Earlier this week we celebrated Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday by ranking his films. Today we continue to celebrate the auteur’s work by listing indie films which remind us of his work. And because Hitchcock inspired so many filmmakers over the years with his innovative storytelling and crafty camera shots, we had a ton of films to choose from. The films below are the kind Hitch would have made if he were still live, or at the very least, films he would have enjoyed watching himself.

9 Indie Films That Remind Us Of Alfred Hitchcock

Tell No One

A married couple goes skinny dipping in a lake at night. After an argument, the woman swims to shore to clear her head. Suddenly, the man hears her scream and swims to shore to investigate only to be knocked unconscious by an off-screen culprit. Jump ahead eight years, and two bodies have mysteriously surfaced at the site where it’s believed the wife was murdered, reopening the case with the husband as the primary suspect. A classic cocktail of mystery, suspense and paranoia, Guillaume Canet’s Tell No One is a tense thriller with a knotty plot that harkens back to Hitch in its themes while satiating modern audiences with its brisk narrative momentum and elaborate action sequences. Francois Cluzet exudes intensity in the lead role, his frazzled charm making him a more volatile man-on-the-run than Cary Grant’s Roger O. Thornhill (North By Northwest) or Robert Donat’s Hannay (The 39 Steps), though he’s no less riveting. Like any good Hitchcock film (or any good mystery, for that matter), Tell No One always keeps you guessing and never fails to surprise, all while continuously building an emotional foundation that makes the shocker ending feel like a shotgun to the chest. [Bernard]

The Usual Suspects

Alfred Hitchcock was masterful at creating mesmerizing characters who often danced on the edge of suspicion. Sometimes mysterious, sometimes charismatic, but always fascinating, these antagonists (to call them villains is a little too much) aren’t necessarily the kind to root for, but it isn’t a bad thing they get away with what they get away with for as long as they can. More than just foils, the greats include Madeleine Elster (Vertigo), Uncle Charlie (Shadow of a Doubt), and even Lars Thorwald (Rear Window) who, in Hitch’s hands, is captivating as little more than an object of observation. The modern indie film equivalent of these delicious baddies, a character Hitchcock would have had a blast with, is Verbal Kint, from Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects. What makes Kint, as played by Kevin Spacey, the archetypical Hitchcock antagonist is how ordinary he seems—the most usual of the usual suspects—until he weaves a hypnotic narrative tale about five villains, three heists, and one crime lord: Keyser Söze, a man whose reputation is so fearsome, he’s more than legendary, he’s mythological. Yet from Kint’s lips to the cops’ ears floats a story told with such subtle conviction and drenched in such rich detail, every last word is believable. Or is it? This is the Hitchcockian genius of him. Kint is known to be one of those five criminals and a man who simply cannot be trusted, but his feeble physicality is disarming. This allows his hypnotic storytelling acumen to take charge (Verbal is verbal, indeed). As Hitchcock would have wanted, Kint is a character the viewer should see coming, and yet fails to do so. As for the stunning reveal at the end, it’s Hitchcockian too, and one of the greats of movie history. [Michael]

Buried

Hitch wasn’t just the master of suspense, but he was also an expert at single location filmmaking (Lifeboat, Rope, Rear Window). Rodrigo Cortés applied Hitchcockian attributes in his 2010 indie thriller Buried, where Ryan Reynolds (his best performance to date) finds himself trapped inside a coffin with only a lighter, a cell phone, and enough oxygen for 90 minutes. It’s a gripping race against the clock shot entirely in a claustrophobic setting. While it contains a super simple setup, the film is full of technical challenges. But Buried makes great use of constrained space, using careful camera framing and a sharpened sense of hearing to obtain a high level of suspense, all while opting not to show any shots outside the coffin. A less ambitious filmmaker would’ve added some flashbacks or cuts to a grieving spouse. But not Cortés. By leaving these shots out, the audience remains isolated with the character and the results are so suffocating they’ll leave you gasping for air. Hitchcock would have admired such an impressive feat. [Dustin]

