shadow of a doubt is a 1943 american movie directed by alfred hitchcock starring theresa wright and joseph cotton. it tells the story of a naïve young girl called charlie (played by wright) who lives in a sleepy town in california with her well-meaning parents, and how her life is put in danger when her sinister uncle (played by cotton) comes to stay with the family. over the course of the movie, charlie discovers that her uncle is a wanted serial killer who has murdered a lot of rich widows for their money. when her uncle finds out that charlie has discovered his secret he sets out to murder her before she exposes him.