STACK #260 June 2026

FEATURE MOVIE

Alfred Hitchcock’s final film, Family Plot may not be his most celebrated work, but its enduring appreciation and growing cult following have nevertheless secured its status as a classic. Words Bob J

Fun fact: John Williams,

riding high on the critical acclaim for his orchestral Jaws theme, was hired by Hitchcock to write the music score for Family Plot .

Left: Bruce Dern Above:William Devane and Karen Black

A fter reading Victor an impressed Alfred Hitchcock decided to make it his next film. Ernest Lehman, who had previously penned Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest , wrote the screenplay. The newly retitled Family Plot marked the 53rd and final film from the legendary Master of Suspense, who had notably slowed down during his final decade, directing tongue-in-cheek mystery thriller proved to be a fitting send-off to his glorious filmmaking career, which had begun in the 1920s. The plot concerns an ageing and wealthy woman named Julia Rainbird (Cathleen Nesbitt), who hires psychic Blanche Tyler (Barbara Harris) to perform a séance in an attempt to contact her long-lost illegitimate nephew. The boy, given up for adoption by Julia’s deceased sister, was named Edward Shoebridge and is Canning’s thriller novel The Rainbird Pattern , just two films in the 1970s compared to 16 across the 1950s and ’60s. However, Hitchcock’s

believed to have died young. But Julia suspects Edward may still be alive and, if so, wants to leave her fortune to her only presumed living heir. If he can indeed be located, Julia offers Blanche $10,000 upon delivery. However, unbeknownst to Julia, Blanche is a complete charlatan and, along with her conniving would-be actor and cab-driver boyfriend George Lumley (Bruce Dern in a brilliant

comic performance), perpetrates an elaborate psychic scam. George’s early investigations reveal that a Joseph Maloney (Ed Lauter) paid for Edward’s tombstone years after his supposed death, raising suspicions that the grave may in fact be empty. Further digging uncovers disturbing inconsistencies surrounding Edward’s apparent death, leading George and Blanche into the orbit of Arthur Adamson (William Devane), a seemingly respectable San Francisco jeweller, and his icy companion Fran (Karen Black). As the mystery deepens, the film’s two separate narrative threads begin to converge, placing George and

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Blanche in increasing danger. As with many Hitchcock films, the tone of Family Plot relies on screwball antics that somehow always manage to deliver intrigue alongside thrilling twists. Hitchcock fans will also recognise many of the director’s signature devices throughout Family Plot . There are the familiar suspense sequences, the “Wrong Man”, the MacGuffin (diamonds hidden inside a chandelier), the platinum blonde femme fatale, and a chilling high speed car descent after Blanche and George’s brake lines are cut, recalling Cary Grant’s peril in North by Northwest . And, of course, Hitchcock himself makes his customary cameo, this time appearing as a silhouette behind a translucent glass door marked “Registrar of Births & Deaths”. Hitchcock’s final film was

Director Alfred Hitchcock (Left) and Bruce Dern

DYK?

Toward the end of his life, Hitchcock was working on the script for his next film, the spy thriller The Short Night , but never got to finish it. He died of kidney failure in April 1980.

a moderate success upon release, earned more than $13 million in rentals, and would go on to develop a loyal fanbase in the decades that followed.

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