Alfred Hitchcock Presents 14 of My Favorites in Suspense

by Alfred Hitchcock

Alfrēds Hičkoks (1899- 1980)- angļu un amerikāņu kinorežisors, dzimis Londonā. Mācījies jezuītu seminārā un inženieru skolā, studējis mākslas vēsturi, zīmējis reklāmas. 1922. gadā mēģina uzņemt pirmo filmu ar nosaukumu "Nr. 13", taču līdzekļu trūkuma dēļ to nepabeidz. Kļūst slavens ar savām šausmu filmām („Cilvēks, kurš zināja pārāk daudz”, „Rebeka”- apbalvota ar Oskaru, „Psihoze”, „Trakums” u.c.). Ievēlēts par Kolumbijas universitātes doktoru honoris causa.

„Ja gribat lasīt šo grāmatu, tad izvēlaties brīdi, kad mājās esat viens. Ja kāds tomēr ir mājās, tad tieciet no viņa vaļā. Šajā grāmatā ir papilnam ieteikumu, kā to izdarīt. Pēc tam izslēdziet gaismu, izņemot vienu lampu, un izraugieties vienu stāstu. Ja taisāties ķerties pie vēl kāda- lūdzu, bet piesargieties. Pārdozējums var būt liktenīgs. Jo šī ir ļoti toksiska grāmata.”
A.Hičkoks

Grāmatā apkopotie stā
Dž. Vebs "Novembra vakars"
E. Bušs "Viņi kož"
G. Gallingfords "Mana blēdīgā lēdija"
D. di Morjē "Putni"
N. Taira "Slapkavība intīmā lokā"
E. P. Hikss "Policista acs"
K. Diksons "Jaunu slepkavību dziļās saknes"
A. Pordžess "Nodevīgā cilpa"
Dž. Vetseka "Divkauja"
Š. Ārmstronga "Ienaidnieks"
H. Slezars "Soda izpildīšanas diena"
E. Lesijs "Noziegums neatmaksājas... pietiekami"
Dž. Ričijs "Astotais"
S.B. Gilfords "Tie, kas jau bija miruši"

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.

Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.

Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.

Reviews

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEW

"Treasure Trove" by F. Tennyson Jesse - two longtime friends in a small farming town undergo a personality change, becoming aggressive and distrustful of each other, after finding a cache of old coins. There is a not unfamiliar idea at the climax of this story, but this is a nice telling of it, with solid writing.

"The Body Of The Crime" by Wilbur Daniel Steele - a, young man Daniel, through a chain of associations, and the recent death of his mother, begins to uncover deep, deep memories from his childhood in pursuit of the question "why is he frightened of his father from time to time?" This was a strange story, told in a style that I can't decide whether to call "modernistic" or "clunky" - could be a mix of both ("clunky modernism"?) all Faulknerian stream of consciousness, strange sentence construction, and the attempt to evoke the slipperiness of memory. It half works.

[Heath Lowrance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is copyrighted 1959, and culls from various sources, not just AHMM. It opens with "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier, the source material for the film Hitchcock would do sometime later. This was my first time reading this one, and I enjoyed it. It's quite different in tone from the film and has a nicely ambiguous ending.

"Man with a Problem" by Donald Honig is next, a terrific story about a man about to jump off a building and the beat cop trying to talk him down. The twist at the end is gold. I seem to recall watching the adaptation of this one on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

"They Bite" by Anthony Boucher is, surprisingly, a straight up horror story, in which a foreign agent spying on an American desert installation learns of the ancient, bloodthirsty evil dwelling in the old abandoned adobes. In "The Enemy" by Charlotte Armstrong, a young man tries to help some kids find out who killed their dog and stumbles across a bold murder attempt.

H.G. Wells' "The Inexperience Ghost" is a bit goofy, but I'm a sucker sometimes for these Victorian era stories that inevitably start with some well-bred gentlemen in their exclusive club telling tales to each other. In "Sentence of Death" by Thomas Walsh, a cop tries to nab a killer with the help of the only reliable witness, and begins developing feelings for her.

