"Why she wouldn't even hurt a fly."
Dude, Anthony Perkins is so good. So so good. So good in fact it's kinda epic. Also, Janet Leigh has such expressive eyes, which explains why the camera is always focus on her face.
At one point while watching the movie, I was reaching for my drink until a certain scene caught me off guard and froze me in place. That scene is where Marion Crane is waiting at the traffic light and sees her boss crossing the street, both locking eyes. It is more effective if you watch it yourself.
Why do I have a feeling Alfred Hitchcock was a serial killer in a past life.
[8.5/10] So much of modern moviemaking, and often modern horror along with it, rests of the big set piece. It’s in the DNA of the traditional scary movie to reach some crescendo of death or destruction or straight horror that will leave the audience shuddering in their shoes long after they’ve left the theater.
Psycho has those big time moments. The shower stabbing scene is rightfully iconic, a marriage of strings and steel and the sense of color in a black and white film that just exudes terror. The unflinching but artistic take on such a brutal act could, and arguably has, remained the lasting image of the film.
At the same time, the image of Arbogast, the private detective, being stabbed down the stairs is a sequence delivered with the same combination of startling horror and artistic flair, as he seems to glide down to the landing until crumpling into a heap. And the film’s last great gasp, in the form of the preserved remains of the real Mrs. Bates spun around nonsensically as the true killer is revealed and neutralized, is just as gripping a climax.
But coming to Psycho almost sixty years after it debuted, when its most iconic scenes and biggest twists were already known through cultural osmosis, is how scary, how foreboding, how unsettling this film when nothing particularly dramatic is happening.
Before a single blade is unsheathed, Psycho is a spectacularly tense film when it’s just the story of a young woman running away with a wad of cash and not much of a plan and a swirl of thoughts running through her brain. The suspense when Marion Crane catches her boss’s eye driving out of town, or tries to talk her way out of a confrontation with a passing police officer, or aims to switch out cars before the cop tracks her down, more than matches any of the grislier events later in the film.
That’s because the characters in the film are exceptionally well-motivated, which makes it easy for the viewer to feel what they feel, understand things from their perspective. A semi-tedious opening scene with Marion having a mid-afternoon dalliance with her boyfriend, Frank, sets up the sort of star-crossed love, the passion at odds with practical realities, that would drive her to leap unthinkingly at the chance to realize it which practically falls into her lap. We understand both why Marion does what she does, and how impulsive and fraught it is, making each interaction feel like the one that could send this house of cards tumbling down.
But beyond the script, so much of that spectacular, ominous sense that lingers over everything owes to the performances. Janet Leigh in particular is a live wire, ever the presence of someone who is calm enough on the surface, but utterly quaking behind the eyes. That sense of a person in over her head, bluffing through interaction after interaction in the hopes of finding providence and a clean getaway, comes through exquisitely.
She’s met and matched by her most significant scene partner, Anthony Perkins as the now iconic Norman Bates. One of the most impressive and bold things about Psycho, even decades later, is how well it manages to essentially hand the movie off between the two of them. Despite the years and years of spoilers that filter into anyone even vaguely tuned into film, there’s a shock at how early in the film Marion goes down after anchoring so much of the early portion of the film, and how seamlessly Hitchcock transitions between her doomed parable and the exploration of the sympathetic monster who causes her demise.
After her death, Psycho is driven by Marion’s absence, but also by Norman’s pathologies, his disquieting affect. Even before the big reveal, the sense of arrested development in him, of a strife-filled and repressed relationship between him and his mother, makes him instantly distinctive. Perkins brings such a presence to each scene he occupies, a nervous naturalism in a film where performances veer more toward the affected, that makes him so recognizable as someone outwardly okay, but radiating with something off-putting you can’t quite put your finger on. The reasons for his descent into murder and madness come through in a few scattered details offered, but mainly through Perkins’ delivery and demeanor, communicating all the audience needs to know about who and why Norman Bates is.
