Robert Rodriguez channels Hitchcock in new thriller 'Hypnotic'

Robert Rodriguez on new thriller 'Hypnotic'

Hypnotic stars Ben Affleck as a Houston detective struggling to cope with the disappearance of his young daughter?and that?s about all we can tell you. There are some big twists and turns in store for the audience

When writing and directing his new thriller Hypnotic, Robert Rodriguez kept one question in mind: "What would Hitchcock do?"

"Vertigo, Psycho, Spellbound, Frenzy. I thought, I want to make a thriller like that…in the Hitchcock style, using those two-dollars tricks. It’s a lot of editing and sleight-of-hand," says the Spy Kids director.

Hypnotic stars Ben Affleck as a Houston detective struggling to cope with the disappearance of his young daughter…and that’s about all we can tell you. There are some big twists and turns in store for the audience — surprises which "Queen of the South" star Alice Braga says she was excited to bring to life.

"I was very open from the moment that he called me and invited me, and I was so honored just to jump on board," says Braga. "I said, ‘Robert, whenever you call me, I’m going to do it. No matter what. You’re Robert. I adore you!’"

Co-star William Fichter echoes those sentiments, saying he was thrilled to work with Rodriguez — that is, as soon as he was sure he actually got the part.

"[Rodriquez] was like, ‘Oh, man, this is great. So, glad you loved it, Bill. We’ll see you in Austin.’ And then we got off, and I called my agent, and I’m like, ‘I think he wants me to do it. I think he just said see you in Austin.’ So, my agent called me back like a half an hour later and said, ‘Yeah, he does want you to do it.,’" recalls Fichter.

Hypnotic opens in theaters Friday, May 12 — click the video player in this article to hear more from the director and stars.