Alfred Hitchcock
Master of suspense
Most quoted
"The audience is like a giant organ that you and I are playing. At one moment we play this note and get this reaction, and then we play that chord and they react that way. And someday we won't even have to make a movie — there'll be electrodes implanted in their brains, and we'll just press different buttons and they'll go 'ooooh' and 'aaahh' and we'll frighten them, and make them laugh. Won't that be wonderful?"
— from Interview with François Truffaut, 1966
"I'm scared of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes... have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I've never tasted it."
— from Interview
"Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf."
— from Interview
All quotes by Alfred Hitchcock (313)
I have a great respect for the audience. I want to give them a good show.
The cinema is a wonderful medium for telling stories. It's a visual medium.
I believe in showing, not telling.
I am a very private person. I don't like to talk about myself.
I like to play with the audience's emotions. I like to make them feel things.
The only way to make a good film is to have a good story.
I am a perfectionist. I want everything to be just right.
I am not interested in realism. I am interested in illusion.
I believe in the power of suggestion.
My dear Alma, you are the only one who truly understands me.
I am always thinking about my next film. It's a constant process.
I like to surprise the audience. I like to keep them on the edge of their seats.
The camera is my eye. It sees what I want it to see.
I am a very visual person. I think in images.
I don't make films to send messages. I make films to entertain.
I am a master of suspense. That is my craft.
The best way to scare people is to show them something familiar in an unfamiliar way.
I have always been drawn to the darker side of human nature.
I like to manipulate the audience. It's a game I play.
My films are like a roller coaster ride. They have their ups and downs, but they always end with a thrill.
Contemporaries of Alfred Hitchcock
Other Film & Theaters born within 50 years of Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980).