10 Directors Who Tried To Be Alfred Hitchcock (And Failed Miserably)

By Kevin Terpstra /

It would be near impossible to find any list regarding the most influential directors of all time that didn't include Alfred Hitchcock. Whether taking ideas from his British catalog or copying techniques he coined in the '40s and '50s, almost every filmmaker working today can trace one cinematic thing they've done back to Hitchcock. This is not always a positive thing, however. Many filmmakers try and fail to emulate the Hitch, either by overselling a moment that would've played better with more subtlety or clogging a subdued scene with over saturated style or action. The following looks at 10 filmmakers who tried to pay homage to The Master of Suspense and totally botched it, whether in a single film or over the course of an entire career...

10. D.J. Caruso - Disturbia

Advertisement
From 2007, Disturbia starred Shia LaBeouf as a teenager, Kale, placed under house arrest and confined to his home after a tragic accident took his father's life. To occupy his time, Kale uses a pair of binoculars to spy on his neighbors, notably the new girl in town, Ashley, played by Sarah Roemer. He also turns his attention to his middle-aged neighbor Mr. Turner (David Morse), who Kale becomes convinced is bringing home women and murdering them in the dead of night. Kale decides to take a more proactive approach to the situation when Mr. Turner turns his sights on Kale's mother (Carrie-Anne Moss). Sound familiar? It's a modern retelling of Hitchcock's claustrophobic and extraordinarily designed Rear Window. That film follows James Stewart as L.B. Jeffries, a photographer confined to his apartment by a broken leg. He takes up the hobby of watching his fellow tenants who live across the courtyard and stumbles upon a potential murder. What sets the two films apart from the get-go is Jeffries' complete incapacity while LaBeouf's Kale still has the freedom of movement. What this means for the former is that he must rely on girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) to do his investigative work. It's a more organically introduced plot device and thereby heightens the suspense felt during these particular moments. Rear Window also features Hitch's classic elements, such as the innuendo-laced dialogue between Stewart and Kelly. Disturbia's failing, as will be the case with many on this list, is that's it's too in your face. Neither the nuance nor the playfulness are present in this crass modernization.