Timecrimes

When one thinks of Hitchcock-inspired films, works of science fiction usually aren’t the first to come to mind. Nonetheless, Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo’s 2007 Timecrimes, proves that Hitch’s impact stretches to all corners of the contemporary cinematic realm and can even be found in the likes of foreign language time travel flicks. Like other modern films containing narratives dealing with the manipulation of time (such as Shane Carruth’s Primer and Bradley King’s recent Time Lapse), Timecrimes has a relatively complex plot that unfolds gradually and only fully presents itself to viewers during its third act. Vigalondo’s film follows a married ogler by the name of Héctor (Karra Elejalde). One quiet afternoon, after spotting a naked woman through a pair of binoculars, he wanders over to get a closer look; by the time he reaches the woman, she’s unconscious, slumped against a large rock, and suddenly Héctor is stabbed with a pair of scissors by a second, masked person. From there, the storyline only becomes more obscure though it certainly evolves in a fascinating and original manner. All originality aside, the Hitchcockian influence is surely present and can be found in qualities such as Timecrimes’ increasingly guilt-ridden protagonist and its utilization of voyeurism, in a similar vein as Hitch’s famous Rear Window and Psycho. [Eli]

Mulholland Drive

Many deem David Lynch a singular artist. Out of his influential oeuvre a whole new adjective was born; one that’s used to describe any picture cloaked in a mysterious, off-kilter atmosphere. So it’s interesting that this one decidedly unique filmmaker’s greatest film, the mesmerizing Mulholland Drive, borrows so directly the themes, aesthetics, and particles from Alfred Hitchcock’s most critically lauded film, Vertigo, in order to help create what’s arguably the most Lynchian atmosphere and story to date. Naomi Watts’ career-making role of a wide-eyed dreamer is an amalgamation of various Hitchcock “classic blonde” heroines, striking the biggest resemblance with Kim Novak from the 1958 classic. Not only is the 1950s aesthetic that provided the contemporary backdrop to Vertigo prevalent in the old-fashioned Hollywood look to Mulholland Drive, but it’s weaved into the thematics as well. Together with fear, manipulation, and spiraling madness, all of which permeate the tone of both pictures. Lynch contorted the very same type of suspense that Hitch mastered in his day; using audience’s’ imaginations and subconscious as a plaything to create unforgettable and influential art. [Nik]

Match Point

While Woody Allen has continued to churn out a movie a year for most of his career, his recent films seem to have narrowed in scope, losing some of the sharp-witted satire that marked many of his earlier films. One film that has poked through this listless drought is Match Point, a flick that saw Allen test the waters of the thriller genre, and most importantly, play homage to the godfather of suspense himself. Allen has never been afraid to wear any particular film’s influences on his sleeve, and Match Point is no exception. The premise alone is rife with nods to Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train, a film that centers on a tennis star, murder, and, most importantly, chance, which in Match Point is redubbed as luck. The nods don’t stop there. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Chris, a handsome, talented charmer with sociopathic tendencies, much in the style of classic Hitchcock villains: men who can literally get away with murder. Most importantly of all, is Scarlett Johansson, the beautiful blonde temptress, the source of all this lust, the carrier of the unwanted child, the catalysis of everything. To put the sexual politics of Allen’s work in question is to be a conscious and critical filmgoer (which we all should be), but while off-putting and dated, the film stays true to its influences, for better or worse. [Gary]

Chuck & Buck

While maybe not an obvious selection for a Hitchcock-inspired film, Miguel Arteta and Mike White’s thoughtfully constructed and hilarious micro-budgeted black comedy, Chuck & Buck, owes a lot to the popular works of Hitchcock including Psycho and Rear Window. Chuck & Buck follows the reunion of two childhood friends, writer Mike White in the role of Buck and filmmaker Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie) plays Chuck who now goes by Charlie. After Buck’s mother passes away, the two friends awkwardly reconnect at her funeral which is followed by Buck following Chuck (and his wife) to Los Angeles. Buck tries desperately to fit himself into Chuck’s life as his obsession becomes increasingly more sexual and invasive. Instead of taking the path of someone like Brian De Palma (whose fantastic Blow Out I nearly chose for this list) where the Hitchcock influence is more authentic and direct, Arteta and White twist the voyeuristic themes and Norman Bates-like qualities of Buck to a wildly different effect. It plays up these qualities pushing them to levels of uncomfortable and sometime gut-busting laughter as the film brilliantly satirizes the irrational homophobic fear that can exist in straight men. [Ryan]

