Alfred Hitchcock’s Best and Worst Movies

“Juno and the Paycock,” which was based on Sean O’Casey’s tragicomedy of the same name, told the story of a dysfunctional Irish working-class family that started to lead a rich life after inheriting a lot of money. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of only 27%, while the audience was even less impressed with only 10% of reviewers liking the movie.

“The Skin Game,” based on the 1920 play by John Galsworthy, is about two English families who battle over a land deal, with one blackmailing the other over a secret from the past. TV Guide wrote about the movie, “This early Hitchcock talkie shows none of the mastery that would subsequently make the director an internationally recognized genius.” Only 17% of Rotten Tomatoes fans liked the movie.

The movie tells the story of Johann Strauss and how he decided to compose a waltz after watching bakers work. While some of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes had a few positive comments about the film, the audience did not like it. Only 6% of those who rated “Strauss’ Great Waltz” on the site liked it.

Hitchcock directed “The Pleasure Garden,” his first feature film, when he was 25. The movie follows two couples — one with an unfaithful fiancee and one with an unfaithful husband. Film critic Dennis Schwartz described the feature as a “standard romantic drama, with no other interest except it’s the Master’s beginning.”

This early Hitchcock mystery movie follows a juror who decides to investigate a murder for which he already voted to convict a man. “Mary,” which is the German language version of Hitchcock’s “Murder!” (1930) and ranks No. 38 on this list, has a 6.1 rating on IMDb. Just 33% of Rotten Tomatoes’ audience gave the film a positive review.

Alfred Hitchcock is known for mysteries and thrillers, but he also directed a few comedies. “Champagne” is about a very spoiled girl whose father pretends to be bankrupt in order to teach her responsibility. Michael Grost from Classic Film and Television called the feature a “brilliantly filmed tale [that] shows Hitchcock’s skill at comedy.” About 63% of critics liked the film, compared to only 16% of the audience.

The plot of “Number 17,” which is about several thieves ending up in a vacant house for different reasons, has been called “confusing” by some IMDb users. The film’s rating is just 5.8 out of 10. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the movie better, giving it a score of 63%, but only 22% of fans liked it.

“Easy Virtue” is a silent drama movie based on Noël Coward ‘s play of the same name. The film follows a woman who tries to hide her dark past from her new husband and his family. The 1927 movie’s rating on IMDb is 5.7. According to some critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the problem with the film is that it is silent because the dialogue is what really makes the story good.

Some people may know the film under its original title, “Rich and Strange.” The movie tells the story of a married couple who inherit a lot of money from an uncle and start a new luxurious lifestyle that threatens to destroy their marriage. Sean Alexander from Turner Classic Movies Online described the film as “a mature exploration of personal disappointment.” Though 70% of critics liked the movie, only 31% of fans did.

“Under Capricorn,” which follows a young man reuniting with a former girlfriend who has become an alcoholic and has many secrets, is one of the few late movies directed by Hitchcock to rank among his worst. Geoff Andrew from Time Out called it “a strangely unexciting but emotionally intriguing Hitchcock costume drama.”

The adventure thriller is one of three movies Hitchcock had adapted from plays written by Daphne du Maurier. Of the three, “Jamaica Inn” is the worst rated. According to Jonathan Rosenbaum from Chicago Reader, “by common consent, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s poorest and least personal works.” The movie is about a young woman who is staying at a hotel owned by her uncle that serves as a base for a gang of criminals.

“When the Boys Leave Home” may be better known as “Downhill.” The story about a boy who falls into the European underworld after he gets expelled from boarding school for something he didn’t do is well-liked by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who gave the film an 83% score. The audience was less generous, with only 30% liking the silent movie.

“The Farmer’s Wife” is a romantic comedy about a wealthy widower who wants to remarry but can’t find a suitable new bride. Most critics liked the film, with 90% giving it a positive review. Dave Kehr from the Chicago Reader wrote, “Hitchcock disliked the film, but it offers an unusual glimpse of the master before he settled into thrillers.” Only 33% of the audience liked the movie though.

“Topaz,” one of Hitchcock’s last feature films, is about an international spy ring working for the Soviet Union to uncover NATO secrets. Not many critics liked the movie, with Time Magazine writing that “at 70, Hitchcock seems suddenly to have forgotten his own recipe.” The thriller has just a 36% audience score.

Mr. and Mrs Smith are a couple who turn out not to be legally married. The movie is about Mr. Smith trying to win Mrs. Smith’s heart again. The romantic comedy is called “chucklesome” by Theodore Strauss from The New York Times and “bland screwball” by Dennis Schwartz from Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Just 48% of those who rated the film on Rotten Tomatoes liked it.

Several critics who reviewed the movie, as noted on Rotten Tomatoes, liked it for marking the beginning of what will be one of the most celebrated Hollywood careers. Dave Kehr from the Chicago Reader wrote, “It remains a crucial insight into the development of one of the cinema’s greatest artists, and so, essential viewing.” The movie has an 88% critics rating and a 39% audience score.