"Spring Fever" by Dorthothy Salisbury Davis: a lonely housewife is tempted, the repelled, by a lecherous neighbor pursuing her, ending with violence. Matthew Gant's "The Crate at Outpost One" has two soldiers guarding an important box with a secret weapon in in from the enemy, and what the weapon turns out to be made me roll my eyes.

Guy Cullingford's "My Unfair Lady" is one of the highlights of this volume. Worried that he'll be accused of murdering the woman he found dead in the woods, a man tries to find the little girl who initially witnessed the crime, only to discover the little girl has an agenda of her own. In Carter Dickson's "New Murders for Old", a man trying to recover from a nervous breakdown has either been targeted for murder or is losing his mind.

"Terrified" by the very solid C.B. Gifford has a man dying slowly after being run off the road, tormented by the young couple who did it. One of the better stories here. In Joan Vatsik's "The Duel" a disturbed woman becomes convinced that a lothario ghost is in love with her, leading to tragic consequences with her husband.

"Four O'Clock" by Price Day is a bit of speculative fiction cute but forgettable, and Paul Eiden's "Too Many Coincidences" ends this volume on a mediocre note. Still, this one is mostly solid.

Highlights: "The Birds", "Man with a Problem", "They Bite", and "My Unfair Lady".

[Kaspars · Rating 4 out of 5]

195Stāstu izlasi ir grūti novērtēt, it īpaši, ja stāstiem ir dažādi autori, tomēr šajā gadījumā bija nedaudz vieglāk. Man personiski visvairāk uzrunāja/patika stāsti "Novembra vakars", "Tie, kas jau bija miruši", "Noziegums neatmaksājas... pietiekami", "Soda izpildīšanas diena" un "Divkauja". Tomēr arī pārējie stāsti bija interesanti.

Vienlaikus lasot šos stāstus ir jāsaprot, ka grāmata ir izdota 1957. gadā, proti, kad šausmu literatūras un filmu žanrs vēl bija jaunums, kā arī cilvēku izpratne par šo žanru bija pavisam cits. Vienlaikus, kaut kas šajos stāstos bija interesanti un vērtīgi.

[Jānis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Īsstāstiņi, kas pārsvarā rezultējas kāda nāvē. Izklaidei bija ļoti pat labi.

[Larkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of these stories in this anthology. I think I wrote a short synopsis after I read each story. In a short passage before the preface it says, "incredible only to the unimaginative and horrifyingly real to the shrewd and daring", so I tried hard to put myself into the story. I really enjoyed The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier because of this.
*The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier
I didn't think I'd be able to get into this short story, already knowing what it was about. However, Maurier's imagery and the quote above that was placed at the beginning of the book kept me at attention. Drawing me in.
*Man with a Problem by Donald Honig
Loved the simple plot and twist ending.
*They Bite by Anthony Boucher
I like how quick all these stories are. Sometimes I get a bit bummed by the lack or depth or character building, but Hitchcock even alludes to this in the Preface through Henry James who said "when fiction is too carefully interpreted, explained and annotated, it is like having a dinner guest brought to the house by a policemen". This was a simple tale of folklore and greed."
*The Enemy by Charlotte Armstrong
I hope this one will be my least favorite. It's a simple who-dunnit, but instead of a person being slain it was a dog. The way the boys had a mob mentality reminded me of Lord of the Flies. But I thought that Russell's interest was quite overdone, but I guess the author showed he was perhaps an overly emotional person by his monologue on 93-94. It was ehh.
*The Inexperienced Ghost by H. G. Wells
I don't know if the sign of a good short story is finishing it and wishing there was more to it. Or finishing it and being like, "oh, okay, that's it", not necessarily satisfied, but aware that it was pretty nicely wrapped up. The Inexperienced Ghost by H.G. Wells was one that I thought could've easily been shorter. I thought there were a few really nice descriptors and the ending was well done, albeit predictable.
*Sentence of Death by Thomas Walsh
I hate the way that Walsh writes. He uses run on sentences, and semi colons, and dashes so unnecessarily that it made me irritated and unable to focus on what he was actually writing. The story wasn't bad, a cliche, but who knows if it was more original a few years back. A whodunnit where the wife lies to cover up an affair. For some reason Walsh added a possible romance at the end.
*Spring Fever by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
This story took a while to get going, but as soon as there was action it drew you in. Davis did a great job at drawing the reader in and making them feel the paranoia and suspense. My heart quickened with this story. It did remind me of The Birds, but that could've just been from being trapped by natural causes. I feel like I missed something important with the pills/stimulant?
*The Crate at Outpost 1 by Matthew Gant
This was kind of a fun suspense story. It seemed all serious because of them being soldiers and being given orders to watch the crate. But in the end it sounded like a scary story a librarian would tell because the crate that needed to be protected and that the Enemy could never have was filled with books. Books are very important and the knowledge within them, so yeah."
*My Unfair Lady by Guy Cullingford
I liked this one. It's in my top three with The Birds and Spring Fever. It easily catches attention with the line, "how'd you like it if someone stuck a knife into you?". The little girl was a nice creepy touch. I didn't understand if the girl was extremely interested in the man and a bit protective or if she had just figured it out. The ending line about not wanting to be around two tigers was good. Sequel!
*New Murders for Old by Carter Dickson
This one was ehh. Whenever there is a narrator telling the story with breaks in between the telling because he's talking to another person as well, I always imagine there being a split screen. The story being told on half with a blurred line and the narrator and his companion sitting round a fire and talking. It makes it a bit comical. It needed more atmosphere, more draw and detail
*Terrified by C.B. Gilford
The title caught me and made me excited to read this one. With a name like that I thought it would be a little more bloodied. It was a car crash and two kids trying to play God. I loved the scary practical Ness and indifference of the kids. I thought this was a good one, probably my fourth favorite, I think. The writing felt real, simple.
*The Duel by Joan Vatsek
I've preferred the stories written by women in this collection. I liked this one. The description of the landscape and bedroom was great. So easy to follow as I read and pictured. I like the scary stories that end up showing us that people can be the real monsters. I can't believe Janine was dumb and believed Roderick loved her, what a dingus. If I were Laurence I would've been terrified.
I thought the Duel would end up more like The Shining. And it did a bit. I thought the setting of a large, isolated place would cause one of them to go insane and harm the other, but this one had a bit of a twist.
*Four O'Clock by Price Day
I think this is the most original and off the wall story in the whole book. It would be cool to write my own version of this story. It was well-paced and even though we knew the outcome given the reach and the parrot it was still good. A solid idea.
*Too Many Coincidences by Paul Eiden
I liked this one, although it was predictable. If reminded me of a Nora Roberts book, i think it was The Obsession or Blue Smoke or something that I really liked. This is definitely a common plot nowadays. I wonder if it was an original when Eiden wrote it. Not too bad of a one to end on.
Overall a decant book. I seemed to prefer the stories written by the three women which is interesting. Maybe they contained more details or a bit more emotion. I smirked during Man with a Problem. I would recommend this collection before I would recommend Stephen King's Everything's Eventual.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old paperback I've had on my shelf for years and I finally got around to reading it. I read other Hitchcock short stories years ago and they were always good. This was no exception.

[Scoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories seemed really familiar. I suspect I started this book and put it down at some point.

Like many anthologies, it's a mixed bag. Most of the stories hold up pretty well, though they are definitely written for a different era where reading was an all night thing. The highlight is probably The Birds, which was the basis for the movie.

A couple were sort of boring and I bailed on those. HG Well's The Inexperienced Ghost being one. It seemed strangely familiar. I'd bet this story may have caused me to put this book down a while ago, and lose track of the book. So I probably bailed on it twice.

Sentence of Death is curious because it's both interesting and really boringly written.

[Scoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories seemed really familiar. I suspect I started this book and put it down at some point.

