CLASSIC FILM YOU’VE NEVER SEEN: SHADOW OF A DOUBT

Hitchcock's personal favorite film is an often overlooked gem

It’s rare to find anyone who doesn’t have a favorite Hitchcock film. Usually, it’s Psycho, The Birds or North by Northwest. Legitimate classics in their own right. But to savor the filmmaker’s genius from the early part of his career, Shadow of Doubt is a true masterpiece in deception.

It’s the tale of a young girl who begins to suspect her favorite uncle is really a serial killer. Both named Charlie, amiable Teresa Wright plays the somewhat bored and disillusioned niece of Charles Oakley, played sinister contempt by Joseph Cotton.

As the “Merry Widow Killer,” Charles comes to visit his sister’s family in small town suburban America to flee investigators on his tail. Uncle Charlie not only detests but disrupts the serene small-town family dynamic. Viewed as a sophisticated bon vivant, he’s adored by his dimwitted sister and doting niece, but soon a pair of police detectives start getting too close for comfort. A disillusioned Young Charlie soon discovers the truth about her uncle, and after confronting him about it, becomes his intended prey.

The true-to-life performances of the entire family provide heartwarming comic relief throughout and far overshadow the somewhat dated portrait of small-town life. The cat-and-mouse maneuvers will keep you on the edge of your seat and build the suspense until a shocking climax.

Watch the trailer.