“The Manxman” tells the story of two brothers — one a fisherman, the other a rising young lawyer — who are in love with the same woman. “Hitchcock didn’t like his ninth and last silent film,” wrote film critic Emanuel Levy on his site, “but for viewers who love his work, it bears some surprises, including subtle humor.” About 46% of fans who reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes liked it.

The noir courtroom drama follows a happily married and very successful lawyer who falls for his client, accused of murdering her husband. The movie was nominated for one Oscar. “The Paradine Case” has an 82% critics score and 47% audience score.

“Torn Curtain” stars Paul Newman as an American physicist who defects to East Germany at the height of the Cold War. His fiancee, played by Julie Andrews, discovers he is actually a double agent tasked with uncovering Soviet nuclear secrets. The spy thriller is among a few of Hitchcock’s late movies with low ratings. About 67% of critics and 53% of the audience on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film.

“Secret Agent” tells the story of three British spies who are tasked with assassinating a German spy. A critic from Time Magazine described the film as ” first-rate sample of his knack of achieving speed by never hurrying, horror by concentrating on the prosaic.” About 86% of critics who reviewed it on Rotten Tomatoes liked it, compared to just 48% of the audience.

“The Ring” is another silent film directed by Hitchcock, who also wrote the script. The movie is about two boxers who compete not only in the ring but also for the love of the same woman. The film’s IMDb rating is 6.2 out of 10.

“Family Plot” is Hitchcock’s last movie. It is about a con artist psychic and her investigator boyfriend trying to find a rich missing person and encountering serial kidnappers in the process. Barbara Harris earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Blanche Tyler. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describes Hitchcock as “aiming for pulpy thrills and hitting the target, delivering a twisty crime story with pleasurable bite.”

“Blackmail,” which is about a woman being blackmailed by a witness after she kills a man in self-defense, was Hitchcock’s first talkie after several silent movies. Celia Simpson from The Spectator described the movie as “a better combination of the silent motion picture technique and the talkie technique than any other film we have seen.” Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an 86% score and audience gave it a 65% score.

The suspense thriller follows a couple trying to find their daughter who was kidnapped by assassins as a way to keep the parents quiet. Both critics and fans on Rotten Tomatoes liked the movie, with 88% or critics and 68% of the audience giving the film a positive review.

“Saboteur,” which is about a man accused of sabotaging an airplane by setting it on fire on a mission to prove his innocence, got either very good or very bad reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Bosley Crowther from The New York Times wrote, “To put it mildly, Mr. Hitchcock and his writers have really let themselves go.” The movie’s overall rating on IMDb is 7.2 out of 10 with almost 23,000 votes.

“Stage Fright” tells the story of a working actress trying to help a fellow actor accused of murder prove his innocence. Most of the 21 critics who reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review, and as much as 68% of the audience liked it too. The movie was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award in 1951 in the Best Motion Picture category.

A man is arrested for murder but escapes from police custoty because he doesn’t believe his lawyer can help him. That’s when he runs into the police chief’s daughter whom he enlists to help him find the real killer. This is the plot of “Young and Innocent,” which got a 100% critics score, but only 18 crtiics reviewed it. Fans were less impressed with the movie, with 63% of the 3,199 who reviewed the film on the site giving it a positive review.

“Marnie” tells the story of a man who, after blackmailing a woman into marrying him, decides to help her overcome her several serious psychological issues. Dave Kehr from the Chicago Reader wrote of “Marnie,” “Universally despised on its first release, Marnie remains one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest and darkest achievements.”

“Sabotage” is praised by some critics as the best British Hitchcock film before he moved to Hollywood. The movie is about a ring of saboteurs who set off bombs in London and the detective who tries to catch them. The film has a 69% audience score and a 7.1 out of 10 rating on IMDb.

Harry is dead and everyone feels responsible while trying to find out what happened. Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian called the movie “Hitchcock’s lost masterpiece,” even though it was a box office flop and got terrible reviews upon its release. Today, 90% of the 29 critics whose reviews are listed on Rotten Tomatoes liked it, as did 73% of the audience. The movie earned Shirley MacLane her first Golden Globe.

Hitchcock produced and directed this drama about a Catholic priest, acuccsed of murder, who can’t clear his name unless he breaks the seal of the confessional. The movie has an 83% critics score and a 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews, though, gave it a positive review, saying the movie is “a passable yet underwhelming thriller…”

“The Wrong Man” is about a struggling musician who is mistaken for an armed robber and what it does to his family. About 92% of critics who reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes like it, though not everyone gave it a stellar review. Matt Brunson from Creative Loafing wrote, “Devoid of any Hitchcockian touches, the movie disappoints only in that it could have been made by any filmmaker experimenting in the faux-documentary style during this period.”

“Frenzy” is the first movie Hitchcock directed after returning to London. It’s about the city being terrorized by a serial killer who strangles people with a necktie and the police going after the wrong man. “‘Frenzy’ finds the master of horror regaining his grip on the audience’s pulse — and making their blood run cold,” according to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. As much as 90% of critics and 77% of the audience liked the movie.

“The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” is the oldest and the only one of Hitchcock’s early works to rank among the director’s 20 best films. The silent film is about a woman who suspects that her new tenant is a serial killer. Wally Hammond from Little White Lies wrote, “One for Hitch fans, one for thriller fans, one for cinema fans. Do not miss.”

