12 Times A Director Went On An INSANE Streak Of Great Movies

2. Alfred Hitchcock: Four Films From 1958-1963

Vertigo still
Paramount Pictures

The Streak: Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, The Birds

Alfred Hitchcock is rightly considered one of the best filmmakers of all time, but it was 30+ years into his career that he put together the defining run which would come to seal his legacy, achieving something few of his contemporaries had managed: a run of four sublime movies. There aren't many words to do this run justice, but thankfully they speak for themselves.

It kicks off with Vertigo, which is now considered the greatest film ever made. Understandable, although for my money it's not even the best of this run. Then there's the thrilling North By Northwest, which contains another all-time great James Stewart performance, and in its crop-duster sequence, one of the best movie scenes ever committed to the big screen.

Speaking of greatest movie scenes, he was then able to flip gear again with Psycho, whereby he delivered one of the most groundbreaking, jaw-dropping twists in cinema history only 30 minutes in - and then did another one before the credits rolled. Or how about the psychological terror of The Birds, taking something so everyday and commonplace and crafting a work of pure horror.

Hitchcock was known as the Master of Suspense, a title he never lived up to more than across these four films. But more than that, these four show him to simply be the master. His knack for building tension, for making you invested in the story, and leaving you completely stunned was unparalleled, and these four showcase that perfectly.

[JH]

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.