Stoker

The screenplay of Stoker is what most recalls Hitchcock’s work. Revolving around a teenage girl (Mia Wasikowska) and her prickly mother (Nicole Kidman) mourning the loss of a father and husband as a mysterious relative (Matthew Goode) slowly moves into the picture, the plot draws comparisons to Shadow of a Doubt, but Director Park Chan-Wook makes it his own uniquely twisted beast. While the story pays clear homage in the structuring of gradually built dread and distrust, Park’s offbeat and richly sensual direction marks the singular vision of a true auteur. Through detailed mise-en-scène and slick, haunting visuals, we are steered through an unsettling vision of sexual awakening and hereditary depravity. The film crawls under one’s skin as it pries open narrative and thematic doors initially closed tightly. The film resembles Marnie in its Freudian hang-ups and Frenzy in its relative grittiness, and although it’s far bleaker and bloodier than Hitch had the ability to be in his time, something tells me that fans of his distinct brand of psychological terror would be tickled by this one-of-a-kind experience. [Byron]

Misery

It feels almost as though any horror, thriller, or psychological suspense film we could possibly think of and include on this list would feel obvious in some way. There isn’t a great movie out there among these genres that doesn’t herald back to something Hitchcock either invented or did so well it merited emulation. But in terms of Hitchcock signature moves, Rob Reiner’s 1990 Misery uses all the very best. Single-location by way of a secluded country house. Slow zooms into character’s faces as anxiety builds giving a sense of claustrophobia. And of course, a main character with alarmingly obsessive tendencies. Hitch knew that love could be a far scarier emotion than hate. Vertigo taught us the price of obsessive love, and Misery’s Annie Wilkes is a fan whose love of a book series is more than a little unbridled. Rear Window established that a character immobilized and trapped in a small space is more horrifying than any dark castle, and Paul Sheldon learns just how harrowing four walls are when your ankles are smashed to bits. Those who appreciate the simmering, confined, tension-filled thrillers Hitchcock made his name on, will find themselves satisfied by Misery. [Ananda]

It’s our five-year anniversary this week! And to continue with the theme, we are sharing movies that share this year with us as a landmark! We’ve already done 8 Movies That Turn 50 in 2015. The following films came out in 1990 so this year they will celebrate their 25th Anniversary.

1990 Highlights

Big things were going down in the world when these movies came out in theaters. In February alone, the Communist Party relinquished sole power in the Soviet Government leading to the dissolution of the USSR and Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 1/2 years of incarceration in South Africa. The Western Alliance ends the Cold War and East and West Germany are reunited. Not all is happy, however, as the Persian Gulf War begins in August when Iraqi troops invade Kuwait and Margaret Thatcher resigns as the British Prime Minister in November. As far as history being made in the entertainment arena, the X-Rating is replaced by NC-17, The Simpsons debuts on FOX to instant acclaim, and Seinfeld debuts on NBC. This is the same year that Milli Vanilli owns up to lip-synching and has their Grammy revoked and the Hubble Space Telescope is launched.

The Grifters

Release Date: January 4, 1990
Starring: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening
Directed By: Stephen Frears
Tagline: Seduction. Betrayal. Murder. Who’s conning who?

Based on Jim Thompson’s pulp novel of the same name, John Cusack loved the book so much that he wanted to option it in high school. When he was cast he accepted much less than was his going rate at the time. Produced by Martin Scorsese, he called in Stephen Frears who had just finished directing Dangerous Liaisons. It was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The last scenes were so intense for Anjelica Huston that it took hours to emotionally recover after filming it and she spent the night throwing up.

Tremors

Release Date: January 19, 1990
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire
Directed By: Ron Underwood
Tagline: They say there’s nothing new under the sun. But under the ground…

This was the first film in which Reba McEntire acted. Filming for Michael Gross began the day after the final episode of Family Ties. Tremors was not a box office smash in theaters but became a cult hit once it went to VHS, making back three times its budget. There have been three direct-to-video sequels and one attempt at a television series that lasted from March to August of 2003. Tremors 5: Bloodline with Jamie Kennedy is set to be released in October of this year. Michael Gross is the only actor to have appeared in all five movies and star in the short-lived TV series.

The Hunt For Red October

Release Date: March 2, 1990
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill
Directed By: John McTiernan
Tagline: Invisible. Silent. Stolen

Based on Tom Clancy’s 1984 debut novel, it is the first to feature the character of Jack Ryan, ex-Marine turned CIA analyst. It won the Academy Award for sound editing. It is rumored that they spent $20,000 on a hairpiece for Sean Connery. John McTiernan has a penchant for missing directorial opportunities for sequels; because of filming conflicts with The Hunt for Red October, he was unable to direct Die Hard 2. And he also was not able to direct the sequel to The Hunt for Red October because he was directing The Medicine Man (also with Sean Connery). There is also a bit of an easter egg in The Hunt For Red October. At the end Jack Ryan brings a teddy bear home—it is the same teddy bear John McClane arrives with in Die Hard.

