Alma Reville

Alma Reville (1899–1982) was a screenwriter, film editor, and creative collaborator who played an essential role in the career of her husband, director Alfred Hitchcock. Although she was often overshadowed by the master of suspense, her influence on genre filmmaking is profound and fundamental.

With a solid background in editing and screenwriting, Reville began working in the British film industry in the 1920s and quickly became a respected figure thanks to her talent for visual storytelling. Her collaboration with Hitchcock was not only that of a wife and advisor, but also that of a true co-writer and dramatic analyst, capable of refining the psychological and narrative details of the most unsettling stories.

Within the fantastic and psychological horror genres, Reville played a key role in masterpieces such as Rebecca (1940), Spellbound (1945), Vertigo (1958) and, especially, Psycho (1960). In the latter, her vision helped refine the structure of the screenplay and highlight the elements of suspense and anguish that have made the film an absolute benchmark in modern horror filmmaking.
Although her name doesn't always appear prominently in the credits, those who have studied her life recognize that Alma Reville was a true architect of suspense, capable of giving shape to the most subtle anxieties and deepest fears. Without her, Hitchcock's cinematic work would probably not have been the same.