There’s no denying that Alfred Hitchcock has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Known as the “Master of Suspense” with the ability to sell a movie by using his name alone, the man behind classics such as Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window was as unforgettable as his movies. His knack for employing a kind of psychological suspense in his films made him a master at storytelling and keeping audiences at the edge of their seats.

Hitchcock also went to great lengths to ensure his work was enjoyed the way he intended. Marketing materials for Psycho, for example, included the message, “We won’t allow you to cheat yourself. You must see PSYCHO from the very beginning. Therefore, do not expect to be admitted into the theatre after the start of each performance of the picture. We say no one — and we mean no one — not even the manager’s brother, the President of the United States, or the Queen of England (God bless her)!”

On this list are 10 incredible images that prove the man behind the legend was a true master of his craft.

10 Fearsome focus

“The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

For a man best known for striking fear into the hearts of audiences the world over, Alfred Hitchcock had some very strange phobias. Some, like his fear of police, more understandable than others. After all, as a young man, Hitchcock was sent to the nearest police station as punishment for some naughty thing or another. Nothing, however, explains his fear of eggs.

“I’m frightened of eggs,” Hitchcock once told an interviewer. “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, he felt, was positively ‘jolly’ by comparison. Which, I think, explains a lot. Above is a rare picture of the highly focused director at the start of his award-winning career.

9 Go big

“There is nothing to winning, really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind, and no scruples whatsoever.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

Rear Window is considered by many filmgoers, critics, and scholars to be one of Hitchcock’s best; one of the greatest films ever made. The movie received four Academy Award nominations and was shot entirely on one set which, at the time, was the largest indoor set ever built at Paramount studios. One of the unique features of the set was its massive drainage system, constructed to accommodate the rain sequence in the film. Which came in handy for the next picture on this list …

8 Haha, Hitchcock

“For me, suspense doesn’t have any value if it’s not balanced by humor.” – Alfred Hitchcock

Through his quirky characters, ironic situations, whimsical settings and a complex balance of laughs and tension, the “Master if Suspense” kept his audiences spellbound. Filmmakers who attempt to use Hitchcock’s techniques often overlook the undercurrent of facetious wit in the midst of the tension and horror.

7 Larger than life

“Revenge is sweet and not fattening.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

It’s not only his movie sets that were larger than life. The man himself was at his heaviest in the late 1930s when he weighed over 300 pounds. The picture here was taken in 1942 on the set of Shadow of a Doubt.

6 Come on closer

“Some of our most exquisite murders have been domestic, performed with tenderness in simple, homey places like the kitchen table.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

Dial M For Murder is Hitchcock’s only film to be entirely shot in 3-D. Because of the cumbersome 3-D camera process, Hitchcock commissioned the construction of an enormous, four-foot tall prop telephone and giant fake finger to be used for specific closeup shots.

5 Blonde ambition

“Blondes make the best victims. They’re like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

The Master of Suspense had an obvious penchant (or obsession, according to some) for blonde heroines because, as he said, they are less suspicious than brunettes. When a blonde does something deceitful or unexpected, he pertained, it’s a greater shock than when a dark-haired girl does the same.

Some of his most famous blondes include Grace Kelly, Kim Novak (pictured here), Janet Leigh and Tippi Hendren. Hendren, in fact, was one of Hitchcock’s favorite icy blondes. She had a different take on his obsession, though. She even went as far as to call him a sexual predator, a man with a “very weird attitude towards women.”

4 Hands on

“I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.” – Alfred Hitchcock

But apparently, he did.

Kent Jones’ 2015 documentary film Hitchcock/Truffaut revealed some of the most infamous interviews Hitchcock and fellow director François Truffaut. “Actors are cattle,” Hitchcock tells Truffaut, underlining his reputation for giving them no scope but to fulfil his artistic vision. His hands-on approach with Janet Leigh is pictured above.

3 Murderous mischief

“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” – Alfred Hitchcock

Many view Strangers on a Train as a masterpiece of suspenseful storytelling, saying that Hitchcock’s brilliant use of mischief and misdirection makes Strangers on a Train one of his most memorable films.

And though it may sound innocuous, filming the carousel scene was, in truth, really dangerous. The operator had to crawl underneath the whirling carousel with the moving horses just inches from his head. “If the man had raised his head even slightly,” said Hitchcock, “it would have gone from being a suspense film into a horror film.”

It’s not clear whether this image was taken before or after this statement. Is Hitchcock contemplating or reflecting on the near-murder?