That’s why the film’s worst and least necessary scene is its final one, where a never-before-seen psychiatrist explains in tedious and useless detail exactly what led to Norman being this way, and laying bare the dense pop psychology that buttresses the subtext of the film. It is, frankly, a bizarre scene to modern eyes, one that seems to recount the movie’s major details and reveals just in case someone had been half-asleep for the main portion of the film and needed a recap before the credits rolled.
Still, the balance of the picture more than makes up for it. Composer Bernard Herrman’s score sets the mood and helps make internal emotions feel palpable to the audience even when the actors’ backs are to the camera. Even knowing the big twist, the creative camera work to obscure the real identity of the killer impresses. And Hitchock and Cinematographer John L. Russell conjure distinctive images like the sinking of a car into the muck, or the simple framings that preserve a suspenseful mood even when two people are just sitting in a room together.
That’s why Psycho’s best scene comes before its most famous murder, as it simply manages the handoff between one protagonist to the next. The most frightening moments in the film come when Marion and Norman are simply eating dinner together, waxing rhapsodic about life’s possibilities, about what fills the time and what allows us to seize it. It’s a scene of mutual realizations, of Marion hoping to erase the dangerous path she’s gone down to reach this point, and of Norman sublimating his combined want and censure and self-disgust at the prospect of this woman who simply wandered into his inn.
The combination of those two things, of two people who realize something about one another and themselves in the midst of a single slow-burning conversation, whose lives intersected by chance but directed one another’s futures, elevates everything that comes before and after. Like the crooked smile that Hitchcock and Perkins leave us with, it is not flashy, but so much scarier than the bits of horror that try to be so much bigger and yet feel so much lesser the quiet spaces of this unnerving original.
I will not be able to bring anything to "Psycho" that hasn't already been said. It is one of the greatest Horror films...no check that...one of the greatest films of any genre ever made. It paved the way for the modern-day slasher flick and it contained a couple of the greatest plot twists ever.
It looks wonderful on Blu-Ray. And by the way, people who haven't experienced old Black & White films restored to Blu-Ray have no idea what they're missing.
This is simply one of the greatest movies made by perhaps the greatest director of all time.
First half was kinda boring and the movie was pretty predictable. Saying that, Norman Bates was a great character and everytime he was on screen it was fun to watch.
A classic film which everyone must see at least once. For the time it was made is eerily creepy, and it still manages to stand up today. The plot is amazing.
She just goes - a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes.
"Well, a boy's best friend is his mother"
Engaging, thrilling, creepy, unpredictable. Hitchcock's Psycho is without a doubt a masterclass in filmmaking. The camerawork and close ups to the character's faces make it so immersive and claustrophobic. The screaching high pitched score and the immersive calmer score work so good together. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh are damn good actors. The scene where they sit down to talk is honestly one of my favorite scenes of all time, the dialogue was gold. I actually managed to avoid spoilers all those years and so the shower scene was totally unexpected. It's a great twist and everything after is still excellent but the movie took a hit because of it, it's like something was missing after. The mystery was so worth it for that final crazy twist! Perfect ending.
Horribly great movie. Watched it when it came out. Took me 30 years to take a shower without anyone in the house.
Such a great sound design. Incredible. The songs, the little noises of the surroundings, the smooth voices and accents, the iconic scream. That title theme is so epic that only larger-than-life Busta Rhyme's dared to remix it.
As always: B/W looks great and Hitchcock obviously knows what to do with a camera. Camera angles, composition, cuts, frames: flawless.
Needless to say: Janet Leigh is obviously on fire. Great performance. Her eyes, her face are worth alone the movie.
Unfortunately the curtain/shower scene is ruined for almost everyone. It's such a classic that it's ubiquitous. And once the curtain is pulled away once, it will never be as exciting again as it was the first time. I was glad to find out that the shower scene isn't the grand finale. It's only half way through the movie and there's yet plenty of stuff to come.
