[Fledermaus]

Originally Posted by Ecto Jedi

Well that's what I said. His films were revolutionary for the time period, because no one had ever seen anything like them before. Their impact can't help but shrink a bit after forty years of continuing development of the genre, don't you think?

Hm... lemme put it this way. I don't watch Hitchcock's movies for shock value. I watch them because they're art -- the things I'm talking about are his ability to hold the tension and suspense, the timing, the camera angles, the mood... this stuff was made back when censorship put a restriction on directors. In a way, many argue that this forced directors to be more clever with how they filmed.

Originally Posted by Ecto Jedi

And don't tell me he was above using cheap shock tactics in his films; Psycho is full of them. The final "shocking" reveal at the end of the film (of the mother's skeleton) comes to mind -- as if that moment wasn't entirely predictable. Frightening and unprecedented during its release, maybe, but it comes off as laughably executed nowadays. I've seen better cheese scares in William Castle flicks, to tell you the truth.

I didn't say that he was above it. I'm saying that that's not the reason why so many of his films stand the test of time. I'm saying don't compare Hitchcock films like Vertigo and Shadow of a Doubt to "attack of the fifty foot woman" or "The Wasp Woman."

And when (real) film critics praise Psycho, it's not because people get stabbed or we see a mother's skeleton in the basement. That's not why it's "scary." And sometimes even good movies are predictable. What matters is the how.

Though... I see you're looking for completely different things when you watch movies. You realize there's no way in hell we're going to convince each other that the other person is right in his argument.