Pretty Woman

Release Date: March 23, 1990
Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander
Directed By: Garry Marshall
Tagline: Who knew it was so much fun to be a hooker?

Set in Los Angeles, this would be Ralph Bellamy’s final performance. It was also one of the highest grossing films in 1990, the highest ever for a romantic comedy. Julia Roberts won a Golden Globe for Best Actress and received an Academy Award nomination in the same category. It is still one of the most financially successful romantic comedies of all time. Along with When Harry Met Sally, it served to reincarnate the genre on the whole seeing as Hollywood hadn’t churned out any that would fit that specific bill since the Doris Day/Rock Hudson days. The soundtrack was released on Valentine’s Day in 1990 and went platinum three times.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Release Date: March 30, 1990
Starring: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais
Directed By: Steve Barron
Tagline: Lean, green, and on the screen!

Featuring Corey Feldman as the voice of Donatello and a very young Sam Rockwell as “Head Thug,” this was the first film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It serves as an origin story, mainly, with the introduction of April O’Neill and Casey Jones to the teen reptiles. It is still the second highest grossing independent film of all time and was the ninth highest grossing film of the year. The turtles were created in Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in London and at the time he said they were the most advanced thing he had ever worked with. Many major production companies including Disney and Warner Bros. turned down the film but it finally found distribution through the then-small New Line Cinema. The sequel released also achieved success however the third installment released in 1993 was a flop. Another attempt to bring another sequel in, this time with CGI turtles, was released in 2007. In 2014 they rebooted the franchise starring Will Arnett and Megan Fox.

Total Recall

Release Date: June 1st, 1990
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven
Tagline: They stole his mind, now he wants it back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a huge role in having this film finally developed. It had been in the writing stages for 16 years before he picked it up. One of the most expensive films ever made for that time period, it is loosely based on the story “We Can Remember It For You Whole Sale” by Philip K. Dick. The original score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith and won the BMI Film Music Award. Piers Anthony did a novelization of the film that corresponded pretty well with it. 2002’s Minority Report originated as a sequel to Total Recall, however it was put on the back burner and once it finally did get picked up it got re-written so many times and it was produced as a completely independent film. It was remade in 2012 with Colin Ferrell and Kate Beckinsale.

Ghost

Release Date: July 13th, 1990
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Directed By: Jerry Zucker
Tagline: Before Sam was murdered, he told Molly he’d love and protect her forever.

Whoopi Goldberg won both an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a begrudgingly helpful psychic in Ghost. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and besides Best Supporting Actress, Bruce Joel Rubin took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It was a huge financial success and was the highest grossing film of 1990. Sandwiched between Road House and Point Break, this was quite a serious turn for Patrick Swayze’s acting skills and he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance.

Problem Child

Release Date: July 27, 1990
Starring: Michael Oliver, John Ritter, Jack Warden
Directed By: Dennis Dugan
Tagline: Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once.

This was not the movie that Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski wanted to write. They had initially intended for it to go along the lines of the many grown up films starring kids such as Mr. Mom and Kindergarten Cop. It had been inspired by a real life news article of a couple who sued an orphanage for not disclosing the issues that they had been having with their adopted son who had already been returned to the orphanage for his behavior problems multiple times. Alexander and Karaszewski imagined something dark and satirical. Universal Pictures, however, demanded that it be rewritten as a children’s movie. Anticipating a huge flop, they were surprised to find that it was met with a successful release. It inspired one theatrical sequel and one TV movie sequel as well as a cartoon. Just a side note, the day this movie released, Zsa Zsa Gabor began her three day jail sentence for slapping a cop.

The Witches

Release Date: August 24, 1990
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson
Directed By: Nicolas Roeg
Tagline: Saving the world from witches is a tall order for a boy they’ve turned into a mouse!

Based on the book by Roald Dahl, Jim Henson Productions took this movie on. This would be the last movie distinct with Henson’s personal touch before he died and the last movie based on one of Dahl’s books made while the author was still alive. Though it didn’t do well in the box office, it has since been very well-regarded. It has a very rare Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%. Generally it is seen as a vehicle by which we can enjoy a unique and incredible performance by Anjelica Huston. Cher was originally thought of for the casting of the Grand High Witch but she was busy filming Mermaids.

Goodfellas

Release Date: September 21, 1990
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Directed By: Martin Scorsese
Tagline: Shooting people was ‘no big deal’.