Great plot. I was very happy to discover that this is not a scary movie. (I hate those). Hitchcock should have cut out the whole explanation part in the courthouse. We don't need this. It's quite obvious what happened. And if Hitchcock wanted us to give more insight to the serial killer's pathetic mind, he could have shown that rather than let a shrink/lawyer/prosecutor (don't really know how the guy is) tell us. Thus the ending is a bit weak.
What do you even say about Psycho? It was hugely influential, to the point that it's hard to take some of its most iconic scene seriously because of all the times it's been parodied. And it's masterfully shot, to the point that the blood swirling down the drain is still a stunning work of imagery. The life of the lead we had gotten to know by this point ebbing away. Janet Leigh carries that first half well, her inner conflict over this money well conveyed. I especially liked her little smirk thinking of the piggish Cassidy's reaction and it's an interesting parallel to Bates' scene at the end. Speaking of, Bates' performance holds up, being an affable, charming, and pitiable figure in equal measure. You can see how he lures people in, makes them want to help him, and how he loathes them for it. And the final shot, with Bates' smirk fading into the car and for a brief moment forming a skull is genuinely striking.
But where the film comes apart is that godawful finale. The most blatant exposition dump I can remember seeing, built upon the laziest tropes of mental illness. And Hitchcock is so caught up in explaining his plot that Lila and Sam don't even have a proper reaction to the confirmation that the woman they love is dead. That exposure of the film's vapid core causes the entire thing to come about. There's not really much Hitchcock is trying to say beyond how clever and frightening he is, and the whole plot is an excuse for it. And that's all well and good when you don't call attention to it, there's nothing wrong with only aiming to be clever or scary. But to call attention to it in such a straitlaced way is just inexcusable. you can't put the curtain back on once it's been pulled away. Psycho is worthy viewing for its place in the film canon and Hitchcock's skill if nothing else, but you can't put the curtain back on once it's been pulled away.
First time ever watching this… obviously heard of ‘Norman Bates’ and seen the iconic shower scene, but never actually watched the movie. I was always put off by the black and white, but I’m so glad I’ve finally watched this masterpiece! Solid right the way through, with a memorable ending. I can now begin to understand the hype around Alfred Hitchcock’s “psycho”.
Still holds up well. The scares are great. The score is fantastic. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh are both terrific.
You too! I had no idea Bruce Willis was actually dead the whole time!
"We all go a little mad sometimes."
Argh - was completely fooled until the very end... good job Hitchcock.
When Norman Bates ran in the room dressed as the dead mother while the soundtrack played, I legit got chills. I was disturbed to my core. I've never seen a movie so effectively freak me out that quickly and that deep. I almost started shaking when I saw that image.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is a cinematic masterpiece that delivers horrific scares. When a young girl goes missing after stealing $40 thousand dollars, a private investigator tracks her last known whereabouts to the Bates Model. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh lead the cast and give strong performances. But, it’s Hitchcock’s brilliant directing that makes the film so powerful. He does an amazing job at building a suspenseful mood, and at crafting intense scenes. Psycho is a smart, groundbreaking film that has become an immortal classic.
One of the best-known works of its brilliant director
When I think of the best movie ever made, Psycho comes to mind every time.
Very good movie ofcourse, whenever we see the mother I get dem creeps.
The twist is exceptionally good but ofcourse it has less impact when you know it already.
It's a bit slow and personally I could have done without the explanation at the end, as I'd find it creepier to leave it to my imagination.
Looking forward to the sequels!
Indeed Hitch took his time to introduce the main character here.
"Psycho" has been quoted, remade, and parodied so many times that it lost a lot of its punch, but it's still an entertaining film to watch. Historical value aside, the first half is a superb example of nuanced storytelling, and Anthony Perkins's performance is so natural that it makes me shiver every time. I like how the film makes such a big deal about Marion and the 40,000 dollars only to deceive the audience's expectations.
