Get ready to scream — again. Netflix is rolling out a slate of Alfred Hitchcock classics starting June 1, giving U.S. viewers a chance to stream some of the Master of Suspense’s most iconic films from the comfort of their couch. Titles like Vertigo, Rear Window, Frenzy, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Family Plot, and The Birds are set to hit the platform, with Psycho already available to stream.
Probably the perfect time to revisit the most iconic shower scene in cinema — just maybe don’t watch it while standing behind that brittle, half-transparent shower curtain you panic-bought from Bed, Bath & Beyond during their going-out-of-business sale.
In a surprising twist, Netflix will also screen the collection in New York at its Paris Theater as part of a six-week run, even as co-CEO Ted Sarandos continues to argue that movie theaters are a thing of the past. Notably absent from the streaming lineup? North by Northwest and The Lady Vanishes—which feels a bit like inviting Hitchcock to dinner and forgetting the murder weapon.
That has to be a mistake. Buy the Criterion Collection versions if the accountants made that decision.
If you’ve never seen Hitchcock on the big screen—seriously, what are you doing with your life?—Netflix is throwing you a suspense-soaked lifeline. From May 16 through June 29, NYC’s Paris Theater becomes ground zero for HITCH! The Original Cinema Influencer, a marathon screening series co-hosted with the New York Film Critics Circle. We’re talking over 50 films, including 36 directed by the man who made staircases, showers, and seagulls terrifying. It’s like a masterclass in tension… minus the tuition.
Experience Real Suspense in 35mm—Not Everything’s Meant to Be Streamed on a Toothbrush-Sized Screen
Even better? 35 of those will be screened in glorious 35mm—real film, not to be confused with 3.5mm headphone jacks, for those Gen Z folks who think suspense comes with a buffering icon. Hitchcock didn’t shoot masterpieces so you could squint at them on your phone.
Expect big-screen showings of Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest, plus nods to Hitchcock’s cinematic offspring like François Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Diabolique.
In an era when streaming rules and Sarandos calls theaters “outdated,” it’s downright ironic—but also awesome—that Netflix is delivering one of the year’s most essential film experiences. If you’ve only ever watched Psycho on your laptop, now’s the time to repent.
The Paris Theater first opened its doors in 1948, originally built by French distributor Pathé as a temple for prestige cinema—and today, it’s Manhattan’s last standing single-screen movie theater. Netflix scooped up the 545-seat gem in 2019, vowing to use it for premieres, retrospectives, special events, and filmmaker appearances. It’s also added the Bay Theater in L.A. and the legendary Egyptian Theatre to its growing real-estate portfolio.
And yet, at the Time100 Summit last week, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos called the communal moviegoing experience “an outmoded idea,” arguing that most Americans can’t just stroll over to a multiplex. Fair. But also: Netflix is sinking $900 million into a new film studio just down the road from my place in Jersey. If you’re gonna build temples to cinema and save theaters from becoming Walgreens, Ted, maybe—just maybe—try producing something worth watching in them. Hitchcock didn’t need de-aging tech or a four-hour runtime to keep butts in seats.
Just don’t rely too heavily on Netflix’s new AI-powered search to find these films—Hitchcock might’ve called that “The Algorithm Who Knew Too Little.” You’re better off typing the titles in yourself, like a suspense-loving adult.
For more information: Hitch Collection on Netflix
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Anton
May 8, 2025 at 9:26 am
Just don’t rely too heavily on Netflix’s new AI-powered search to find these films—Hitchcock might’ve called that “The Algorithm Who Knew Too Little.”
Maybe the best line of all.
Maybe Netflix isn’t so useless after all.
Ian White
May 8, 2025 at 10:01 am
They do a lot of things well…including preserving old movie theatres and projects like this.
Disney is uber focused on nonsense while Netflix has become American Movie Classics? Who would have seen that coming.
IW