What makes Alfred Hitchcock's films so great?

Others have talked about the suspense he's most famous for, so I'll point out a few more wonderful things. Incredible shots/camera angles: Hitchcock worked from the silent era into the 1970s, and he didn't have access to anything like the technology we have today. read more

Humor: Even the scariest and most disturbing of Hitchcock's films always have moments of black comedy. He could make a scene witty and terrifying at the same time, like in the biplane attack in "North by Northwest." This makes the movies and characters more memorable and engaging than they would be otherwise. read more

That’s exactly what animators Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco, and Torsten Strer explore in Hitch, a delightful animated “recipe book” for Hitchcock’s classics. read more

Yet, so many filmmakers today still "quote" scenes from old Hitchcock films- that is to say, they copy his style, and sometimes entire scenes, directly. Brian DePalma's "The Untouchables," for example, famously quotes Hitchcock's style and pacing. read more