39. Murder! (1930)

A classic whodunit in which a juror goes out of his way to investigate the case of a seemingly-wrongfully accused woman, Murder! finds Hitchcock mastering his use of sound.

38. The Secret Agent (1936)

One of Hitchcock's darker works, this noir-ish film is about a British intelligence agent who goes to Switzerland and accidentally kills the wrong man. It also co-stars Peter Lorre, which is really reason enough to check this one out.  

37. Under Capricorn (1949)

While you'd think the presence of Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten would make this one a keeper, Hitchcock's attempt at using the same super-long take format he'd unleashed in his previous film, Rope, doesn't work as well the second time. 

36. Sabotage (1936)

Sabotage features a drawn-out sequence in which a young carrier is delivering a bomb without realizing it; Hitchcock revs up the suspense while simultaneously showing the audience that no one's safe. Perhaps that last part is what led to the film's brief cameo in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. 

35. Rich and Strange (1932)

While this tale of an ordinary couple getting rich and going on a cruise was a dud at the box office, Hitchcock himself always considered it underrated, possibly because it featured some erotic belly dancing. 

34. Topaz (1969)

In this Cold War spy story, Hitchcock seems overworked with too many international balls to juggle. The strongest evidence of this is that the film was released with two different endings, a rarity for the meticulous director. 

33. The Ring (1927)

This story of two boxers in love with the same woman showcases the camera tricks that Hitch would later perfect: elaborate montages, subtle visual symbolism, and building suspense, this time through subtle changes in title card font. 

32. I Confess (1952)

A vehicle for Hitchcock's Catholic angst, I Confess is a morality play about a priest who's accused of murder even though he's heard the killer's confession. It makes for a great one-line synopsis, but there's not a lot of worthwhile suspense or drama here.

31. Family Plot (1976)

There's a lot to like about Hitchcock's final movie, including Bruce Dern's performance and some of the darkest comedy Hitch had ever made — but much of Family Plot has a phoned-in quality. (Although, if you were a seventy-five-year-old man making your fifty-first film, you might phone it in too.)

30. Torn Curtain (1966)

Torn Curtain's lasting legacy may be inspiring Hitchcock's subsequent biting quotes about method actors. (There's a reason this was Hitch's only movie with Paul Newman — allegedly, when Newman asked about motivation, Hitchcock snipped, "Your motivation is your salary.") But the long, drawn-out death scene remains tough to watch.

29. Lifeboat (1943)

While Hitchcock would later perfect the one-location suspense film with Rope and Rear Window, Lifeboat is a worthwhile rehearsal for how to create suspense in an enclosed environment.