I definitely agree, Franz. Sloppily done, with everyone doing goofy things contrary to common sense and logic. One of Hitch's 5 worst. The 8.1 rating here is a real head-scratcher.

For what it's worth (and some of the comments here make me wonder if responding is worthwhile) my Hitchcock Top Ten shows the film making it into the Top Five.
Vertigo
Psycho
Rear Window
Notorious
Shadow of a Doubt
North by Northwest
The Birds
Strangers on a Train
Frenzy
The Lady Vanishes
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Yes! Here's my list (out of the Hitchcock movies I have seenmany more to go!):

1. Rear Window
2. Rebecca
3. Shadow of a Doubt
4. Rope
5. North by Northwest
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Upbeat is one thing, but here everyone but Cotten is reduced to a majorly annoying walking caricature. The balance is completely off and instead of highlighting or stressing the tension, all darkness simply dissolves in the allaround goofiness. What a film like Blue Velvet gets about right, ASOD misses by a mile.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

But that was the point! They're all upbeat and good natured with a healthy outlook on life, and he'snot. The contrast between Uncle Charlie and his family is
supposed
to be pronounced. He grew up in the same environment as his sister, and she's fine, which implies that it's not their upbringing that causes him to be this way. It's just him, which makes him scarier because he's completely unpredictable. Not only that, the sort of dizzy behavior of the family ensures that everyone is just completely oblivious to this guy who has serious problems, and the only person who notices is Little Charlie. Hence the tension!

I completely agree. The family was a (bad) joke, his sister was just irritating, and even more irritating
was the way Charley Junior couldn't walk anywhere without flouncing - whether happily when
she met him at the station, or frantically on her way to the library, and in fact most times when she walked. I found this body over-acting distracting. Daft plot. NOT one of his best. Ginger

I think it belongs firmly among the 5 worst films Hitchcock ever made.
In short, what he did was create a character as fascinating, unique and compelling as Uncle Charlie, have this character played by a great actor and then throw him into a complete f-cking cartoon. Throughout the entire film he is surrounded by an army of one-dimensional, preposterously chipper caricatures of zero nuance or interest. Everyone is so ridiculously upbeat that the mere news of Uncle Charlies arrival is greeted with shockwaves of collective euphoria by the entire family. And then they babble - boy do they babble. The entire film is filled with endless yacking, dished out in bouts of stiff overacting; only very occasionally is some suspense or more appropriately sinister atmosphere allowed to creep in.
And then we have this silly device of having that horrible little man Hume Cronyn rain in from time to time to cheerfully hobnob about how to kill people - presumably to highten tension (a clumsy move he also repeated in Strangers On The Train). What it does however is cheapen the thing by taking it down onto a dimestore pulp novel level. And so it goes just about everything is constantly undercut by inappropriate overacting. Very rarely is there an actual air of danger - when Cottens presence is allowed to occupy the center stage. Dont happen too often though - Im afraid the only way to save this movie would have been for Uncle Charlie to strangle the entire family (minus the Charlie chick, of course) as well as Cronyn right upon arrival.
In addition to all that the film has to offer 2 of the most risible "assassination attempts" in all of Hitch - first, a wooden staircase is broken (apparently the broad should have died of a twisted ankle or a broken leg) and then setting up a gas chamber expecting the victim simply to walk into it. And, of course, theres the ending which looks every bit as silly as its reputation suggests. 4/10.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

To the OP,
Without a doubt! This not only makes it into my top 5 Hitch filmsit's # 2 just behind Psychoit is one of my all time favorite films.

Definitely not!
1.Vertigo
2.The Lady Vanishes
3.Dial M for Murder
4.Spellbound
5.North by Northwest

I only saw 6 films of himbut still no lol!
my top 5 is
Psycho
Rear Window*Vertigo -tie-
Rebecca
Rope
and this comes 6th

Yes. Favorite film of all time.
Shadow of a Doubt
Vertigo
Rebecca
Strangers on a Train
Rear Window
Do not mourn Ted Kennedy. Remember Mary Jo Kopechne.

Yes definitely. In terms of both story and execution. Aside from being a totally exciting movie to watch.
Dial M for Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
The Lady Vanishes
Rear Window
Notorious
Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.

I've seen nearly every Hitchcock film and this one is my absolute favorite.
It's incredibly underrated, in the same way "Rope" is.
Both perfect films in my opinion.

I haven't seen all of his movies, but of the ones I have seen, this is my 5:
1 Rear Window
2 Shadow of a Doubt
3 Strangers on a Train
4 Vertigo
5 Notorious
I LOVE so many other movies though! It's hard to choose only 5.
Also: Why no love for Strangers on a Train? I think it's fantastic

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I can see why Shadow is Hitchcock's personal favorite. It is in my top 5. But I'll admit a slight partiality to the "charming killer" Hitchcock films. My list evidences this partiality.
My top 5 Hitchcock (no particular order):
Notorious
Psycho
Shadow of a Doubt
The 39 Steps
Rope
Vertigo may make this list, needs a rewatch. The Lady Vanishes is not far from this top 5.

It ties for the top spot on my list with Rebecca.
Do not mourn Ted Kennedy. Remember Mary Jo Kopechne.

Absolutely! It's way ahead of it's time. There is so much between the lines, and it's absolutely crammed with symbolism. You can't possibly see it all in one viewing. I've seen it several times and every time I see it, I notice something else. Just the other day I noticed that when Uncle Charlie greets his sister for the first time, her young son and daughter are standing in front of them, a reflection of how they see each other. Big sister, baby brother.

absolutely- its a tie for second for me

Wow, exactly what Saltedut says! Weird, thjats my top 5 too. Rope 1st though.
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Absolutely not! "Psycho," "The Birds," "Rope," "Strangers On a Train," and "Dial M For Murder" are so much better than "SOAD."

No, not me.

No, I like it a lot and I don't make a ranked list of Hitchcock films but I can think of 5 I like better.