Published: October 20, 2025
Halloween is around the corner, yet there aren’t many films in theaters right now that give a good scare. Like always, the most convenient thing to do is sit on the couch and see what’s available to stream. So far, I’ve rewatched The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which is a classic. I’ve also seen Lost Highway (1997) and Eraserhead (1977) this month… you can always count on David Lynch to deliver a dreamlike mystery.
I watch so many films that I’m always connecting and cross-referencing them to each other to see what is similar. It’s no surprise that Lynch was influenced by earlier works, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). A dizzying theatrical feat of identity, reality versus illusion, and obsession. To understand a work of art, you must understand the influences that came before it. What I find so compelling about Lynch and Hitchcock’s work is how similar they are in instilling a sense of unease in it’s audiences. In the book The Philosophical Hitchcock: Vertigo and the Anxieties of Unknowingness, Robert Pippin claims that Hitchcock’s filmography is interwoven by the constant theme of “unknowingness,” which situates his characters between the space of complacency and cynicism while also studying the human behavior of denial.
A perfect example of this “unknowingness” is Hitchcock’s film Shadow of a Doubt (1943). The film explores the unnerving space that exists between naïve loyalty and knowing suspicion. It examines the fragility of trust and the danger of surface appearances. The film successfully communicates this through the relationship between the town and Uncle Charlie and the complex character foil found within his niece, Young Charlie. It examines interpersonal and social limitations of trust and how doubt functions as a destabilizing force that confronts deception. It is a film that lives on in the thriller genre, reinterpreted and recycled into films like To Sleep with Anger (1990) and Stoker (2013).
To the town of Santa Rosa, Uncle Charlie appears as the charismatic, sophisticated, and warm visitor. He arrives magically like an angel. His politeness, tailored clothes, and affection allow him to slip easily into the town’s social dynamic, effortlessly, as they greet him with open arms. The ease with which Uncle Charlie is accepted represents how susceptible people are to surface-level appearances; the town trusts him because he plays the part of a respectable man, and in the beginning, he plays it well. However, this trust is what allows deception to prosper. The town’s complacency and its readiness to take people at face value create an environment that allows a murderer to walk in the shadows among them. Hitchcock displays this dynamic visually with the idyllic American small-town mise-en-scène, which juxtaposes the threat of violence and deception underneath. The “unknowingness” exhibited by the people of the town isn’t just ignorance. It’s complacency and denial. It reflects the illusion that keeps the revelation of what evil can be at bay. The film examines the psychological phenomenon known as the halo effect. In this context, it can be described as a cognitive bias where our impression of a person is influenced by a single positive characteristic. That characteristic leads us to assume that if there’s a good trait in a person, they must not have the capability to do any wrong. Uncle Charlie exhibits this perk through how he presents himself in the world. Through his attractiveness, sophistication, and even his relationship with the Newton family, he is immediately deemed trustworthy despite no one really knowing who he is or what he’s been up to.
In a more interpersonal framework, Uncle Charlie becomes more complex and messy through the eyes of Young Charlie. They represent innocence and corruption, and of the classic American small town and the evil that lurks beneath it. Young Charlie is presented as someone observant and perceptive, which already threatens Uncle Charlie. However, her senses are dulled as the idealization of her uncle leads her to put on rose colored glasses. Her naïve fantasies influence her into believing he’s the only one who understands her. That he’s a spiritual twin flame and that they’re the same person. This holds the mirror up and forces her to confront the reflection that is fractured. Her perceptiveness shines through as she realizes how opposite they are. As clues emerge and her intuition hones, she becomes dreadful. Her realization is slow as she denies herself the truth. She reflects how unknowingness isn’t as external as it is internalized. Her naïevity and reluctance to face reality point to how humans take deception from others and, in the process, end up deceiving themselves for the promise of who someone could be. That dangerous idealization drives people to lose their morality and identity. Young Charlie is an excellent narrative device that explores the construct of doubt; doubting yourself and doubting an external source. Throughout the film, she teeters on the precipice of the comfort of belief and the horror of truth. Her gradual movement from innocence to knowledge is forced upon her by the corruption introduced to her by Uncle Charlie. Furthermore, she displays a spiritual intuition that’s characterized by the balancing of both faith and superstition. In contrast, her younger sister, who is bookish and portrayed as having a ridiculous amount of common sense, does not pick up on Uncle Charlie’s insidiousness, suggesting that the Charlies did have some sort of unspoken energetic connection.
Ultimately, Shadow of a Doubt suggests that doubt is not only unavoidable but necessary to possess agency. Blind trust, especially when built on appearances, can be dangerous. However, on the other hand, complete distrust leads to paranoia and isolation. It applies the glass-half-full and half-empty metaphor and expands on worldviews through the frame of trust and distrust. The film suggests that trust must be earned and not given just because of appearances. Doubt exists within this film as a destabilizer as well as a catalyst for uncovering truths and corruption. Young Charlie’s moral growth depends on her willingness to confront the shadow that her uncle casts within their shared image. It pushes her to open up her worldview beyond her life in small-town America.
Shadow of a Doubt explores the unnerving space that exists between naïve loyalty and knowing suspicion. It examines denial and how, when we refuse to doubt another, we begin to deceive ourselves. Hitchcock’s filmography is interwoven by the constant theme of “unknowingness,” which situates his characters between the space of complacency and cynicism. Shadow of a Doubt successfully communicates this tension through Young Charlie the most, as she finds common ground between different worldviews and reason. As she is exposed to corruption and the truth, she is transformed with maturity. Additionally, the film examines interpersonal and social limitations of trust and how doubt functions as a destabilizing force that confronts deception, but also acts as a catalyst for growth. Alfred Hitchcock excellently creates a cautionary tale of balancing reason when choosing to trust.
Hitchcock’s work precedes and influences many contemporary works today, from David Lynch to Brian De Palma. He has the perfect filmography to start with if you’re looking for a classic thriller to watch this October, or if you want to familiarize yourself better with film history.
