Alfred Hitchcock

I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for the body in the coach.

Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.

I like stories where the hero is in jeopardy all the time, and I like to put him there.

Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.

Pessimism is the only thing that's never let me down.

Fear is not a thing to be ashamed of. It is a natural human emotion. And it is a very powerful emotion.

There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.

I'm a great believer in telling the audience all the information, so that they're ahead of the characters.

To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script.

Give them pleasure – the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.

Revenge is sweet and not fattening.

Some of my best friends are cameramen. And I mean that literally.

Television has brought murder back into the home — where it belongs.

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.

I enjoy the murder. I enjoy the violence. I enjoy the suspense.

The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.

I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.

The ideal light for a murder scene is between 4 and 5 p.m. on a cloudy day.

I am scared easily, here is a list of my fears: 1. Small spaces, 2. large spaces, 3. heights, 4. crowds, 5. being alone, 6. being watched, 7. being ignored, 8. being laughed at, 9. being touched, 10. being hurt, 11. death.

MacGuffins are nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's just a device to get the story moving.