Alfred Hitchcock - Master Of Suspense

Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, Leytonstone, England and then died April 28, 1980. Hitchcock's thrillers contained a combination of sex, suspense and humour. Some of Hitchcock's most profound films are as followed: Rear Window, Frenzy, Vertigo, Topaz, The Birds and Psycho. Hitchcock used cinematic devices numerous times in his work such as suspense, the audience being a voyeur and one of his personal favourite devices for driving the plots of his stories and creating suspense was what he called the "MacGuffin". This is a character whose specific identity and nature is unimportant to the audience but it helps to drive the plot forward as well as helping to convey curiosity.




Blonde Women
He also used the 'blonde female' character in numerous films. These 'blondes' would be very attractive and Hitchcock said that they were the "symbol of the heroine". Examples of blondes in Hitchcock's films are in The Lodger where a serial killer stalks a blonde women. 

Number 13
In numerous scenes within Hitchcock's movies, he includes the number 13 which exploits peoples superstitions of the number. The number 13 either appears as a house number, apartment number or room number.



Silent Scenes
As the sub title suggests, Hitchcock's preferred to portray a narrative through images rather than dialogue. This creates suspense as well as tension as the audience have no indication of what is about to happen.

The Ordinary Person
The ordinary person is where a ordinary person is placed in extraordinary circumstances, this technique was used in films like The 39 Steps and Psycho where the actress, Janet Leigh, plays a secretary whose personal story is violently interrupted by a enraged psychopath. The focus on the ordinary person in the movie allows the audience to feel empathetic towards him/ her.


The Charming Sociopath
The antagonist or villain in Hitchcock's films is portrayed as rather charming or refined which contrasts to the usual stereotype of villains which are rough or violent. This allows, in some cases, the 'charming sociopath' to be empathised by the audience as it seems like they do not deserve what is coming to them.