Vertigo
A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · Mystery · Romance · Thriller · 128 min · 1958
Trailer
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Studio
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
Release
28 May 1958
Runtime
128 min
Genres
Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Full Plot
Following his early retirement as a detective from the San Francisco Police Department, John Ferguson - Scottie to his friends - becomes obsessed with two women in succession, those obsessions which trouble his long time friend and former fiancée, Midge Wood, a designer of women's undergarments. The first is wealthy and elegant platinum blonde Madeleine Elster, the wife of his college acquaintance Gavin Elster, who hires John to follow her in Gavin's belief that she may be a danger to herself in thinking that she has recently been possessed by the spirit of Carlotta Valdes, Madeleine's great-grandmother who she knows nothing about, but who Gavin knows committed suicide in being mentally unbalanced when she was twenty-six, Madeleine's current age. The second is Judy Barton, who John spots on the street one day. Judy is a working class girl, but what makes John obsessed with her is that, despite her working class style and her brunette hair, she is the spitting image of Madeleine, into who he tries to transform Judy. The initial question that John has is if there is some connection between Madeleine and Judy. What happens between John and individually with Madeleine and Judy is affected by the reason John took that early retirement: a recent workplace incident that showed that he is acrophobic which leads to a severe case of vertigo whenever he looks down from tall heights.
Cast & Characters
John "Scottie" Ferguson
James Stewart
Judy Barton / Madeleine Elster
Kim Novak
Marjorie "Midge" Wood
Barbara Bel Geddes
Gavin Elster
Tom Helmore
the coroner
Henry Jones
Scottie's doctor
Raymond Bailey
the manager of the McKittrick Hotel
Ellen Corby
bookstore owner Pop Leibel
Konstantin Shayne
the car owner mistaken for Madeleine
Lee Patrick
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $2.5M, Vertigo has grossed $7.8M worldwide — about 3.2x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Alfred Hitchcock has directed 5 films in our catalog, including Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
James Stewart appears in 4 films in our catalog, including It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Did You Know that Vertigo is an adaptation of the 1954 French novel D'entre les morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
The film's script was written by three screenwriters, including Samuel A. Taylor, who had been recommended to Hitchcock due to his knowledge of San Francisco.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the "dolly zoom" effect popularized in Vertigo is also known as "the Vertigo effect"?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
The film's score was extensively referenced from Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde, with Bernard Herrmann creating a unique melodic contour.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
Vertigo holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (458,761 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 100/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (458,761 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 100/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vertigo's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Vertigo holds a 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Vertigo's IMDb rating?+
Vertigo has a 8.2/10 rating on IMDb from 458,761 votes.
What is Vertigo's Metacritic score?+
Vertigo has a Metascore of 100/100 on Metacritic.
Is Vertigo good? What are critics saying?+
Vertigo holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (458,761 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 100/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Vertigo?+
Vertigo has a runtime of 128 min.
Who directed Vertigo?+
Vertigo was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Where can I watch Vertigo?+
Vertigo is available to stream, rent, or buy on YouTube TV, TCM, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The movie "Vertigo" received a range of reactions from viewers, with some praising its creativity and performances, while others found it boring. A few reviewers noted that the film's surreal atmosphere may have been misunderstood by audiences initially. The reaction is largely negative, with some critics calling it an exceptionally made but poorly acted movie.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
All I know, this film wasn’t so successful at first and this probably because the audience didn’t expect a film so dark and claustrophobic. Vertigo was so strange already from the beginning because of its surreal and nightmarish atmosphere. I bow to Hitchcock in his creativity in…
I will never understand the universal adoration for Vertigo. Blindly inherited wisdom is the only explanation. How anyone could prefer this to North by Northwest or Rear Window is beyond me. An exceptionally made, exceptionally boring movie
tmdb47633491 · 4/10A tense, dizzying thriller from the Master. Plot in a nutshell: A retired detective suffering from acrophobia takes the case of an old college chum's wife, who may be possessed by the spirit of her great-grandmother who committed suicide many years previous. But of course, a much…
barrymost · 8/10Not one of my favorites from Hitchcock, and certainly dower, but still visually striking and two amazing performances from James Stewart and Kim Novak. This is only the second time seeing this, guessing the last time was maybe 10 years ago or so, not entirely sure when I'll revis…
JPV852 · 8/10Perhaps it’s due to my dislike for the overrated “North By Northwest”, but as of now this is my favourite Hitchcock.
James · 9/10
From the trailer's comments
I watched it today, For the 1950s, story was extraordinary.
@matinsajedi · 16 likesI love this over the top style of traile narration
@anttam117 · 39 likesOne of the greatest thrillers of all time and a landmark achievement in the career of Alfred Hitchcock
@colinpayn8948 · 22 likesThe greatest movie ever made.
@LucasAlves69420 · 138 likesI just love this movie. I'd never seen it before. It was really psychedelic for a movie made in 1958. And it was made in the city I have lived in since 1988 and which is my favorite place in the world.
@DemimondeMesilaThraam · 15 likesUhd class of 2017! Wahoo! My teacher made me watch this! Wahoo! I love this class!
@texasforever8611 · 25 likesIn the restaurant scene at Ernies we see Kim Novak looking right into the camera in this trailer, which they change in the movie
@no288 · 7 likesMasterpiece movie..!!!💖💖💖💖
@Dragos_Sisu · 10 likes
