Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Joseph Stefano (based on the book by Robert Bloch)
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Music: Bernard Herrmann
Time: 109 minutes
Bottom-line: Another unforgettable film… a classic in the horror and thriller genres.
Psycho may be Hitchcock’s most famous thriller. It ‘gives a nod’ to many genres, like thriller, mystery, horror. Though controversial for its violence at the time of release, this film is highly recommended. When the American Film Institute prepared their list of the top 100 thrillers in the past decade, this film took the first place. So, I think that makes it clear why this film is still regarded as a classic even today.
The story begins with Marion Crane (Leigh), embezzling $40000 from her boss, to fund her marriage with Sam Loomis (Gavin). As she plans to escape from the city, she exchanges her car and decides to spend the night at a motel: the Bates Motel, in which she is the only tenant as for now. The owner, Norman bates (Perkins), seems to be friendly, offering her dinner as well. Over dinner, Norman talks about his mother, who lives in the house adjoining the motel. She is apparently angry that Norman has given a room to a woman.
That night, as Marion takes a shower, a mysterious figure stabs her all over the body, and brutally murders her. As Norman finds the body, he thinks his mother has committed the murder, and removes all traces of Marion having stayed there, including the $40000. As the film proceeds, the detective in charge of finding Marion, Arbogast (Martin Balsam) is also murdered by the mother in the same way, in her house. The rest of the film is how Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles) and Sam find the ‘psycho’.
Known for its infamous ‘shower scene’ (where Marion gets murdered), Hitchcock makes the audience shiver in shock during the scene. Once again, Herrmann’s score accounts for a third of the thrills. Many people and I say that half the thrill of the shower scene is missing, if you watch it in mute. Perkins, who was still a new actor, has acted very well, as has Leigh.
After building the suspense till the shower scene, the film kicks off from there. You will be glued to your chair till the last minute. There are plenty of twists in the film. The ending is excellent, answering all the questions. Hitchcock went to great lengths to prevent the ending becoming public, by buying every copy of the book. Another tagline of Psycho says, “Don’t give away the ending… it’s the only one we’ve got!” However, the plot may be a wee bit far fetched, about which you will know in the ending. The reason why the psycho murdered both the victims is told to the viewers, and I think that it is a bit unrealistic.
If some of the critics who panned the film for violence see some later movie, like Tarantino films, they will probably remove all their comments on violence. So, if you have seen some bloody and gruesome films, you won’t find anything horrifying in Psycho. Among Hitchcock’s films, this is one of the few films where more of violence is shown (the other film may be Frenzy, which came about 12 years later). Close-ups of the murder scenes are gruesome, though many later films are much more violent.
Yet, with brilliant direction, an excellent score and good acting by all cast members, Psycho is a must-watch for all those who want a good solid thriller. Whether you think the film is good or bad, this will be unforgettable film experience. But remember, you need to watch Psycho from the very beginning…
My rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Screenplay: Joseph Stefano (based on the book by Robert Bloch)Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Music: Bernard Herrmann
Time: 109 minutes
Bottom-line: Another unforgettable film… a classic in the horror and thriller genres.
Psycho may be Hitchcock’s most famous thriller. It ‘gives a nod’ to many genres, like thriller, mystery, horror. Though controversial for its violence at the time of release, this film is highly recommended. When the American Film Institute prepared their list of the top 100 thrillers in the past decade, this film took the first place. So, I think that makes it clear why this film is still regarded as a classic even today.
The story begins with Marion Crane (Leigh), embezzling $40000 from her boss, to fund her marriage with Sam Loomis (Gavin). As she plans to escape from the city, she exchanges her car and decides to spend the night at a motel: the Bates Motel, in which she is the only tenant as for now. The owner, Norman bates (Perkins), seems to be friendly, offering her dinner as well. Over dinner, Norman talks about his mother, who lives in the house adjoining the motel. She is apparently angry that Norman has given a room to a woman.
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| The infamous 'shower scene' |
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| Perkins as Norman Bates and Leigh as Marion Crane |
Known for its infamous ‘shower scene’ (where Marion gets murdered), Hitchcock makes the audience shiver in shock during the scene. Once again, Herrmann’s score accounts for a third of the thrills. Many people and I say that half the thrill of the shower scene is missing, if you watch it in mute. Perkins, who was still a new actor, has acted very well, as has Leigh.
After building the suspense till the shower scene, the film kicks off from there. You will be glued to your chair till the last minute. There are plenty of twists in the film. The ending is excellent, answering all the questions. Hitchcock went to great lengths to prevent the ending becoming public, by buying every copy of the book. Another tagline of Psycho says, “Don’t give away the ending… it’s the only one we’ve got!” However, the plot may be a wee bit far fetched, about which you will know in the ending. The reason why the psycho murdered both the victims is told to the viewers, and I think that it is a bit unrealistic.
 |
| Martin Balsam as Arbogast |
If some of the critics who panned the film for violence see some later movie, like Tarantino films, they will probably remove all their comments on violence. So, if you have seen some bloody and gruesome films, you won’t find anything horrifying in Psycho. Among Hitchcock’s films, this is one of the few films where more of violence is shown (the other film may be Frenzy, which came about 12 years later). Close-ups of the murder scenes are gruesome, though many later films are much more violent.
Yet, with brilliant direction, an excellent score and good acting by all cast members, Psycho is a must-watch for all those who want a good solid thriller. Whether you think the film is good or bad, this will be unforgettable film experience. But remember, you need to watch Psycho from the very beginning…
My rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
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