When it comes to both the horror genre and quality filmmaking as a whole, there are few directors as influential and popular asAlfred Hitchcock. The English director got his start in cinemaduring the silent film eraof the 1920s. The majority of his recognizable films, however, were released throughout his 50-year career that followed. Hitchcock was one of the first true auteurs, as a director whose name was just as much of a box office draw (if not more) than the actors who starred in his movies. Though he did not work exclusively in horror, it is the genre he is most closely associated with as a result of films like 1960’sPsychoas well as his iconicAlfred Hitchcock Presentstelevision series.
Throughout his career, Hitchcock’s films gathered nearly 50 Oscar nominations, with him receiving a Best Director nomination on five occasions. While he produced numerous Oscar-winning movies, he never actually won one of the awards himself. That hasn’t stopped Hitchcock from becoming one of the most important directors in film history, though. With a filmography as extensive as his, it can be overwhelming to jump into watching the director’s work if you’re not already familiar with it.
AlthoughRotten Tomatoes is not a perfect system, we’ve gone through the site to gather the ten highest-rated films directed by Hitchcock. While this is by no means an exhaustive list – major films likeThe Birds,Lifeboat,RopeandVertigoare missing – it provides a good idea of the best Hitchcock films that new viewers should prioritize.
10The 39 Steps (1935) – 96%
1935’sThe 39 Stepsis one of the earliest successes in Hitchcock’s career. Based on the novelThe Thirty-Nine Stepsby John Buchan, the film is an espionage-thriller about a man attempting to stop the theft of secret information from the British government. It stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll in the lead roles, with Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle and Peggy Ashcroft as key supporting characters. The film was not nominated for any Academy Awards, though that ceremony was still less than a decade old at the time. Today, the film holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 54 gathered reviews.
9Psycho (1960) – 96%
Arguably Hitchcock’s most famous film, 1960’sPsychomakes its way onto this list with a 96% approval as well. We have it placed aboveThe 39 Steps, however, becausePsychohas 113 reviews gathered, a wider consensus than the last film’s 54. There’s little that can be said about the film that hasn’t been said a hundred times before. It’s a classic for good reason. Hitchcock doessome of his best behind-the-camera workhere, and the performances from Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and the rest of the cast are outstanding. It was nominated for four Oscars – including Hitchcock for Director and Leigh for Supporting Actress – though it ended up not winning any. The Best Picture winner that year was Billy Wilder’sThe Apartment.
8Suspicion (1941) – 97%
Coming in just abovePsychoandThe 39 Stepsis 1941’sSuspicion, starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. It was one of the most well-reviewed films from both Grant and Fontaine’s careers, and it was nominated for three Oscars – including Best Picture – of which Fontaine won one for Lead Actress.Suspicionmarked the first occasion in which Hitchcock worked with Grant, and the two would go on to collaborate on three further films in the decades that followed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a Tomatometer score of 97%, with 34 total reviews gathered. Notably, that’s not enough to earn the film a “Certified Fresh” label, though its 77% audience score is still a solid seal of approval.
Related:Cary Grant’s 10 Best Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes
7North by Northwest (1959) – 97%
From Hitchcock and Grant’s first collaboration to their last, 1959’sNorth by Northwestis another timeless classic amid the director’s catalog. LikeSuspicion, it also has a 97% approval, butNorth by Northwestearns the “Certified Fresh” status with 114 total reviews. It also marks another instance of Hitchcock’s films being represented at the Academy Awards without winning any, as the movie was nominated for three awards – Best Writing, Best Art Direction and Best Editing. There was stiff competition that year, though, with films such asBen-Hur,Anatomy of a Murder,Pillow TalkandSome Light It Hotall competing as well.
6The Lady Vanishes (1938) – 98%
Moving further up the list, Hitchcock has four films that hold Certified Fresh 98% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The first of which is 1938’sThe Lady Vanishes, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Another one of Hitchcock’s early thrillers,The Lady Vanishesis adapted fromEthel Lina White’s 1936 novelThe Wheel Spins. Though it was shut out from the Academy Awards that year, the film has upheld an immensely positive reputation over the last 85 years. It’s placed here on the list because it earns its 98% score based on 50 reviews.
5Strangers on a Train (1951) – 98%
Just over a decade later, Hitchcock releasedStrangers on a Train, starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker. It just barely lands aboveThe Lady Vanisheson this list, as it holds its 98% approval rating based on 56 reviews. The 1951 thriller tells a noir-tinged story of two mad men who meet on a train and decide to each conduct a murder for the other, in the hopes that they’ll then both get away with the acts. The film is, once again, adapted from a previously written novel, specifically Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 novel of the same name. Although the film wasn’t the best-received at the time, it has developed a much more positive reputation as time has gone on.
4Rebecca (1940) – 98%
One of Hitchcock’s most famous early films is the 1940 mystery thrillerRebecca, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.Rebeccaremains one of Hitchcock’s most well-regarded films, and it’sthe only film of his to win Best Pictureat the Academy Awards. It won just a single other Oscar beyond Best Picture – Best Cinematography – despite receiving a total of 11 nominations. Interestingly, that makes it the only film in the Academy’s history to win Best Picture without winning at least one other award for acting, directing or writing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 98% approval rating based on 107 reviews.
3Rear Window (1954) – 98%
Just as Hitchcock collaborated with Cary Grant on four occasions, so too did he with another one of the Golden Age’s most recognizable and beloved leading men, Jimmy Stewart. 1954’sRear Windowwas the second film that the two worked together on, following 1948’sRopeand preceding both 1956’sThe Man Who Knew Too Muchand 1958’sVertigo. Along withNorth by NorthwestandPsycho,Rear Windowbelongs to the top tier of Hitchcock films that have achieved a true classic status and cemented their place in Hollywood’s history.
Stewart delivers one of the best performances of his career in the film, and the movie still captivates audiences and critics alike to this day. With 130 reviews that determine its 98% approval,Rear Windowis able to place toward the top of the list. It is arguably the most widely-praised film of the bunch, for reasons that will be made clear with the following two entries.
Related:The Best Jimmy Stewart Movies, Ranked
2Young and Innocent (1937) – 100%
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of 1937’sYoung and Innocent, it is far from Hitchcock’s most well-known or beloved film. Starring Nova Pilbeam and Derrick de Marney, the film was another one of Hitchcock’s early thrillers that saw him continue to build his reputation in the beginning of his career in Hollywood. The film was well-received at the time, and it’s still thought to be a solid entry in the director’s catalog. However, it places second highest on this list with a 100% approval.
That approval, though, is determined based on just 20 gathered reviews. That smaller pool of voices makes it easier to maintain its 100% perfect score. In reality, of those gathered reviews, the average rating out of ten forYoung and Innocentis a 7.6, compared to the 9.3 forRear Windowand the 8.9 forRebecca.
1Shadow of a Doubt (1943) – 100%
The same is also true when looking at 1943’sShadow of a Doubt, though to a much lesser degree.Shadow of a Doubtholds its 100% approval based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 9.2. ThoughShadow of a Doubtmay not have hundreds of reviews to back up its perfect rating, don’t let that sway you into thinking the film isn’t excellent. It is often considered one of the biggest hidden gems of Hitchcock’s career. Even the director himselfthought it was his best movie.
Starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton, the movie is a psychological thriller about a family that is excited by the unexpected visit of a family member, only to then realize that their relative is wanted for a string of murders in another town.Shadow of a Doubtis one of the lesser-known movies of Hitchcock’s career, but it’s one that definitely deserves a spot on your watchlist.