The second half gets kind of spoiled by Vera Miles' stiff performance, but also offers an interesting twist at the end. It might not feel like something exceptional in 2020, but at that time it must have been groundbreaking, as Hitchcock had to hire Simon Oakland just to spell out the plot at the end.
Suspenseful
Great performances
Good twist ending
Characters 10
Story 10
Pacing 10
Visuals 8
Rewatchability Factor 5
Enjoyment or Emotional Value 8
Average Score 8.5
Honestly, this was way to predictable. Sure, it was influential and all. Norman is an interesting (and well acted) character too. But mostly, I do not understand the hype. It’s just okay in my opinion.
It took me a long time to see the movie and due to the number of references that exist in so many other movies and series, from the first moment I knew how it was going to end. However, what I am commenting on makes it clear how influential this masterpiece was for the cinema.
A classic of suspense, increasing tension in action.
#1 AFI 100 years Thriller
Looked forward to seeing this, especially due to all of the references. It was solid, but occasionally lost my interest. Good introduction to Hitchcock.
Themes (tone, impact) 0.5
Acting and characters 1
Story (writing, direction, pacing) 0.5
Aesthetic (sets, special effects, score) 1
Enjoyment 0.5
3.5/5
Indeed Hitch took his time to introduce the main character here.
"Psycho" has been quoted, remade, and parodied so many times that it lost a lot of its punch, but it's still an entertaining film to watch. Historical value aside, the first half is a superb example of nuanced storytelling, and Anthony Perkins's performance is so natural that it makes me shiver every time. I like how the film makes such a big deal about Marion and the 40,000 dollars only to deceive the audience's expectations.
The second half gets kind of spoiled by Vera Miles' stiff performance, but also offers an interesting twist at the end. It might not feel like something exceptional in 2020, but at that time it must have been groundbreaking, as Hitchcock had to hire Simon Oakland just to spell out the plot at the end.
2 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
.5 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
.5 / 1 writing
1 / 1 originality
0 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
0 / 0 misc
8 / 10
Bad luck for a bored bombshell, who opportunistically pockets a large sum of money, skips town and unwittingly pauses at a mass-murderer's motel to lay low. To say more would be a disservice to the uninitiated, even if the major points have already been spoiled by way of cultural osmosis. Sixty years is a long time to keep a secret, especially when all the most important scenes have been so frequently mirrored.
Compelled to operate on an extremely low budget (studio brass had major doubts about the premise), in Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock leans heavily on his finely-honed directorial senses - artistry and atmosphere, primarily - in lieu of a dazzling set or gaudy wardrobe. The end result is a very moody, up-close and personal piece, entirely appropriate for such a character-driven tragedy. Subtext is the rule of the day, whether it's foreshadowing the awful events to come or nervously reveling in their aftermath.
Much is said outside of the dialogue, in other words, and in such visually compelling ways! The guiding hand of frequent collaborator (and graphic design legend) Saul Bass is apparent in more than just the dynamic opening credits. Bass may not have actively directed the iconic shower episode, as is often rumored, but his tight storyboards and Bernard Herrmann's indispensable musical cues essentially make the scene. Not to downplay Hitchcock's involvement, either; it takes a special brand of mastermind to assemble and curate such talent, to piece it all together in just the right order to achieve maximum dramatic effect.
I'm only just now starting to watch some of the old Hollywood classics, as I used to feel I wouldn't be able to enjoy them properly after how conditioned I've been by modern film-making to expect fast paced, seamlessly edited, cgi filled movies, which I thought would, unfairly, make me dislike older movies. Psycho, however, has to be one of the greatest classics I've watched, and as different as style and form used to be back then, I didn't feel bored for one second, on the contrary, this has to be one of the most exciting films I've ever watched. It's a great achievement in the art of suspense, with its eerie soundtrack and chilling montages. The twists are great and the acting by Leigh and Perkins is just delicious. I loved it!
Even after 60 years it's story is much better than movies now a days.....one of the classic movie ....must watch
One of the best Hitchcock films in my opinion. Definitely a great watch, the haunting music compliments the film perfectly. The story is very interesting and the plot twist at the end was great. I would highly recommend this film.
This film still holds up nearly 60 years after it was made. I went against Hitch's own suggestion and read the book first, but this didn't lessen my viewing experience. This film is absolutely incredible, from the shot composition, to the music to the subtle shifts in the acting of Anthony Perkins when things start to get to him. I loved this film and I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to finally see it!
We've all seen clips that spoil the movie a bit, and we know what it's generally about. I wasn't expecting much more than what I know and preperad for even an overrated experience, but it was brilliant. Way ahead of its time. Some exellent ideas for tension and a slow building and never boring story.
Absolute classic, that still holds up to scrutiny. The actors and characters are just so human, it's inspiring. Especially Leigh and her inner monologues. This has the legacy it does for a reason.
The filmmaking on display here is some of the best you'll ever see. Also, all the performances are very well realized. However, I've always find this movie to be quite predictable, despite Hitchcock's attempts to mislead the viewer. Furthermore, the final exposition scene really should've been shorter (just the final moments give new, vital information), because most of the information should already be pieced together by the viewer at that point. Still, it is an essential watch for any film fan that deserves a high recommendation.
8/10
Often imitated, parodied, referenced, and analyzed to death, "Psycho" still isn't played out nearly 55 years after it came out. You owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the Bates Motel; Norman has a room ready.
Slow paced and well acted. Def worthy being a cult classic.
Cinema Paco 2: Image 4.5/5; Sound 3.5/5. Masterpiece. Such use of B/W to give more expression to the faces and shadows. That music of Bernard Herrmann's violins, the shower scene, Norman Bates those faces ...
Great classical Hitchcock movie.
Interesting to see how they made horror movies back then. And what methods they used to keep the audience tense.
There is going to be a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece "Psycho (1960)" but not as a movie, it's going to be a tv-show called "Bates Motel" set for 2013.
A&E Network is ordering it directly into so series without even ordering a pilot.
Kerry Ehrin and LOST author Carlton Cuse will serve as executive producers.
The series goes into the story before Psycho and looks at the twisted relationship between serial killer-to-be Norman Bates and his mother Norma.
Brace yourself!
Review by Simon MasseyVIP 11BlockedParent2015-04-06T22:39:36Z
It is hard to come to a film like Psycho without at least some awareness of the likely surprises in store - the famous moment in the shower is so indelible in pop culture that it has lost its shock factor. Yet, in the context of the film it is still a surprising moment. What is so clever about Psycho is that the first half of the film suggests an entirely different genre and approach. Hitchcock creates a fascinating set-up and moral dilemma that keeps the audience intrigued so that by the time our heroine makes her decision to resolve this issue, you could be forgiven for forgetting the title of the film. But it is the arrival at the Bates Motel and Perkins’ entrance that immediately signals a change in tone, specifically a fascinating conversation between Perkins and Leigh in the motel parlour. It is Perkins’s nuanced performance throughout the film that suggest both a softly spoken innocence and a creepy underlying darkness to Norman Bates, and this is never more clear than in his introduction, as the focus of the audience shifts from Leigh’s character to Perkins. There is little to be added to the already iconic shower scene other than it is a masterclass in editing, music and performance (the shot that pulls back from the victim’s eye is still both horrifying and utterly mesmerising). The second half of the film could have struggled to live up to this and to a certain extent it does, but in the ensuing investigation, Hitchcock of course has one or two more surprises in store that are best left unspoiled and Perkins’ performance ensured that the loss of one great character would not be detrimental to the overall film. It is a shame the final scene feels the need to over explain the events of the film, but the final shot certainly leaves a great impression.