Master of Psychological Thrillers - Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock, a legendary psychological thriller film maker and producer, was born on August 13, 1899. He was a native born citizen of Britain and he became a pioneer in motion picture suspense, with both black and white movies and the very early talking movies. In the mid 1950s, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and gained his dual citizenship that allowed him to freely travel between the United States and Britain. In Alfred Hitchcock’s career of sixty years, he managed to direct and produce in excess of fifty featured films. This statistic has earned him the recognition and title of one of the best filmmakers in history. His films remain popular today and he was most well known for his own series of shows entitled, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Hitchcock was the youngest of 3 children and he came from a family with Roman Catholic roots. During his childhood, he spent a majority of his time alone and was subjected to endure some severe punishments from his parents. His father would often send him to the local police station to be locked up for short periods of time, for his unacceptable behavior. Many of Hitchcock’s films use his real world childhood experiences as motivation for the harsh and poor treatments that his film characters experience. His mother used to force him to stand still at the end of her bed for hours on end as another method of punishment.

By the time Hitchcock was a teen he attended college and upon graduating went to work for a cable company. Hitchcock quickly became intrigued with film and started to work in film production for London’s version of Paramount Pictures. From there he went to designing film titles for silent movies and within a few more years, he was directing. He later rose to the level of a widely respected and appreciated film maker in England.

In 1940 Alfred Hitchcock migrated to the United States to continue his career, because of the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The first film he made in the US, Rebecca, went on to win a much desired Oscar award. Between 1950 and 1960, Hitchcock produced several successful movies such as Dial “M” for Murder, To Catch a Thief, and Strangers on a Train. Fans of the thriller style of movie named that decade to be Hitchcock’s best that he ever experienced. The suspense and thriller movie masterpieces of the era include Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, and Psycho. The year 1955 brought new things once again that included American citizenship for Hitchcock and his own television series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Producing 52 films by 1979 he wrapped up his career in film and directing. He capped off his successful career when he received the lifetime achievement award, from the American Film Institute. He was also knighted in England in recognition of his success and achievements. It is common in the thriller movies of today to see the characters dress up in Halloween costumes and go on a rampage of terror.