Joe Pesci won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film but it was nominated for five more including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won the BAFTA awards for Best Screenplay, Best Direction, and Best Film. Based on Nicholas Pileggi’s Book “Wise Guys” about the real life of mobster Henry Hill, Martin Scorsese cold called Pileggi to ask if he could adapt it into a film, he was that impressed. It is also preserved in the film registry of the Library of Congress based on its cultural significance.

Home Alone

Release Date: November 16, 1990
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara
Directed By: Chris Columbus
Tagline: A family comedy. Without the family.

Written and produced by John Hughes, this was the second movie to be released starring Joe Pesci in 1990. With an original score by John Williams, its music was nominated for two Oscars. The idyllic, and very large, McCallister Home (seriously, what DID those parents do for a living?) is in Winnetka, Illinois. The film was so financially successful in the box office that by the time its theater run was over it was the third highest grossing film of all time, and the highest grossing comedy ever. Two years later it would release a well received sequel with all of the original cast returning. There was a third sequel that had all different actors but it wasn’t nearly as successful as either of the others. The fourth movie was only made for TV and was the only one John Hughes did not write the screenplay for.

Dances With Wolves

Release Date: November 21, 1990
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene
Directed By: Kevin Costner
Tagline: Lt. John Dunbar is about to discover the frontier…within himself.

Almost sweeping the Oscars with seven wins, Dances With Wolves won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score as well as Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Score, by John Barry. This was the first movie that Kevin Costner would produce and direct as well as star in and it was selected to be preserved in the Library of Congress’ Film Registry for its cultural significance. The dialogue spoken in the film is largely Lakota with English subtitles. Its positive characterization of Native Americans resulted in Costner being adopted into the Sioux Nation as an honorary member, though it is not without its historical inaccuracies as is to be expected.

Misery

Release Date: November 30, 1990
Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Tagline: This Christmas there will be…Misery.

Stephen King’s novel comes to life through Kathy Bates’ psychopath, Annie Wilkes, for which she won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress. She was the first woman to receive a Best Acting Academy Award for a horror or thriller. It’s the only Stephen King film to win an Academy Award. William Goldman adapted it to the stage as well and it premiered in 2012 at Bucks County Playhouse.

Edward Scissorhands

Release Date: December 14, 1990
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Directed By: Tim Burton
Tagline: His story will touch you, even though he can’t.

Tim Burton hand-picked Caroline Thompson to write the screenplay for this film after he read one of her short stories. The concept of Edward Scissorhands’ character came about from a sketch Tim Burton had done in high school. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Makeup and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical. The role of the inventor was written with Vincent Price in mind. His unfinished product, Edward, played by Johnny Depp, is left with scissors for hands when the inventor dies unexpectedly. It was the fourth time Burton would work with Danny Elfman for the original score. Close friends for a long time, their professional collaboration has spanned 30 years.

Mermaids

Release Date: December 14, 1990
Starring: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci
Directed By: Richard Benjamin
Tagline: This is our mother. Pray for us.

Released on the same day as Edward Scissorhands, in which she also starred, Winona Ryder was nominated for a Supporting Actress Golden Globe after her performance in Mermaids. Though she was a blonde in Edward Scissorhands, Mermaids had her in her natural brunette. Cher plays her non-traditional mom going it alone in the early 1960’s. Christina Ricci makes her feature film debut as Ryder’s young sister. It’s based on a novel of the same name by Patty Dann that had been published four years earlier in 1986.

Hamlet

Release Date: December 19, 1990
Starring: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed By: Franco Zeffirelli
Tagline: The extraordinary telling of a classic tale.

It is the first film produced by Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions which Gibson founded because no other production company had wanted to take on a Shakespearean film. Hamlet received Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. This was Glenn Close’s only attempt at a Shakespearean role either on stage or on-screen. Meanwhile, Gibson had already played Juliet in an all male production of Romeo and Juliet in Australia.

Awakenings

Release Date: December 22, 1990
Starring: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner
Directed By: Penny Marshall
Tagline: There’s no such thing as a simple miracle.

Based on Oliver Sacks’ 1973 memoir around his work with encephalitis patients and the successful usage of L-Dopa medication. It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor (Robert De Niro) and Robin Williams was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Vin Diesel debuts his acting skills as an uncredited orderly. Opening to a limited release in December qualified it for that years Academy Awards. Its wider release didn’t occur until January of 1991, however.