In 1945 when Spellbound was originally released, it received some of the best reviews of any Hitchcock film. It was even nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. But as the past five decades plus have elapsed, the reputation of Spellbound has slipped. Rarely is it mentioned in the same group as Notorious, Rear Window, Psycho, North By Northwest, and the other films generally regarded as Hitchcock's finest work.