There’s no one quite like Alfred Hitchcock, and maybe there never will be. Horror, suspense, intelligence… he never missed a beat. So it’s an incredible honor he’s making a grand entrance onto Netflix with six iconic films that audiences have adored for years. Streaming starting in June 2025, you can experience the brilliance that made him one of cinema’s most significant directors with Vertigo, Rear Window, Frenzy, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Family Plot, and The Birds — each a jewel in their own right, showing Hitchcock’s ability to manipulate tension and observe the darker corners of human psychology.
It’s never too late to rediscover the timeless appeal of classic Hollywood filmmaking, and Hitchcock’s work proves that storytelling with pure class never goes out of style. You should watch them all, but if pressed, you need to watch Rear Window. It’s a film that strangely makes you feel cozy, as if you’re a part of the New York apartment block where the very thing takes place, and it’s a gorgeous thing to look at.
‘Rear Window’ Is One of Hitchcock’s Best Movies
Shared with the world in 1954, Rear Window is a contender for Hitchcock’s best and most artistic work. It’s a murder mystery at the core, studying voyeurism, isolation, and the ethics of observation. The film stars James Stewart, one of Hitchcock’s most trusted and frequently used leading men, alongside the exquisite beauty Grace Kelly. Confining its entire narrative to a single apartment courtyard, it paints a universe of intrigue that places other globe-trotting adventures in the shade.
The summer is sweltering. Stewart, playing L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies, is a bored photographer using a wheelchair due to a broken leg who begins spying on his neighbors from his window. Kelly brings breathtaking luminosity to her role as socialite Lisa Fremont, Jeff’s girlfriend, who is reluctantly drawn into his obsessive surveillance and dressed to the nines in the most sumptuous of outfits.
Wendell Corey plays the skeptical detective, and Thelma Ritter is Stella, Jeff’s no-nonsense nurse who provides comic relief and moral grounding to the increasingly tense proceedings. Innocent people-watching entangles in a murder investigation when Jeff becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has killed his wife. Instead of disapproving, Hitchcock makes the audience complicit in Jeff’s voyeurism — we become the watchers watching the watcher, drawn into the same moral ambiguity that defines the protagonist’s actions.
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‘Rear Window’ Is a Visual Masterpiece
Rear Window has technical brilliance. Hitchcock and cinematographer Robert Burks built an elaborate apartment complex set that allowed for fluid movement between different windows and stories, creating a living, breathing community with a genuine feel despite being entirely constructed. Each apartment window reveals a different slice of life — the woman dubbed “Miss Lonelyhearts,” (Judith Evelyn), the composer struggling with his music (Ross Bagdasarian), the couple with the small dog, and the curious Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), whose activities are a tad suspicious.
After attending the 21st New York Film Festival in 1983, The New York Times shared that “Its appeal, which goes beyond that of other, equally masterly Hitchcock works, remains undiminished.”
The Hitchcock Biopic Hits Netflix Too
Adding another tier to this Hitchcock cake, Netflix will also premiere Sacha Gervasi’s 2012 biographical film about the director, Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins, on June 1st. This timing creates synergy for viewers to learn more about the man behind the camera while simultaneously experiencing some of his greatest works. The movie zooms in on Hitchcock’s relationship with his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) while making his most famous film, Psycho, and the personal and professional challenges that nearly ended his career.
Hopkins fares well as the Master of Suspense, capturing his public persona and private insecurities, but it’s Mirren who shines as his devoted wife and creative collaborator. The Independent Critic proclaimed, “As marvelous as is Hopkins, the film simply wouldn’t be the same without the presence of Helen Mirren as Hitchcock’s longtime companion Alma Reville.” A robust supporting female cast includes Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, and Toni Collette as Hitchcock’s assistant Peggy Robertson.
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A Collection of Cinematic Jewels
And, there’s more. The other films in this Netflix collection represent different peaks in Hitchcock’s career. Vertigo offers a haunting view of obsession and identity through its story of a detective’s fixation on an elusive woman. The Birds sees a quaint coastal town turn into a battleground between humans and nature, creating horror in the every day. Frenzy, one of Hitchcock’s final films, marked his return to London, demonstrating his mastery of suspense had remained intact well into his later career. The Man Who Knew Too Much and its well-spun yarn follows a family whose vacation turns into a nightmare, while Family Plot, his final completed film, provides a lighter touch while maintaining the director’s flair.
Thank you, Netflix, for a film school education in the hands of cinema’s greatest teacher of suspense. Hitchcock’s work rewards casual viewing and deep analysis. His influence on modern cinema cannot be overstated, and having these wonders readily available on Netflix provides a space to study the techniques and themes that continue to shape filmmaking today. Or just sit back and experience pure cinematic artistry from the comfort of your home.
Rear Window, and other Alfred Hitchcock movies, are available to stream on Netflix starting June 1, 2025.
- Release Date
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September 1, 1954
- Runtime
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112 minutes
- Writers
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John Michael Hayes
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James Stewart
L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies
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Wendell Corey
Det. Lt. Thomas J. Doyle
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