Film Feature: The 10 Best Hitchcock Jaw-Droppers

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7. The Nightmare in “Vertigo” (1958)

Vertigo

“Vertigo” is the sort of film that becomes more fascinating which each successive viewing. I first became obsessed with Hitchcock as a preteen, and I initially found “Vertigo” to be his most perplexing. The first hour was so deliberately paced that there were times when I felt I had drifted off, yet I never once lost consciousness. It was entirely Hitchcock’s goal to draw the audience into the dizzying obsessions of detective Scottie (Jimmy Stewart), as he follows Madeleine (Kim Novak), a mysterious woman supposedly possessed by the spirit of the suicidal Carlotta (memorably portrayed in a museum painting). After Madeleine appears to commit suicide at the end of the first act, Scottie loses his mind entirely. What follows is a spine-tingling nightmare sequence of such eerie ingenuity that it chilled me to the bone. It includes the infamous shot of a body falling helplessly into a swirling vortex, as well as various glimpses of Carlotta’s sinister apparition (now played by an uncredited Joanne Genthon). Perhaps the most frightening image is that of Carlotta haunting one of the film’s previous scenes, thus suggesting that she had been controlling events all along. Of course, this all adds up to one giant red herring, but it’s executed so masterfully that it gets audiences to believe in the illusion even upon subsequent viewings.

6. The Merry-Go-Round in “Strangers on a Train” (1951)

Strangers on a Train

There are few things more elating for a cinephile to witness than a decades-old classic receiving a standing ovation during a public screening. That’s precisely what happened five years ago when the Music Box screened Hitchcock’s sensationally entertaining crowd-pleaser with star Farley Granger in attendance. The applause arrived well before the end credits, as the film’s overwhelming sustained climactic set-piece came to a shattering close. It all starts with a nail-biting tennis match that leads to a hot pursuit and culminates in a showdown on a merry-go-round that quite literally spirals out of control. This stretch of the film is as impressive as anything the Master ever crafted, and it still manages to thrill moviegoers nearly half a century later. It’s also a splendid example of how Hitchcock impeccably balanced humor with terror. When a petrified mother screams out to her young son who’s trapped on the carnival ride, Hitch cuts to the jubilant face of her boy, who looks like he’s having the time of his life. His expression certainly mirrored that of the audience during that magical night at the Music Box.

5. The Jungle Gym in “The Birds” (1963)

The Birds

The scariest scene in Hitchcock’s costliest effects picture is also its simplest and the only sequence set to music. Since the film contains no actual score (Hitch’s trusted composer, Bernard Herrmann, served as the sound designer), the music in this scene emanates from a schoolhouse, where children are required to sing an eerie folk song, “Risseldy Rosseldy.” Outside the school, the film’s heroine, Melanie (Tippi Hedren), sits on a park bench while lighting a cigarette. She has just witnessed several deadly bird attacks, and is eager to meet with her friend, the local schoolteacher. As Melanie sits on the bench, birds gradually begin to group on the jungle gym behind her. Hitch allows the camera to linger on a close-up of Melanie’s face as she smokes, sighs and impatiently glances at the school. All the while, the nonsense lyrics of the song start to grow in complexity, as if reflecting the mounting number of blood-thirsty birds forming just beyond the frame. Suddenly, Melanie’s head jerks up as she spots a single bird flying across the sky. The camera views the bird from Melanie’s perspective as it flies lower and lower before landing on the jungle gym, which is now completely filled with birds. This single shot delivers such an enormous jolt that it reverberates throughout the entire film.

4. The Crop-Duster in “North by Northwest” (1959)

North by Northwest

Three years before Sean Connery first appeared as Bond, another debonair man outwitted spies and bedded sexy babes without breaking a sweat. His name was Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant in what ultimately became his career-defining performance. Like “Strangers on a Train,” this film continues to have an ageless appeal with modern audiences, and is every bit as funny, suspenseful and entertaining as the day it was made. Its best sequence is also its most immortal, as Thornhill suddenly finds himself stranded in the middle of desolate farm land. A local man approaches him while waiting for the next bus and makes a keen observation about a nearby crop-duster: “That plane is dustin’ crops where there ain’t no crops.” As soon as the man’s bus leaves the scene, the plane turns on Thornhill and begins its terrifying attack. Hitchcock made the superb choice to remove any trace of music while accentuating the roaring engine of the plane as it dives closer and closer toward the ground. The film’s great iconic image shows Thornhill attempting the super-human feat of outrunning the plane. Yet even at his most desperate, Grant never loses an ounce of his suave assurance or self-deprecating charm. If any man could outrun a maniacal crop-duster, it’s him.