Overview
A young girl longs for excitement, but her family’s visit from a mysterious uncle brings more than she bargained for.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- foreboding
- intimate
- psychologically tense
- classic film night
- hitchcock retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Hitchcock's intimate small-town thriller as a major classic, praising its psychological suspense, richly observed characters, and transformation of domestic normality into menace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Young Charlie's suspicion turns her warm Newton household and her uncle's visit into sources of danger.
The Newton family's small-town routines, ladies' club, bank, and domestic conversations become the setting for serial-killer suspense.
Young Charlie initially idolizes Uncle Charlie as sophisticated and exciting before recognizing troubling evidence about him.
The telegram, newspaper clipping, and arrival of questioning strangers steadily redirect attention toward Uncle Charlie's concealed identity.
Films like Shadow of a Doubt, and why
Notorious
shares psychological suspense, domestic unease, and a seemingly respectable outsider whose presence destabilizes an ordinary community
The Night of the Hunter
shares film noir atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and a suspenseful investigation concealed within familiar domestic surroundings
Rebecca
shares an intimate family setting, escalating suspicion, and thriller tension generated through ordinary social interactions
The Birds
shares a small-town mystery, psychological dread, and the corruption of an apparently safe community
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Release Date
- 1943-01-15
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (1193)
Cast
- Teresa Wright
- Joseph Cotten
- Macdonald Carey
- Henry Travers
- Patricia Collinge
- Hume Cronyn
- Wallace Ford
- Edna May Wonacott
- Charles Bates
- Irving Bacon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shadow of a Doubt about?
- A bored California teenager discovers that the glamorous uncle she idolizes may be a serial killer hiding inside her beloved family.
- What is Shadow of a Doubt like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shadow of a Doubt as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Shadow of a Doubt violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Shadow of a Doubt as mild.
- What did critics think of Shadow of a Doubt?
- Critics broadly regard Hitchcock's intimate small-town thriller as a major classic, praising its psychological suspense, richly observed characters, and transformation of domestic normality into menace.
- Which films are like Shadow of a Doubt?
- Films with a similar feel include Notorious, The Night of the Hunter, Rebecca, and The Birds.
- How long is Shadow of a Doubt?
- Shadow of a Doubt runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shadow of a Doubt?
- In United States, Shadow of a Doubt streams on Darkroom.
