(Photo by Universal)
The Birds is back in theaters for its 60th anniversary — check out tickets on Fandango!
Watching the movies Alfred Hitchcock made over his five-decade career is not only a thrilling way to spend your free time, but doubles as a legitimate lesson in the history and development of cinema. As director, Hitchcock withstood every significant upheaval of the industry and, in fact, seemed to flourish with each transition. He started in the 1920s during the silent era (The Lodger), transitioned to sound when many of his peers and actors could not (The 39 Steps), and came to America at the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age (Best Picture-winning Rebecca). And yet Hitch was only just getting started. When color became the movie standard, he ascended to the Master of Suspense mantle that will become his enduring legacy. 1948’s Rope was his first color film, and what followed seemed an endless beloved parade of wrong men, guilty women, and nefarious murderous plots: Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, and on and on. Even as movies hardened in the ’70s after the collapse of the Hays Code, Hitchcock gleefully followed suit, concluding his career with sordid, cynical takes on his formula in Frenzy and Family Plot. Now, it’s time to dial F for Fresh as we look back with Alfred Hitchcock movies ranked by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 109927%
Critics Consensus: Alfred Hitchcock’s earliest classic — and his own personal favorite — deals its flesh-crawling thrills as deftly as its finely shaded characters.
#2
Adjusted Score: 115001%
Critics Consensus: Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece.
#3
Adjusted Score: 112909%
Critics Consensus: Hitchcock’s first American film (and his only Best Picture winner), Rebecca is a masterpiece of haunting atmosphere, Gothic thrills, and gripping suspense.
#4
Adjusted Score: 107527%
Critics Consensus: A provocative premise and inventive set design lights the way for Hitchcock diabolically entertaining masterpiece.
#5
Adjusted Score: 108889%
Critics Consensus: One of Alfred Hitchcock’s last British films, this glamorous thriller provides an early glimpse of the director at his most stylishly entertaining.
#6
Adjusted Score: 111027%
Critics Consensus: Gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic, this late-period Hitchcock classic laid the groundwork for countless action thrillers to follow.
#7
Adjusted Score: 112132%
Critics Consensus: Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre. Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn’t just create modern horror, he validated it.
#8
Adjusted Score: 106762%
Critics Consensus: Packed with twists and turns, this essential early Alfred Hitchcock feature hints at the dazzling heights he’d reach later in his career.
#9
Adjusted Score: 103293%
Critics Consensus: Sublime direction from Hitchcock, and terrific central performances from Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant make this a bona-fide classic worthy of a re-visit.
#10
Adjusted Score: 100542%
Critics Consensus: Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent features a winning combination of international intrigue, comic relief, and some of the legendary director’s most memorable set pieces.
#11
Adjusted Score: 101972%
Critics Consensus: Proving once again that build-up is the key to suspense, Alfred Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history.
#12
Adjusted Score: 101190%
Critics Consensus: As formally audacious as it is narratively brilliant, Rope connects a powerful ensemble in service of a darkly satisfying crime thriller from a master of the genre.
#13
Adjusted Score: 97678%
Critics Consensus: The Master of Suspense’s swan song finds him aiming for pulpy thrills and hitting the target, delivering a twisty crime story with pleasurable bite.
#14
Adjusted Score: 105909%
Critics Consensus: An unpredictable scary thriller that doubles as a mournful meditation on love, loss, and human comfort.
#15
Adjusted Score: 98112%
Critics Consensus: It may occasionally be guilty of coasting on pure charm, but To Catch a Thief has it in spades — as well as a pair of perfectly matched stars in Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
#16
Adjusted Score: 96763%
Critics Consensus: Marking Alfred Hitchcock’s return to England and first foray into viscerally explicit carnage, Frenzy finds the master of horror regaining his grip on the audience’s pulse — and making their blood run cold.
#17
Adjusted Score: 95923%
Critics Consensus: Dial M for Murder may be slightly off-peak Hitchcock, but by any other standard, it’s a sophisticated, chillingly sinister thriller — and one that boasts an unforgettable performance from Grace Kelly to boot.
#18
Adjusted Score: 93988%
Critics Consensus: Remaking his own 1934 film, Hitchcock imbues The Man Who Knew Too Much with picturesque locales and international intrigue, and is helped by a brilliantly befuddled performance from James Stewart.
#19
Adjusted Score: 91472%
Critics Consensus: Spellbound‘s exploration of the subconscious could have benefitted from more analysis, but Alfred Hitchcock’s psychedelic flourishes elevate this heady thriller along with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck’s star power.
#20
Adjusted Score: 87204%
Critics Consensus: A coolly constructed mystery revolving around a character who’s inscrutable to a fault, Marnie finds Hitchcock luring audiences deeper into the dark.
#21
Adjusted Score: 103243%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 101512%
Critics Consensus: Not even notorious studio meddling can diminish the craft and tantalizing suspense of Suspicion, a sly showcase for Joan Fontaine’s nervy prowess and Alfred Hitchcock’s flair for disquiet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 98131%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 96717%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 93322%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 93380%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Adjusted Score: 93566%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#28
Adjusted Score: 91781%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 94089%
Critics Consensus: Hitchcock proves he can wring suspense from the most confined of settings aboard a raft teeming with vivid personalities in this maritime thriller.
#30
Adjusted Score: 90253%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#31
Adjusted Score: 96053%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Adjusted Score: 91079%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#33
Adjusted Score: 91428%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Adjusted Score: 90451%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Adjusted Score: 89363%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#36
Adjusted Score: 62470%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#37
Adjusted Score: 84509%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#38
Adjusted Score: 85144%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 78567%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#40
Adjusted Score: 76239%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#41
Adjusted Score: 74050%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#42
Adjusted Score: 72921%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Adjusted Score: 67457%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#44
Adjusted Score: 68453%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#45
Adjusted Score: 66567%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#46
Adjusted Score: 63297%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#47
Adjusted Score: 58386%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#48
Adjusted Score: 52463%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#49
Adjusted Score: 50380%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Adjusted Score: 38263%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#51
Adjusted Score: 27881%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.