10 Greatest Alfred Hitchcock Movies Based on Books, Ranked

The 10 Greatest Alfred Hitchcock Movies Based on Books, Ranked Laurence Olivier holding Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940)Image via United Artists By  Andrea Ciriaco Published 1 minute ago Andrea Ciriaco is a long-time script reader and former entertainment editor who specializes in classic movies and Hollywood history. She was a student film critic at Kent State University for three years and worked at Warner Bros Studio in Burbank and The Safran Company for several years. Based on her vast taste and range of knowledge, many consider Andrea to be a walking IMDb who knows dozens of underrated movies and is a vital assesst to any trivia night. While movies are her expertise, Andrea is also a diehard fan of iconic shows including The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, Will & Grace and South Park. Some of her favorite filmmakers are Walt Disney,John Huston, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Mel Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Howard Hawks.  Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Alfred Hitchcock is recognized today as one of the most influential filmmakers of classic cinema, who is universally known for iconic films such as The Birds, Rear Window, and Psycho. Known as the Master of Suspense, Hitchcock was a pioneer in the art of thrills and chills and managed to maintain a successful career spanning six decades, producing an array of notable psychological thrillers, dark comedies, and intense spy dramas that continue to be admired and studied worldwide.

Like the majority of classic movies, many of Hitchcock's pictures, including The 39 Steps, Suspicion, and Strangers on a Train, were inspired by a collection of best-selling novels written by some of the literary world's most profound authors, and are among the director's all-time best works. From his early 1936 British espionage thriller, Sabotage, based on Joseph Conrad's novel, The Secret Agent, to his impeccable film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel, Rebecca, these are the ten best Hitchcock movies that are based on books, ranked!

10 'Sabotage' (1936)

John Loader as Detective Sergeant Ted Spencer and Sylvia Sidney as Mrs Verloc sitting together in Hitchcock's SabotageImage via General Film Distributors

Sabotage, also known as The Woman Alone, is a British spy thriller starring Sylvia Sidney as a young married woman, Sylvia Verloc, who begins to suspect that her husband, Karl Verloc (Oskar Homolka), is involved with a secret ring of terrorists who have been behind a series of recent explosions in London. The film is based on the 1907 novel, The Secret Agent, written by Joseph Conrad, but due to numerous changes, it is widely considered to be a loose adaptation of Conrad's original work.

Another Hitchcock espionage thriller, Secret Agent, was released the same year as Sabotage, and while both fared well with audiences and critics, Sabotage has maintained a substantial legacy as an enticing display of Hitchcock's knack for suspense. Since the movie was released on the horizon of World War II, screenwriter Charles Bennett made several changes to avoid any political backlash, but the decision to switch Verloc's ownership of a local shop to a movie theater was the best creative change for the film. The cinema serving as the primary setting allowed Hitchcock to provide an unofficial narrative through various newsreels as well as hit audiences on a relatable level with references to modern films, notably a scene from Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies.

9 'Marnie' (1964)

Image via Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Tippi Hedren stars in the psychological drama, Marnie, as a habitual thief and troubled young woman, Marnie Edgar, who applies for a job at a publishing company owned by a widower, Mark Rutland (Sean Connery), who, unbeknownst to Marnie, remembers her from a previous job where she ended up stealing from her employer. Instead of turning her in, Rutland falls madly in love with Marnie and blackmails her into marrying him, but when he discovers that she has psychological issues regarding men, he tries to help her come to terms with her traumatic past as well as her estranged mother.

Marnie is an adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name, written by Winston Graham, and also marked the final film to feature a Hitchcock blonde in a prominent lead role. Initially, Marnie was met with mixed reviews from critics, with many commenting on the lack of chemistry between Hedren and Connery and the film's controversial premise regarding sexual relationships and childhood trauma. Despite its original reception, Marnie is widely regarded today as one of Hitchcock's most marginalized successes, earning immense praise for its visual storytelling and emotionally raw performances by both Hedren and Connery.

8 'Suspicion' (1941)

Cary Grant kissing Joan Fontaine on the cheek in Suspicion Image via RKO Radio Pictures Inc.