2 Game changer

“I have a perfect cure for a sore throat: cut it.” – Alfred Hitchcock

The iconic shower scene in Psycho is not only the central theme from which the entire movie hinges, it is also the entire reason Hitchcock made the movie. “It really was a game changer,” says filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe, whose 2017 documentary 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene explores Psycho and its signature scene in depth. The film, released in 1960, seemed to announce to the world that murder was now going to be an acceptable form of entertainment.

In the picture above, Hitchcock directs Leigh in the voyeuristic 45-second scene that required 78 camera set-ups, 52 edits and 7 days of shooting.

1 Creatures great and small

“Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” – Alfred Hitchcock?

There’s an old saying in Hollywood: you are only as good as your last film. So, in true Hollywood style, it was only to be expected that Hitchcock would follow Psycho with an even greater triumph: The Birds. Also known as the technical marvel against which all creature films are to be measured.

In 1963, Hollywood animal trainer Ray Berwick trained 300 birds for this Hitchcock thriller. From suspending hunks of meat just below the camera lens to wiring shut a gull’s beak for safety reasons, the bird-wrangling crew pulled out all the stops under the watchful eye of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Hitchcock’s creative direction, as seen in this photo.

With 2020’s Netflix remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rebecca, it’s clear that Hitchcock’s movies still have a significant influence on pop culture, film, and TV even 40 years after his death. He is one of those rare directors who comes along once in a while and changes cinema forever. Even long after his death, we still see the impact he has had on entertainment through countless references and homages. Here are 10 memorable pop culture references that keep his work alive.

Related: 10 Bizarre Stories Behind The Movies Of Alfred Hitchcock

10 Scream: “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes”

We love to see the iconic ’90s slasher movie paying tribute to an even more iconic Hitchcock film. Wes Craven’s blockbuster hit is full of scary movie references throughout its runtime like The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and so many more. So it only makes sense that Hitchcock’s Psycho would make a cameo at some point.

When Billy Loomis (who is a huge horror film fanatic) reveals he is one of the killers, he says, “We all go a little mad sometimes.” This famous line was said by Norman Bates, the famous villain with mommy issues we all know and love, at the very end of Psycho. Not only that, but Billy shares his last name (Loomis) with the husband of Norman Bates’s first victim, Marion Crane. Now, that’s definitely no coincidence. It’s safe to assume that Bates may have been an inspiration or role model to Loomis’s character, who loved horror films and was clearly a psycho.^[1]

9 Family Guy: “North By North Quahog”

The title of Family Guy’s season 3 opener is a dead giveaway that we may see a Hitchcock reference or two. The episode finds Peter stealing a script from Mel Gibson’s hotel room and being chased North By Northwest style. We even get a shot-for-shot rendition of the famous crop duster scene. Later in the episode, Peter saves Lois from Mel Gibson’s house, in another exact replica of the North By Northwest Mount Rushmore scene. It’s also worth mentioning the show’s producer, Seth MacFarlane, even did a Psycho-themed Oscars promo in 2013, so it’s no surprise that his show has a few Hitchcock homages throughout the series.^[2]

8 Horrible Bosses: Strangers on a Train

When you think of the plot of Horrible Bosses, it’s easy to make the connection to Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. In fact, the movie does it for you. When Jason Bateman’s, Charlie Day’s, and Jason Sudeikis’s characters decide to murder their bosses, they meet with Jamie Foxx’s character, Motherf––r Jones. Mr. Jones calls himself a “murder consultant” and advises the three to kill each other’s bosses so the police don’t have a motive and they have a secure alibi.

When hearing this, Jason Sudekis’s character points out that this is just like in Hitchcock’s film Strangers on a Train. Charlie Day’s character, Dale, goes on to say that the movie stars Danny DeVito. The funny thing to note is that the movie Dale mentions is Throw Momma from the Train, a parody of Hitchcock’s film. So he was kind of half right. The movie’s plot is clearly inspired by Hitchcock, and it finds a hilarious way to explain that within the movie itself.^[3]

7 The (Not So Great) Hitchcock Remakes

Many directors have tried to pay tribute to Hitchcock’s films with their own version, yet very few (emphasis on very) have succeeded. The most recent Netflix remake of the 1940 film Rebecca received a sad 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many critics agreed it had nothing new to offer, standing in the shadow of the original movie. We won’t even mention the almost shot-for-shot 1998 Psycho remake starring Vince Vaughn because we pretend it didn’t happen. The 2007 modern remake of Rear Window, Disturbia, was fairly well-received by audiences and critics, but it still didn’t live up to Hitchcock’s greatness.

