Movie Info
Movie Name: Psycho
Studio: Shamley Productions
Genre(s): Horror/Mystery/Suspense
Release Date(s): June 16, 1960
MPAA Rating: R
The Bates Motel…so clean you can eat off the floor
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) has made a big mistake. In order to be with her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin) who is saddled with debt, she’s stolen $40,000 from a client at her job. Debating what to do, she stops at the Bates Motel and meets the young man running it…Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman isn’t like other young men, and Marion’s mistake is about to turn tragic. With fears that the police will catch up with her first, Sam, Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles), and a private detective named Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam) are looking for Marion…and they are going to meet Norman’s mother.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho is a horror suspense thriller. Following Hitchcock’s North by Northwest in 1959, the film adapts the 1959 novel by Robert Bloch. The film was released to controversy and a massive box office return. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Black-and-White and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1992.
That last step is a doozy
Psycho was one of those legendary films as a kid. When I was young, the sequels were already coming out so Psycho was a film you knew. I can remember thinking because of The Birds and Psycho that Alfred Hitchcock made horror films (and was extremely confused when I saw more of his work). Often considered one of the first slasher films, Psycho is both indicative of Hitchcock and a contradiction.
When Psycho came out in 1960, Hitchcock went to great lengths to keep the story secret (he even bought up copies of Bloch’s book…the simplicity of pre-internet). While it seems rather obvious now, the psychological ideas in Psycho and Norman’s mental state were revolutionary (and needed a really clear explanation in the end sequence). The movie famously also “switches the script” with it originally setting out as standard Hitchcock with a heist movie and a beautiful blonde in danger. The money becomes a classic Hitchcock MacGuffin and the story shifts to Norman…and going in not knowing any of where the story was to go must have been a shock.
She’s got a nice smile
While the movie could be a simple horror movie with simple performances, Hitchcock gets strong Hitchcock performances from his leads. Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Martin Balsam all give dimension to their characters, but the hook of the story is largely Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. Leigh’s short but sweet performance not only contains her shocking death, but it also has a character you feel bad for…because she decided to make the right decision and no one will ever know. Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates is both sweet, soft spoken, and rather pitiful…you do feel bad for him, but also he is able to show moments of intense anger that shows how scary he can become (even if Mother doesn’t take over).
Like many Hitchcock films, the movie has great visuals and experimental shots. The showcase of this film is largely the classic show scene with its multiple “cuts” (literally and physically) which manages to be a bloody mess without showing the knife entering the Leigh’s body (who actually was a body double for Leigh for close-ups). The film also has a great shot with Arbogast getting attacked by mother and falling down the stairs…this is combined with a great set that rivals his perfect set in Rear Window…the Bates Motel is both functional and carries a sense of menace.
Norman wouldn’t hurt a fly
Psycho is a great film and while it has a lot of Hitchcock’s classic traits, it also feels a bit alien to him because the Master of Suspense adds a lot of shock and jumps (something that doesn’t always work with suspense and is sometimes criticized as an easy scare). Despite all of this, the movie’s real heart feels like it is found in the moment with Leigh and Perkins finding a sense of connection over a sandwich. It is a tender moment in an otherwise rather brutal film. They come off as two lost people making a connection…before everything goes sideways. Psycho was followed by Psycho II in 1963 but also both a prequel movie with Psycho IV: The Beginning in 1990 and the TV series Bates Motel which reimagined and modernized the story. In 1998, a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho was helmed by Gus Van Sant and starred Vince Vaughn as Bates. Hitchcock followed Psycho with The Birds in 1963.
Related Links:
Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)
Bates Motel—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
