September, 2023
Featuring all new work:
Mark W. Padilla divines the Orphic mythology underpinning Vertigo.
Tim Gardiner shines a light on the natural elements in Psycho.
Pat McFadden settles the “feud” between Hitchcock and Walt Disney.
Joel Gunz tells the tale of the first Mistress of Suspense.
For a limited time, read it for free. Subscribe and get THQ in your inbox.
Sources: “Orpheus and Eurydice,” Carl Andreas August Goos, 1830; Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock, 1958; design by Joel Gunz.
February, 2023
April - June, 2022
About The Hitchcockian Quarterly
Launched in 2022, and free for a limited time, The Hitchcockian Quarterly is an amplifier for fresh, original thinking and intuition regarding Alfred Hitchcock and his films. We also venture beyond, dwelling in the Hitchcockian—that sublime, semi-defined zone where light meets darkness, love meets terror and matter mixes with the metaphysical. The conversation begins with Hitch, but where we might go from there is anybody’s guess. We also publish book reviews.
Who are we? Filmmakers. Scholars. Teachers, students, fans, nerds and geeks. We are searchers for meaning and askers of questions: How should I live? How should I love? How can I be a better artist? Who painted those Greco-Roman figures that hang in Mr. Lowery’s office?
Who are you? Part of an international community of film lovers driven by curiosity to ask big questions and bring more love, generosity and a few “beneficial shocks” into the world. You know this. That’s why you’re here. Welcome!
THQ is edited and published by Joel Gunz, who, since 2004, has produced hundreds of articles, videos and short films under the nom de web Alfred Hitchcock Geek. He’s also president and host of HitchCon. Some of the pieces you’ll read here first appeared as talks at that conference.
Proudly and stubbornly ad-free, THQ relies solely on the generous contributions of film aficionados like you to keep its lights lit and its pixels popping. You’re warmly invited to contribute a modest monthly sum via Patreon—and we’ll throw in exclusive VIP access to our popular and ensmartening salon, monthly events and other fun stuff.
Submissions
The Hitchcockian Quarterly welcomes articles from scholars, filmmakers and creators of all types. We’re looking for well-written journalism, essays (editorial and pictorial), videos, comics, original art, screenplays, poetry and reviews. We only ask that your ideas be original and that your thinking be clear and that each word be a delight for even your dentist to read. Avoid fancy-pants academic jargon. THQ follows the Chicago Manual, with one exception: we forgo the serial comma, which we lost in a bet at an off-track betting parlor in, of all places, Chicago.
Concision is key. Think about how your treatment can be supported by visuals, such as frame captures, diagrams and video clips. Supported by a pithy caption, one strong image can replace a thousand words. While four thousand words is probably the maximum we’ll go, imagine what you could accomplish with a three-hundred-word pictorial essay!
Regrettably, we’re unable to offer payment at this time. However, in trade, we can offer THQ writers VIP access to HitchCon’s online monthly events—a $240 annual value—attended by some of the Hitchcock world’s most esteemed scholars and writers. As we build subscriptions and gain support via Patreon (we’ll never stoop to ad support, ever), we hope to offer cash payment for your hard work as well.
Email your work to submissions@hitchcon.org.
About the typefaces.
The Hitchcockian Quarterly draws inspiration from the small press literary magazines that flourished in the pre-digital era known for “big words, small type, no sales.” Our logo and headers use Alte Haas Grotesk, a shopworn riff on Helvetica designed in 2008 by Yann le Coroller that’s suggestive of the iconic mid-century designs of Josef Müller-Brockmann. The body text is Garamond Pro, a classic font from 1495 whose organic, italic forms pair well with the headers.