adjective
Hitchcockian
In the suspense-and-suggestion style of Alfred Hitchcock.
Origin
Hitchcock (1899โ1980) directed Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds, and dozens of others. His signatures: an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, suspense built from what the audience knows that the characters don't, voyeurism, McGuffins, and a fondness for cool blondes.
Modern usage
Used in film criticism for thrillers with restrained, atmospheric dread rather than shock and gore. Often loosely.
Tags
thriller
style
suspense