Alfred Hitchcock Hour: An Unlocked Window (1964)
Directed by Joseph M. Newman
I’ve written before about the Saturday Nightmares Series the USA Network ran in the ’80s. That series would feature one Horror/Thriller film from 8pm to 10pm, then either The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, or Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 10pm to 11pm. I watched the three-hour block religiously and attribute my early love for Horror to this series. I can also credit the series with the many nights I slept on our itchy couch because I was too afraid to make the dangerous trek from the living room to my bedroom in the dark.
There are a few episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour that stuck with me, An Unlocked Window being my favorite. It’s a quintessential creepy-old-house-in-a-storm tale with a twist. Two other episodes I remember really loving are Where the Woodbine Twineth (season 3, episode 13) and Final Escape (season 2, episode 18). The former being about an orphan with a not-so-imaginary friend, and the latter being about a convict in a state prison that concocts a terrifying plan of escape (also featuring a genius twist). Check them out!!