“Suspicion” tells the story of a woman who suspects her husband is plotting to kill her. The movie was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture. Joan Fontaine won in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category. “Suspicion” got an almost perfect critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 78% of the audience gave it a positive rating.

The movie is the American remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much” released in 1934. The newer version won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes are in agreement that James Stewart carries the film. The movie’s overall critics score is 87%, and the audience score is 84%.

“Spellbound,” which is about a doctor’s attempt to help a murder suspect recover his memory through psychoanalysis, is almost equally liked by critics and fans, with more than 80% of both giving the film a positive review. “Alfred Hitchcock’s psychedelic flourishes elevate this heady thriller,” according to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

“Foreign Correspondent” tells the story of a journalist who tries to revive his career by moving to Europe and trying to expose a spy ring in London. The thriller was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. The movie “features a winning combination of international intrigue, comic relief, and some of the legendary director’s most memorable set pieces,” according to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.

One of Grace Kelly’s most memorable movies is also among Hitchcock’s most popular films. “To Catch a Thief” is about a notorious burglar who is on the hunt for a thief who stole expensive jewels in his style. About 96% of critics and 84% of the audience who reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive rating.

“Lifeboat” is a tense thriller that follows American and British civilians and a German soldier on a lifeboat after their ship is sunk by a German submarine. The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Director and Best Writing, Original Story. “The characters are reasonably free of cliched personalities, so what happens between them is rarely predictable,” according to Douglas Pratt from Hollywood Reporter.

The horror-thriller, produced and directed by Hitchcock, is about a wealthy woman from San Francisco who follows a man to a small town where strange things begin to happen as birds suddenly start to attack people. According to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, “Alfred Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history.”

“The 39 Steps” follows a man who gets mixed up in a spy ring in London. He is accused of killing an agent, then runs away, trying to clear his name and stop spies from selling top secret information at the same time. The film is popular with both critics and fans as 96% of critics and 86% of the audience who reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes liked it.

The mystery thriller about a young woman who tries to find an elderly lady who has mysteriously disappeared from a train is among Hitchcock’s most critically acclaimed movies. A review published in Time Magazine read, “The Lady Vanishes exhibits Director Alfred Hitchcock, England’s portly master of melodrama, at the top of his form.” Fans loved the film, too, with an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Dial M for Murder” is a crime mystery about a man who tries to have his rich wife murdered after she has an affair. The movie is No. 152 in IMDb’s top 250 rated movies ever made. The film is the only movie on the list that is more highly rated by fans than by critics, with 89% of critics and 92% of the audience giving it a positive review.

“Shadow of a Doubt,” about a young woman who begins to suspect her favorite uncle is a murderer, is described on Rotten Tomatoes as Hitchcock’s earliest classic. The film has a perfect critics score, and 89% of the nearly 20,000 people who reviewed it on the site liked it. “Shadow of a Doubt” was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Writing, Original Story category.

“Rope,” about two men who strangle their friend and try to prove they have committed the perfect crime, is the first movie so far on this list that has a score of at least 90% among both critics and fans on Rotten Tomatoes. Geoff Andrew from Time Out called the movie “a perverse, provocative entertainment.”

“Strangers on a Train,” a psychological thriller and crime drama about a man doing another man a favor by killing his wife and trying to force him to kill his father, is among Hitchcock’s most famous movies. Nearly all critics and fans who reviewed the film on Rotten Tomatoes liked it, with 98% of critics and 92% of the audience giving the movie a positive rating.

“Notorious” is one of three movies directed by Hitchcock starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, though this is the first one in which they appear together. Nominated for two Oscars, the film tells the story of a U.S. agent who falls in love with a woman he recruited to spy on Nazis in Brazil. Nigel Andrews from the Financial Times called the film “completely hypnotic.”

“Rebecca” was Hitchcock’s first American feature film. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning two — Best Picture (the only Hitchcock movie to win in this category) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. Rebecca is a young woman who marries an aristocrat and realizes she now lives in the shadow of his former wife. Netflix is releasing the latest adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel, starring Lily James and Armie Hammer.

“Vertigo,” one of Hitchcock’s most critically acclaimed and popular movies, is described as “an unpredictable scary thriller that doubles as a mournful meditation on love, loss, and human comfort,” by the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, which is about love obsession, manipulation, and personal demons, has a 94% critics score and a 93% audience score on the site.

“North by Northwest” is one of several spy thrillers Hitchcock directed. The film follows an advertising executive who is forced to go on the run after ruthless foreign spies mistake him for an undercover agent. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describes the movie, which was nominated for three Oscars, as “gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic.”

Even people who don’t know much about the movie will recognize it from the famous shower scene. The woman in the scene is a secretary who stole money from her employer and is hiding in a motel run by a young man and his mother. The movie was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director, and has near perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece,” according to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie tells the story of a retired photographer in a wheelchair who spends his time observing his neighbors through his window and eventually becoming convinced that one of them is a murderer. Nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director, “Rear Window” has nearly perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes.