The Unforgettable Thriller That Harlan Coben Called a "Major Influence" Is Officially Streaming

Published Aug 27, 2026, 11:03 PM EDT Storytelling is an art form driven by inspiration; those who create the TV or movie hits of today were once fans drawn into the classics of the past. Harlan Coben, the mind behind blockbuster thrillers like The Stranger, is no exception. When asked what his favorite movie in the genre was, only one answer came to mind – Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 movie Strangers on a Train. Starting with a mundane exchange that spirals into madness, this masterpiece of suspense is part of the DNA of Coben’s work, and many others who grew up entranced by the British filmmaking master. ‘Strangers on a Train’ Follows a Meeting That Turns into Murder Image via Warner Bros. Hitchcock loves to set frightening scenes in innocuous settings – a motel, a school yard, a dinner party. And in this case, the terror starts with a train ride. Young, successful tennis player Guy (Farley Granger) ends up in the seat next to Bruno (Robert Walker), a stranger who has read about him in the newspapers. Bruno reveals he knows that Guy is going through a protracted divorce from his unfaithful wife Miriam (Laura Elliott), and speculates that he would want her murdered.Bruno then suggests the “perfect” plot for killing – two men “swap” murders: in this case, Bruno would kill Miriam, and Guy would kill Bruno’s father. Appalled by the suggestion, Bruno shrugs off the stranger and leaves the train, only to find out shortly after that Miriam has been killed. Unable to go to the police for fear of being implicated, he must find a way to avoid Bruno, who presses Guy to fulfill his end of the “deal”. Filmed in black and white, and featuring some gorgeous locations, including New York’s original Penn Station, the movie is an engrossing ride that created the blueprint for the classic thriller. Hitchcock builds the tension not by asking viewers to guess who the killer is, but by telling us and not the other characters. Wondering whether Guy may be framed for Bruno’s crime makes the third act in particular excruciating. ‘Strangers on a Train’ is Classic Hitchcock Image via Warner Bros. In many ways, the nail-biting thriller encapsulates the best of Alfred Hitchcock. Stranger on a Train was made during the Hays Code, a code of practice that prohibited stories that glamorized immoral behavior and limited sexuality and violence in film (it would be less strictly enforced by the time films such as Psycho came around). Hitchcock’s way around these restrictions was to show the darkness in people’s minds – the ‘morality’ of murder discussed in Rope, or the psychological obsession displayed in Vertigo. These were ideas which were harder to police than images, and they also happened to make his stories more impactful. In the case of Strangers on a Train, the terror came from the idea that Guy was pulled into a deal he never agreed to. As the walls close in, deception, anxiety, and double-crossing are necessary in order to prove his innocence. Guy is not an immoral man, yet he is drawn into the world of a killer through a simple conversation. It’s enough to push you to the edge of your seat as you wonder whether Bruno will get away with his twisted scheme. Alfred Hitchcock’s Masterwork is a Clear Influence on Harlan Coben In an interview with Radio Times, Coben said: “I love Alfred Hitchcock, obviously. He’s been a major influence on me.” He picked Strangers on a Train as his favorite thriller of all time, and said: “It’s just a chance meeting between two people and some of the great, iconic scenes of all time.” He also shared that a tennis scene in the Netflix adaptation of Stay Close is an intentional homage to the movie, to “represent my Hitchcock love.” It absolutely makes sense that the author should credit the Master of Suspense with inspiring his writing. So many aspects of what made the director’s movies great also appear in Coben's stories, with Strangers on a Train being a prime inspiration. There are many dual protagonists with a shared secret, much like Bruno and Guy, in Coben stories such as The Stranger and Gone for Good, while the concept of ordinary people being pulled into a dark situation through chance is a recurring theme in his writing. This would, of course, not be unusual for someone working in the thriller genre. Over 40 years on from his death, Alfred Hitchcock has inspired generations of storytellers with the way he uses his medium to raise the pulse and keep the audience guessing. Strangers on a Train remains one of his most accomplished works, exploring the dark mazes of the mind in a way that still resonates after all these years. Release Date June 27, 1951 Runtime 101 minutes Director Alfred Hitchcock Cast Farley Granger Guy Haines Writers Patricia Highsmith, Czenzi Ormonde, Raymond Chandler