Veidt, who sleeps in a coffin, commits murders under the orders of Dr. Caligari. One might say that Norman commits murders under the orders of Mother. Caligari is the most famous example of German Expressionist film, and is well worth seeing today. Hitchcock was in Germany in the early twenties, working with many of the leading figures of Expressionist film. The Lodger shows many influences of Expressionist film.
Birds occur endlessly in Hitchcock's work.
Hitchcock's next film, The Birds , made possible by the enormous profits from Psycho , collapses under the weight of his ornithological obsession. However frightened Hitchcock was of birds, they just aren't that dangerous, and the lengths to which he goes to convince us that they can be lethal only make the film ridiculous. The character of both The Birds and its successor Marnie was radically affected by Hitchcock's obsession with his leading lady. The staircase at the mission in Vertigo is, of course, an essential part of the film. Too Much , The Birds , and Marnie .