Suspicion is a romantic thriller and film noir based on Frances Iles' 1932 novel, Before the Fact, starring Joan Fontaine as Lina McLaidlaw, a wealthy and modest woman who, despite her father's objections, runs off to marry a well-known gambler and playboy, Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant). Shortly after, Lina becomes concerned about Johnnie's latest financial ventures, and when his business partner dies under unusual circumstances, she fears that her new husband not only played a part in his friend's unfortunate demise but also that he plans on killing her for her inheritance.

Hitchcock originally wanted to remain faithful to the end of Iles' novel, revealing Grant's character to be a killer, but out of fear that Grant playing a murderer would damage his wholesome on-screen image, RKO Pictures forced the director to change the ending of the film. Despite the major change, Grant's charmingly smooth performance depicts his character as being too good to be true, ultimately leaving audiences with a lingering suspicion about his character's true nature that earns Suspicion a place on this list. Suspicion earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Score, and went on to win for Best Actress for Fontaine, making it the only acting-winning performance in any Hitchcock movie.

7 'Spellbound' (1945)

Image via United Artists/MGM

Ingrid Bergman stars in Hitchcock's psychological thriller and romantic masterpiece, Spellbound, as the guarded psychoanalyst Dr. Constance Petersen, who works at a mental hospital in Vermont and falls for the new director of the facility, Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck). As Constance and Anthony become closer, Constance can't shake the feeling that something is off about the young director and eventually discovers that Anthony is an impostor and potential killer who is suffering from dissociative amnesia.

Even though Spellbound is based on Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer's 1927 novel, The House of Dr. Edwardes, the film's plot is dramatically different from its literary source. Despite the drastic changes, Spellbound effectively captures the complexity of the human psyche through a torrid romance and a brilliant blend of mesmerizing suspense and insight that ultimately makes it one of the best Hitchcock movies based on a book. Spellbound received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, and went on to win one of its nominations for Best Original Score for Miklós Rózsa.

6 'The Lady Vanishes' (1938)

Catherine Lacey, Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Naunton Wayne, and May Whitty in The Lady VanishesImage via Metro Goldwyn Mayer 

The 1938 British mystery movie, The Lady Vanishes, is based on the 1936 novel, The Wheels Spin, written by Ethel Lina White, and tells the story of an English tourist, Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), who, while traveling on a train, befriends an elderly woman, Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). When Iris discovers that Miss Froy is missing, her fellow passengers deny ever seeing her on board, which leads Iris to conduct her own investigation into the woman's unexplained disappearance.

The Lady Vanishes was a monumental success that not only broke Hitchcock's bad luck at the box office but also led to the director signing a seven-year contract with famed American producer David O. Selznick. The movie represents the tenacity of Hitchcock's skilled eye and his impressive ability to take a familiar scenario and twist it with a blend of mystery and lighthearted humor while still maintaining an unbearable tone of suspense. Since the film's initial release, there have been two other adaptations of White's book, but none of them come even close to comparing to the cinematic brilliance of Hitchcock's memorable classic, which is considered to be one of his finest British films of all time.

5 'The 39 Steps' (1935)

Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll in The 39 StepsImage via Gaumont-British Picture Corporation

The 39 Steps is an understated spy thriller loosely based on John Buchan's 1915 novel, starring Robert Donat as Richard Hannay, a Canadian tourist on vacation in London who accidentally discovers an underground ring of spiesstealing British military secrets. When Richard becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a double agent, he's forced to go on the run and avoid apprehension until he can not only clear his name but also stop the spy ring before it's too late.

The 39 Steps was one of the most popular films of the year and a worldwide success that led to Hitchcock gaining initial recognition from American audiences. Hitchcock manages to take an ingenious combination of Russian silent films and German Expressionism while still painting his own original canvas of intensity and allure with zero limitations. The 39 Steps is recognized today as one of Hitchcock's key films, which serves as an insightful glimpse into his profound future as a filmmaker as well as an undisputed testament to his significance in cinema history.

4 'Strangers on a Train' (1951)

Strangers on a Train is an essential Hitchcock classic based on Patricia Highsmith's 1950 novel and follows a professional tennis player, Guy Haines (Farley Granger), who is taking a train back home to get a divorce from his unfaithful wife to remarry a Senator's daughter, when he meets an eccentric man, Bruno Antony (Robert Walker). As they strike up a conversation, Bruno shares his theory of the perfect murder by having two strangers kill someone for each other, making it impossible for the police to trace any motive or connection back to them.

