Alfred Hitchcock, Henry Travers, Hume Cronyn

A young woman thinks her uncle may be a serial killer.

Flixster Users

89% liked it

13,458 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

31 critics

PG, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: January 1, 1943

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

Stats: 889 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (889)


  • October 18, 2009
    Shadow of a Doubt is truly one of Hitchcock's best. The gradual build is intense and intriguing, never giving too much away, but enough to make you feel as though you are working it all out. The family dynamic is well presented. Each member is different without being a forced car...( read more)icature. This allows for some truly realistic and familiar moments. One of the best, little touches, the film offers is the father's relationship with his best friend. They discuss literature, and have a running conversation throughout the film where they try and come up with the best ways of killing each other. It's these little moments that add humour but hint at disaster. It's a wonderful film, and unlike the thrillers of today, stays it's course and keeps it's tone.
  • September 29, 2009
    Whereas Psycho changed the way the world viewed showers, and Jaws made swimming in the ocean forever less appealing, and even Diabolique led us all to view swimming pools with cynicism, Shadow of a Doubt shows us that something as benign as "family" ca...( read more)n become horrifying and evil. Hitchcock took the fright out of old European castles and dark back alleys and put it right smack-dab in our living room. It raises the question, "Is something sinister sitting across from you at the dinner table every night?" ...well? ...is it?
  • May 31, 2009
    A much underestimated and underrated Hitchcock Thriller, In fact this was Hitchcock?s favourite. Of course this appeals to my interest of Serial Killer films and it?s great to see an enjoyable early one.

    The characters were all very developed here and the storyline is told fr...( read more)om a unique perspective, in that it involves the Killer?s own family.

    An enjoyable performance from X White and Joseph Cotton who are both new names for me.

    4 STARS
  • May 12, 2008
    Highly distilled Hitchcock. All of the tropes that he would be heralded for later are on display in this taught "Noir in a small town" film. Rich well rounded characters bring this delightful suspense picture to life.
  • April 4, 2008
    Very enjoyable thriller, certainly one of my favorites that i've seen of Hitchcock's work.

    We've seen a similar story told many times - however, never in this much depth or with the same well done tension and suspense rising throughout the characters. Uncle Charlie truly becomes...( read more) scarier by each passing minute, to the point where at the end of the film the viewer thinks that the only thing that could possibly be on his mind is killing.

    It's a story about many things - but perhaps the most appealing to me was the loss of innocence in just about every conceivable scenario. The town because a killer has entered, Charlie because she find out a loved on has done an unspeakable act, and Uncle Charlie's story about his near-death experience on his bicycle which changed his outlook on everything.

    The most interesting part of this morbidity is that most people seem completely oblivious to it - the kind of people that Uncle Charlie hates. For instance, we see characters joking about how they'd kill each other while sitting across the table from a murderer.

    My only problem with this was the ending. I don't hate it as much as some - and I think the concept and how things turned out was fine... but it just felt so rushed.
  • November 11, 2009
    Have on VHS. Saw in September.
  • October 29, 2009
    A gripping thriller involving a young woman and her uncle, whom she suspects is wanted as a serial killer. Some good acting from Joseph Cotten, who has the ability to play both good guys and villians. One of Hitchcock's best films!
  • October 19, 2009
    I couldnt sit through the whole movie
  • October 15, 2009
    Hitchcock was a genius. This is a great thriller. There was something about Charlotte as played by Teresa Wright that made me want to root for her so much that in the end I was loathing Joseph Cotten's Uncle Charlie for what I was sure he would try to do. I definitely think th...( read more)at Hitchcock did a good job in switching the perspective from the victim to the killer's family.
  • October 8, 2009
    Another Hitchcock masterpiece, equally as good as my favourite of his, North by Northwest. And this was BW too. Cast was spectacular all around. The changes in the main characters are amazing to witness. Hitchcock has a way of leading the audience through a narrative by making th...( read more)em ask questions. He peels away layer by layer, exposing answers and more questions, and he always concludes films in a great way.

Comments


  • steffikrox
    January 4, 2009
    Don't you love the old suspense classics?
  • onefinalhit
    July 31, 2007
    it's not a 'tense thriller' and i doubt people's claims of getting shivers after hearing Joseph Cotton's character's bleak philosophy of life. This was just so-so. If you want a thriller that will keep you tense, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much or even Saboteur are much worthier examples.
  • tomkinsman
    August 23, 2006
    a tense thriller throughout that keeps you on the edge of your seat

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Click
    Click (13%)
  • Suspicion
    Suspicion (75%)
  • Bajo la sal
    Bajo la sal (100%)
  • Venus
    Venus (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Shadow of a Doubt : Watch Free on TV


Shadow of a Doubt Trivia


  • This film, about a young girl who thinks her uncle may be a murderer, was Alfred Hitchcock's favorite of his own work...   Answer »
  • Name this Hitchcock movie? “Chad Hoe Huff Head Out” (1943 – four words).  Answer »
  • Does everyone now know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Johnny Depp played Jack Sparrow in the Pirates movies?  Answer »
  • what film is not about jack the ripper?  Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Shadow of a Doubt. Want to create one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?