Alfred Hitchcock is most famous for the movies he directed, but let's remember those one-hour little movies in his television show. While they technically aren't movies, they are entertaining, thrilling, suspenseful, and fun just like his movies. I've watched all of them thanks to streaming services that allow us to watch almost anything. Before streaming services, I watched the show on the Thriller channel through my satellite company, and the same episodes repeated often. At the time, my favorite episode was "How to Get Rid of Your Wife."
The episode starred Bob Newhart as Gerald, a mild-mannered man with a nagging, annoying wife. Gerald also loves another woman who doesn't know he exists. He puts together a plan to be free from his wife, which is absolutely genius! 😎 The episode is not only thrilling and suspenseful but also funny. I mean what else would you expect from Bob Newhart? He was the perfect choice to play Gerald.
If you get the chance to watch it, please do! You won't be disappointed.
The Newhart episode does remain one of my favorites, but the episode I watched recently knocked it out of the top spot. The season 3 episode, "An Unlocked Window" has it all~ it's scary, suspenseful, and a twist ending with a red herring to throw you off.
Oh, how I love an ending I didn't expect! 😀
Everything about this episode was perfect. The house in the story reminded me of another spooky old place- The Bates Motel. So, from the beginning, you know someone creepy is going down in that house that gives off Norman vibes.
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he man living in the house is ill and has two nurses caring for him, Stella and Betty. And, it just so happens that a serial killer in the area is killing nurses. Eeek!
The nurses are understandably on edge and Stella goes through the house to lock all the doors and windows. Okay, here's where the suspense comes in. The nurse closing the basement windows gets scared by a cat, so she forgets to lock one of the windows! 👀 Throughout the show, we get glimpses of the unlocked window flapping in the wind. *Red Herring*
The suspense comes from us knowing the window is open, and the jumpy, frightened people in that house just waiting for a killer. One lady, the housekeeper, goes absolutely crazy with fear and keeps drinking alcohol, so we don't if she's out of her mind when she sees or hears scary things.
This image with the crazy housekeeper and Betty is frightening and while watching you don't realize it until the end.
The two nurses are frightened, but you get the sense that Betty is level-headed and isn't letting the serial killer news bother her. I thought she was older and had been around a while so she 'ain't skeered'
All the chaos in the house, the fear, the phone calls and the flapping window lead to an open door, footprints, and someone is in the house! 👀 How did this someone get in? 👀 Stella arms herself with a fireplace poker and creeps down the stairs. She hears a man's voice, so she slowly makes her way downstairs. She sees the door is open and she's about to call the police when she hears Betty.
Stell finds Betty gasping on the floor. She tells her the killer was in the house. The door is still open. Did he run back out? Is he still inside? When Stella kneels to help Betty, she is attacked by the killer.
SPOILER ALERT! If you've never seen it and plan to watch it, don't read below this point!
Stella is attacked by Betty! She struggles with Betty and then in a dramatic ending scene, Stella pulls off Betty's wig and exposes her as a man. The killer has been in the house the entire time and that is CREEPY!
That's why I love this episode. I seriously had no idea Betty was a man and did not expect him/her to be the killer. I expected the killer to come in through the window and sneak up the stairs. And, at first, I thought he did until Stella pulled off Betty's wig and ripped her dress exposing her hairy chest.
I loved every minute of this show. Seeing it for the first time, unless you can tell Betty is a man, you wouldn't suspect her. I honestly did not.
Even though I know how it ends, I'd watch it again! 😊
