Alfred Hitchcock Movie Trivia: The Master of Suspense Quiz

The Master of Suspense

Alfred Hitchcock didn't just direct movies; he played the audience like a piano. Known as the "Master of Suspense," he distinguished surprise from suspense with a simple philosophy: if a bomb goes off under a table suddenly, the audience is surprised for 15 seconds. But if the audience knows the bomb is there while the characters talk, the audience is in suspense for 15 minutes.

MacGuffins and Cameos

Hitchcock's filmography is filled with signature tropes. He popularized the MacGuffin—a plot device (like the uranium in Notorious) that drives the characters but ultimately matters little to the emotional story. He was also a master of branding, inserting himself into his films via clever cameos, forcing audiences to scan the screen to find him.

A Legacy of Fear

From the shower scene in Psycho that made a generation afraid of bathrooms, to the dizzying heights of Vertigo (often cited by critics as the greatest film ever made), Hitchcock's technical innovations defined the visual language of the modern thriller. How well do you know his twisted world? Take the quiz to find out.