"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." - Alfred Hitchcock
H is for Hitchcockian. I have Alfred Hitchcock on my mind today. We were going through some boxes in the garage last weekend, cleaning up a bit. One of the boxes contains books we inherited from my late mother in law. We currently have no room on our shelves, so there they sit waiting until we buy some more. Which is going to happen soon, I'm positive. Periodically I go through the box and find something different that sparks. I found 39 Steps written by John Buchan. It was originally written in 1915 and Hitchcock made it into a film in the 1930's. Which is why I have Hitchcock on the mind.
Growing up, I loved Alfred Hitchcock movies. They gave me the chills, entertained and creeped you out at the same time. The first time we were allowed to watch "The Birds", I ended up sitting around the living corner, peeking out and ducking back at the most scariest scenes. I think I was about nine at the time. I could probably have buried my face in my mom or dad's lap, but instead distancing myself from the tv screen seemed to work better. I've grown to love suspenseful, psychological, scary movies. Not the blood and guts gory type, nor the explain it all because the audience is too stupid to understand and get it kind of movies and books. Ones that leave it to your imagination. The action just off screen. Heart pounding, hand clenching, break out in cold sweat, jump in your seat, make you squeal stories. Speaking of squealing, my dad is the nervous sort and can't sit still during intense scenes. He'd leave, come back. (now I know where I got it from) When my sisters and I would watch a movie, just when we'd get totally wrapped up in it, he'd sneak up behind, grab us and yell boo. Honestly -- pee in your pants moments. I managed to get him back a few times. :)
So how does this relate to books. Can you get the same thrill out of books? Oh yeah! If they are done right. I'm a visual learner - think in images and have a very active imagination. When I read, if the writer really knows how to paint a story, I'll be totally drawn into the story, see it.
What elements are considered hitchcockian? According to the website Mythical-Buddies.com
What book have you read lately that has had Hitchcockian elements to it? Have you watched an Alfred Hitchcock movie lately?
Growing up, I loved Alfred Hitchcock movies. They gave me the chills, entertained and creeped you out at the same time. The first time we were allowed to watch "The Birds", I ended up sitting around the living corner, peeking out and ducking back at the most scariest scenes. I think I was about nine at the time. I could probably have buried my face in my mom or dad's lap, but instead distancing myself from the tv screen seemed to work better. I've grown to love suspenseful, psychological, scary movies. Not the blood and guts gory type, nor the explain it all because the audience is too stupid to understand and get it kind of movies and books. Ones that leave it to your imagination. The action just off screen. Heart pounding, hand clenching, break out in cold sweat, jump in your seat, make you squeal stories. Speaking of squealing, my dad is the nervous sort and can't sit still during intense scenes. He'd leave, come back. (now I know where I got it from) When my sisters and I would watch a movie, just when we'd get totally wrapped up in it, he'd sneak up behind, grab us and yell boo. Honestly -- pee in your pants moments. I managed to get him back a few times. :)
So how does this relate to books. Can you get the same thrill out of books? Oh yeah! If they are done right. I'm a visual learner - think in images and have a very active imagination. When I read, if the writer really knows how to paint a story, I'll be totally drawn into the story, see it.
What elements are considered hitchcockian? According to the website Mythical-Buddies.com
- The cool platinum blonde (often a central figure of Hitchcock's films).
- The presence of a domineering mother in her child's life (e.g. Psycho).
- An innocent man accused (again used in many of Hitchcock's films).
- Restricting the action to a single setting to increase tension (e.g. Lifeboat, Rear Window, Rope).
- Characters who switch sides or who cannot be trusted.
- Tension building through suspense to the point where the audience enjoys seeing the character in a life-threatening situation, such as the windmill scene from Foreign Correspondent.
- Average people thrust into strange or dangerous situations, such as in North by Northwest or The Man Who Knew Too Much.
- Bumbling or incompetent authority figures, particularly police officers.
- Use of darkness to symbolise impending doom (dark clothing, shadows, smoke, etc.)
- 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, such as in North by Northwest and The Wrong Man.
- The use of a staircase as a motif for impending danger or suspense.
- Use of a macguffin or plot device that remains unexplained, such as the microfilm in North by Northwest.
- Referring to crime for mystery rather than explicitly showing it (e.g. Dial M For Murder, Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
Most of the movies Alfred Hitchcock produced were taken from books:
- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
- Lifeboat was an unpublished short story by John Steinbeck
- Rear Window was based on Cornell Wolrich's 1942 short story It Had To Be Murder
- Psycho from a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch
- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
- Suspicion was based on Before the Fact by Francis Iles
- 39 Steps taken from the novel by John Buchan
- Vertigo written by Boileau-Narcejac
Just to name a few. It would be interesting to read the books and compare them with the movies. I'll be doing that with 39 Steps. What about you?
What book have you read lately that has had Hitchcockian elements to it? Have you watched an Alfred Hitchcock movie lately?
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