On the flip side, one of the highest-rated Hitchcock remakes is not even an actual remake but a parody. Mel Brooks’s High Anxiety is a funny spoof of many Hitchcock films, including Vertigo, Spellbound, and Psycho. In conclusion, can we all just collectively agree to stop making Hitchcock remakes unless they bring something new and fresh to the table? Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.^[4]

6 That ’70s Show: Hitchcock Halloween Episode

If you’re a Hitchcock fan, you’ll definitely enjoy this Halloween-themed episode of That ’70s Show. The entire 4th episode of season 3, titled “Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die,” is a funny, light-hearted homage to Hitchcock films. At the beginning of the episode, Fez breaks his leg and ends up in a wheelchair. Then, much like James Stewart in Rear Window, he begins suspecting a neighbor may have murdered his wife while creeping around with a pair of binoculars.

The episode also spoofs Hitchcock’s The Birds when Kitty has a hard time feeding a neighbor’s creepy birds who don’t seem too friendly. There is also a Vertigo nod when Eric develops a fear of heights after almost falling from a roof, and we get a hilarious scene with Michael and Laurie reenacting the famous shower scene from Psycho. Last but not least, we see a funny parody of the crop duster scene from North by Northwest.^[5]

5 The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Hitchcock Spoof

If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, you know they love a good movie reference. The Simpsons pays tribute to great movies with a fresh and funny twist. The show has made tons of Hitchcock references over the years with spoofs of Vertigo, Psycho, Strangers on a Train, North by Northwest, The Birds, and Rear Window.

One of their most popular Hitchcock-themed episodes is, of course, Treehouse of Horror XX. You can spot at least five Hitchcock movie references in this Halloween special, including a silhouette of Homer, a call back to Hitchcock’s TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The Simpsons even included Hitchcock’s famous cameo appearance in this episode, which he was famous for, appearing in over 38 of his films.^[6]

4 Bates Motel: Norman Bates Origin Story

The main takeaway from this Psycho spinoff show is that you should never trust a man who likes to stuff dead birds for fun or stay in a shady motel by yourself. The character of Norman Bates became so popular that 53 years after Psycho’s premiere, the A&E network decided to do an entire show around his origin story titled Bates Motel. The show was very successful, and even Rihanna made a guest appearance, playing the iconic role of Marion Crane.

Bates Motel also re-created the famous shower scene—with a twist—and explored the weird and slightly (ok, very) creepy relationship between Norman and his mother, Norma. At the beginning of the series, we meet a relatively normal teenage Norman, and by the end of it, he becomes the psycho that stole America’s hearts.^[7]

3 Psycho Shower Scene: The Spoofs

Even people who have never seen the original 1960 film Psycho know about THE shower scene: the shadow behind the shower curtain, the knife slowly inching up on the other side of it, or the unmistakable musical score. This is without a doubt one of the most famous scenes in movie history, and the violence in it was highly controversial at the time.

So it’s no surprise that this is Hitchcock’s most spoofed scene. Even Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of the actress who played the victim, Marion Crane, re-enacted the scene. From cartoons like Looney Tunes to comedies like High Anxiety and modern remakes like the Bates Motel, here is a compilation of the many “Shower Scene” parodies.^[8]

2 The Beatles: “Eleanor Rigby” Inspired by Psycho Score

Yes, you read that right. Most people don’t know that the dark and “edgy” strings behind the popular Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby” were inspired by the Psycho musical score, known for its almost screeching sound. Now it’s important to note that the song itself was not inspired by Psycho’s score, but the melody and instrumentals were. In an interview, the Beatles’ producer George Martin reveals that when Paul McCartney suggested using strings for “Eleanor Rigby,” Martin drew inspiration from Hitchcock’s famous score.

If you listen to the song, you can easily make the connection between the two. “Eleanor Rigby” is a darker song than other famous Beatles tunes, so it’s no surprise that the instrumentals behind the lyrics were inspired by one of the greatest horror soundtracks of all time.^[9]

1 James Bond: North by Northwest Influence on Bond Franchise

Probably the least known but significant pop culture influence Hitchcock movies have had was on one of the biggest franchises of all time: James Bond. Some call North by Northwest the “first James Bond film” that isn’t actually a James Bond film. Even the author of the James Bond series, Ian Fleming, wanted the star of North by Northwest, Cary Grant, to star in the first Bond film. Grant was actually offered the 007 role after his performance in Hitchcock’s film but turned it down.

If you watch North by Northwest (which came out before any Bond film, of course), it’s easy to see the major influence on the iconic Bond movies. Grant played the slick, well-dressed, and charming ladies’ man running from danger in beautiful and exotic locations. This spy thriller had everything you see in any Bond film: suspense, espionage, a villain, and a mysterious, beautiful woman on our hero’s arm. So it’s no surprise that every Bond movie that followed uses the same recipe as its inspiration.^[10]