Strangers on a Train was initially met with a mixed response from critics, who felt that the whole premise of the film was both far-fetched and controversial, essentially expressing their disappointment in Hitchcock's unexpected venture outside his usual formula of murder and mystery. Despite its original reception, Strangers on a Train is now recognized as a first-rate Hitchcock thriller, which is universally known for Raymond Chandler and Ozenzi Ormonde's exceptional adaptation of Highsmith's original story, its innovative direction, and Walker's spellbinding performance as the sadistic Bruno Antony.

3 'Psycho' (1960)

Janet Leigh as Marion Crane screaming in the shower in Psycho.Image via Paramount Pictures

Janet Leigh stars in Hitchcock's groundbreaking horror thriller, Psycho, as a young secretary, Marion Crane, who, after stealing thousands of dollars from her employer, quickly skips town with a plan to eventually meet up with her boyfriend (John Gavin). As Marion is overwhelmed by exhaustion and a severe thunderstorm, she decides to pull over for the night and checks into a remote motel known as the Bates Motel, where she meets the unusual but kind owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who harbors a darkness that will change Marion's life forever.

Hitchcock defied the traditional tropes of the horror genre with his timeless classic, Psycho, which is based on Robert Bloch's 1959 novel of the same name. The majority of critics were divided over the film's graphic violence and controversial subject matter, but despite its criticisms, Psycho was still a massive commercial success that ultimately led to Hollywood moving away from the stereotypical monster movies and towards more twisted thrillers and psychological horror movies. Psycho received several Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Leigh, and today, it is credited as one of Hitchcock's greatest and most famous films of all time.

2 'Vertigo' (1958)

Kim Novak and James Stewart as Madeline and John standing in the woods in Vertigo

Image via Paramount Pictures

Vertigo is a tantalizing Hitchcock classic starring James Stewart as a former San Francisco detective, John "Scottie" Ferguson, who is asked by an old friend to follow his wife, Madeline (Kim Novak), who has been exhibiting strange and concerning behavior lately. As Scottie starts following Madeline, they eventually meet and develop an unexpected affair that raises the emotional stakes of the job for Scottie. When Madeline commits suicide, Scottie is left guilt-stricken and inconsolable over the devastating loss until he meets a woman who has an uncanny resemblance to his lost love, leading him down a path of all-consuming obsession and inescapable madness.

Vertigo is based on the 1954 novel, D'entre les morts (From Among the Dead), written by Boileau-Narcejac, and was the first film to introduce the dolly zoom, making it a technical innovation of filmmaking. The movie was initially met with lukewarm reviews, with some criticizing the lengthy runtime and slow pace, as well as Stewart, who was known for his heroic, good ol' boy roles, being cast as a disturbingly obsessed character. Over the years, Vertigo has gained immense support from new generations of film fans and is considered by many to be Hitchcock's magnum opus, cementing its place as one of the director's best movies based on a book.

1 'Rebecca' (1940)

Laurence Olivier looking at Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940)Image via United Artists

Hitchcock made his debut in American cinema with the romantic psychological thriller, Rebecca, which is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name. Joan Fontaine stars as a self-conscious young woman who, while on vacation, meets and falls in love with a handsome aristocrat and widower, Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). After a whirlwind marriage, the newlyweds return to Maxim's grand seaside manor, Manderley, where the new Mrs. de Winter meets the domineering housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). When Mrs. de Winter begins to wonder about the details surrounding the death of Maxim's first wife, she starts to suspect that her husband isn't who she initially thought he was.

Hitchcock effortlessly immerses audiences into his definitive classic, Rebecca, with an alluring tone of ominous suspense, a spellbinding backdrop of isolation, and a haunting romance that makes it the best Hitchcock movie based on a book. Rebecca was an overall success with both critics and audiences around the world, and today, it is regarded as the greatest movie of 1940. The movie provided the first significant stepping stone towards Hitchcock's promising career in American cinema and received an impressive eleven Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, and went on to win for Best Picture.

Like Follow Followed Rebecca PG-13 Drama Mystery Romance Release Date March 23, 1940 Runtime 121 minutes Director Alfred Hitchcock Writers Daphne Du Maurier, Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison, Philip MacDonald, Michael Hogan

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• Laurence Olivier
• Joan Fontaine

Genres Drama, Mystery, Romance Powered by Expand Collapse

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• Alfred Hitchcock
• Vertigo

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