Hitchcockian

Elements frequently included in Hitchcock's films which lead to Hitchcockian comparisons include:

• Climactic plot twist.
• The cool platinum blonde.^[1]
• The presence of a domineering mother in someone's life.^[2]
• An innocent person accused (e.g. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, Blackmail, Murder!/Mary, Young and Innocent, The 39 Steps)
• Restricting the action to a single setting to increase tension (e.g. Lifeboat, Rope, Rear Window).
• Characters who switch sides and/or who cannot be trusted.
• Tension building through suspense to the point where the audience enjoys seeing the character in a life-threatening situation (e.g. Vertigo).
• Average people thrust into strange or dangerous situations (e.g., Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Secret Agent).
• Bumbling or incompetent authority figures, particularly police officers.
• Use of darkness to symbolize impending doom (dark clothing, shadows, smoke, etc.; e.g. Rope)
• Strong visual use of famous landmarks (Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Forth Rail Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Albert Hall, British Museum, Piccadilly Circus, etc.)
• Mistaken identity (e.g. North by Northwest, Frenzy).
• The use of a staircase as a motif for impending danger or suspense.^[3] (e.g. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Number Seventeen)
• Use of a MacGuffin plot device.^[4]
• Referring to crime for mystery rather than presenting it explicitly (e.g. Dial M for Murder).
• Train scenes (e.g. North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, The 39 Steps).
• Bus scenes (e.g. Sabotage, To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much)
• Belfry/bell tower sequences (e.g. The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Secret Agent)
• Rooftop-borne demises, especially from very tall buildings (e.g. To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Blackmail, Jamaica Inn)
• The color red provoking a fearful, and potentially self-destructive, reaction. (e.g. Rear Window, The Fourth Man (1983 film), Marnie)
• A beautiful woman needlessly embezzling her employer's money
• Voyeurism and surveillance.^[5]

Some films, or films with scenes, considered Hitchcockian include:

• Alfred Hitchcock
• Alfred Hitchcock filmography
• Giallo
• Krimi
• Thriller film