Like many anthologies, it's a mixed bag. Most of the stories hold up pretty well, though they are definitely written for a different era where reading was an all night thing. The highlight is probably The Birds, which was the basis for the movie.

A couple were sort of boring and I bailed on those. HG Well's The Inexperienced Ghost being one. It seemed strangely familiar. I'd bet this story may have caused me to put this book down a while ago, and lose track of the book. So I probably bailed on it twice.

Sentence of Death is curious because it's both interesting and really boringly written.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the tales were sometimes from too far back for me to fully understand jokes, innuendo and plots; however most of the 14 short stories were entertaining, well written, atmospheric and down right spooky!

[Thomas McDade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides "The Birds"
Enjoyed "The Crate at Outpost 1"
"My Unfair Lady"
"Terrified"
"Four O'Clock" - became a Twilight Zone episode

[Bob Mackey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on my trips to used bookstores, there's roughly one million Hitchcock-themed short story collections, so god know if you'd be likely to find this one over the others. But I can still talk about the highlights, at least for my sake (so I can look up the authors later).

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

It obviously shares the same premise as the movie, but du Maurier's story focuses more on the horror of the inexplicable (and sheer survival) than Hitchcock's usual focus on dime-store psychology—not that the movie isn't entertaining in its own right. That said, it's pretty harrowing, and feels like the prototype for the modern zombie story: a seemingly harmless thing rising en masse to wipe out humanity. Good stuff.

Man with a Problem by Donald Honig

This story relies entirely on its twist ending, but it's punchy and impactful. Recommended if you're in for a five-minute read.

The Enemy by Charlotte Armstrong

A charming and creepy whodunit about a dog poisoning in the suburbs. Lots of humanity and a well-earned twist at the end.

Terrified by C.B. Gilford

Absolutely gut-wrenching story about a man dying on the roadside after a car wreck, who gets to witness the two responsible discuss how they're going to make the accident look like an... accident. Short, but incredibly powerful, and quite possibly the highlight of the book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the fourteen stories featured in this book, my favorite is "The Birds" by Daphne DuMaurier. It is the story upon which Hitchcock based his film of the same name and, while I love Hitchcock and like that film, DuMaurier's short story is tauter, stranger and scarier than the film. All the stories in this collection deserve inclusion in an anthology, but among the others that stood out for me are: H.G. Wells' "The Inexperienced Ghost" in which a dead man requires a pep talk from the living; Charlotte Armstrong's "The Enemy" which dissects the important but slim margin between intent and act; and C.B. Gilford's "Terrified" in which catastrophe does not bring out the best in human nature. As in Hitchcock's own body of work, his selections here display various mixtures of humor and psychological terror where the "bad guys" range from strangers to neighbors to one's self. Apparently, Hitchcock edited a great number of suspense and horror anthologies in the 50s. I have no idea of the general quality of these collections, as I have ready only this one, or to what extent they were a publishing house gimmick to boost sales. Whether a gimmick or not, these 14 of Hitchcock's "favorites in suspense" at least are worth the read.

[j_ay]

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier ****0
Man with a Problem by Donald Honig ****0
They Bite by Anthony Boucher ***oo
The Enemy by Charlotte Armstrong **ooo
The Inexperienced Ghost by H.G. Wells ***oo
Sentence of Death by Thomas Walsh
Spring Fever by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
The Crate at Outpost 1 by Matthew Gant
My Unfair Lady by Guy Cullingford
New Murders for Old by Carter Dickson
Terrified by C.B. Gilford
The Duel by Joan Vatsek
Four O'Clock by Price Day
Too Many Coincidences by Paul Eiden

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original short story, "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier, is in this collection.
"Man With a Problem" by Donald Honig, "The Enemy" by Charlotte Armstrong, "The Duel" are all very good with a clever twist at the end.

[vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had its moments, specifically when I was reading the story The Duel. I read it around midnight and it sort of freaked me out sitting in my living room alone.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

These thrillers are pretty dated. I didn't finish the novella at the end.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspense is far from my forte, but this book may actually make me a convert to the genre!