Samuel Khachikian was an Iranian-Armenian film director, screenwriter, author, and film editor. He was one of the most influential figures of Iranian cinema and was nicknamed “the Iranian Hitchcock.” Khachikian was born in Tabriz in 1923 and immigrated to Tehran with his family at the age of twenty. He began working as an amateur in the theatre from his teenage years. Later, in 1972, and together with a number of other Armenian friends, he founded the “Art-loving Armenian Youth Theater Group.” Owing to his interest in literary and creative activities, Khachikian was drawn to filmmaking, and in 1951 he began working with Diana Studio, which was formed by an Armenian producer named Sanaser Khachatourian. Khachikian made his first film in 1953, titled Bāzghasht (Return). His fifth film, Shabnishīnī dare jahannam (A Party in Hell; 1957), co-directed by Mushigh Sarvarī, is the first work of Iranian cinema to enter the final section of one of the most prestigious international festivals (the 8th Berlin International Film Festival, in 1958). Throughout the course of his film career, Khachikian made films in different genres, including melodrama, romance, fantasy, and action, but it was after the making of Faryād-i nīmishab (The Midnight Terror; 1961) and Yik ghadam tā marg (One Step to Death; 1961), that his interest and expertise in the genre of crime and horror earned him the reputation of “the Iranian Hitchcock.” He also attached great importance to decoupage and technical matters such as lighting, stage design, sound recording, special effects, and editing in making his films. He was among the first and few directors who used the decoupage technique on the film set, preparing the complete shooting script in advance. The success of his works attracted a lot of attention to this filmmaking approach. As an innovative filmmaker, he turned the production of murder mysteries and noir thrillers into a popular new wave in the Iranian filmmaking. In 1954, Khachikian made the first ever movie trailer in the history of Iranian cinema for his Dukhtar-ī az Shiraz (A Girl from Shiraz). His subsequent films, such as Shabnishīnī dar jahannam (1957), Tūfān dar shahr-i mā (Storm in Our Town; 1958), Faryād-i nīmishab (1961), Yik ghadam tā marg (1961), Dilhurih (Anxiety; 1962), Zarbat (The Strike; 1964), and even the post revolutionary Ughābhā (The Eagles; 1984), were box office hits. Khachikian’s 1957 film Shabnishīnī dar jahannam was presented at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival.