The Lodger

Synopsis

A serial killer known as 'The Avenger' terrorizes London, targeting blonde women in the fog. A landlady suspects her new lodger, a secretive man with strange habits, might be the murderer. Establishing the themes of the 'wrong man' and suspense, this is Alfred Hitchcock’s first true thriller. With its expressionistic lighting and innovative visual tricks, it launched the career of the Master of Suspense and defined the British silent film aesthetic.

Critique

This is the first 'true' Alfred Hitchcock film, introducing the themes and obsession that would define his career. It established the 'wrong man' archetype and the use of expressionistic lighting to convey suspicion and dread. Influenced by his time in Germany, Hitchcock used visual tricks, like a glass floor to show pacing footsteps, to build psychological tension. It transformed the British thriller from stagey melodrama into a purely cinematic experience. It is the birth of the Master of Suspense, showcasing his unique ability to manipulate the audience’s fear.

Technical sheet

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Year

1927

Country

United Kingdom

Running time

91 min

Genre

Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Written by

Marie Belloc Lowndes, Alfred Hitchcock, Eliot Stannard

Cinematography

Gaetano di Ventimiglia, Hal Young

Cast

Ivor Novello, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp, Malcolm Keen, Reginald Gardiner

Production

Carlyle Blackwell Productions, Gainsborough Pictures

Music

Newly composed original score

Licensing