In the Shadow of the Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense

Frightened out of my wits

When I was in elementary school, I had a fear of Alfred Hitchcock. When his program The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965) came on television and he walked into his shadow it seemed very creepy for a little girl of 6 or 7. When the Master of Suspense said "Good Evening" it sounded frightening to me and his voice seemed like that of Dracula when he said in a deep voice "Good Evening." I was terrified and would run out of the room so I would not have to hear him speaking or see his menacing form.

It didn't help when I had my first episode of sleep paralysis at the age of 10 and Mr. Hitchcock was involved. We had just moved to a different house and I slept downstairs with my great-grandmother. During the first week, I woke up one morning and could hear the radio in the kitchen, I smelled the coffee perking and listened as my grandma and great-grandmother were talking.

Before I could open my eyes I felt a weight as if someone had just sat down on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw a silhouette of a man who looked just like Hitchcock sitting on the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor and I was terrified. I did not want him to know I saw him so I closed my eyes and lay very still. I fell back asleep and when I woke up again I felt nothing. The feeling of someone on the bed would happen many more times as I dealt with night terrors and sleep paralysis but I never again saw that apparition.

What a difference a few decades make

Today decades later I watch The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1965) on streaming services and I laugh. His voice is quite normal and I wonder why it sounded so menacing when I was a child. I have talked with many others who have night terrors and or sleep paralysis and some have said they feel the presence of someone sitting on their bed.

Experts say that these episodes are a glitch in the brain when the mind is still awake and the body is sleeping but they sure feel real. Others say that during sleep paralysis you are in a state to notice what you would not when fully awake. Perhaps I projected my subconscious fear of Alfred Hitchcock into my dream state. I never saw that image again so I do not believe anyone was haunting my house. That feeling of the bed sinking was very real and I have been told it is part of sleep paralysis and night terrors.

I now celebrate what I once disdained

As I have been watching the Hitchcock series for the past 5 years I realize the Master of Suspense is not scary at all. He was nothing more than a middle-aged man with a rotund shape and a head that was getting balder each season. His voice is not deep and scary like Dracula's and actually is rather soft. I love the suspense and mystery of Hitchcock books as well as the TV series and enjoy what once I disdained.

I liken this experience to The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scare Crow found out the Great and Powerful Oz was just a little man behind the curtain who posed no threat at all. I am thankful for MeTV and streaming services that allowed me to tackle a childhood fear. I appreciate that as an adult I see things much differently.