about to go through a Hitchcock phase. Good video. I like this dude's enthusiasm about movies.

Been watching James since 2006. It's been a wild RU-vid experience

Ok, just starting this video, so I haven'tseen his ratings yet, but I'll tell ya what, "Dial 'M' for Murder" and Vertigo had better be on this list! I hope.

I always found Birds to be super underrated

I have been wanting to see Vertigo for a long time. Great list, James!

thank you james for introducing me to so many amazing movies

James -"now , there is younger generations that they are starting to learn about his film who might be the next famous film maker..." Me- "like you..." :|

Strangers on a train is 9? Dang that's my favorite one.

jimmy stewart in rear window is magnificent

Thank you so much for putting North by Northwest and Vertigo in the top spots. I have argued this point for years, only to be told by everyone that I was crazy and Psycho was Hitchcock's best. I'm not putting down Psycho by any means, but it gets old to be told Psycho's his best, as if it's a definitive fact.

Lifeboat is one of my favorites.

so danny devito basically made a parody of strangers with throw momma

Thank you for this, I love a lot of the Hitchcock movies I have seen (Rear Window being my favorite), but I was wanting some sort of direction... Thank you for that.

When you said #5.....I knew all four would be in there. Perfect list! Glad you enjoy #5 as much as I do.

James, I might with you on this one, but Rear Window is the best.