Psycho (1960)

SYNOPSIS

Hitchcock's mesmerizing thriller broke the rules of filmmaking with its cunning, psychologically-based plot, and changed the perception of Hollywood horror films forever. On a relatively small budget, Hitchcock carefully constructs a maze that leads to an inevitable, gruesome conclusion, a conclusion that the audience has seen coming and dreads. From the first shot, a magnificent crane shot whose camera perches on a hotel window from which we can observe an adulterous affair between Marion Crane (Leigh) and Gavin, the audience is complicit in the action, voyeurs who can't look away. After impulsively stealing a bundle of cash, Leigh heads for the highway. When she wearies and is advised to find a room, she turns into the Bates Motel, where she first encounters the nervously birdlike proprietor, Norman Bates (Perkins). Perkins's sly, almost charming performance as the haunted momma's boy builds a near-sympathy that is quickly erased by the famous shower scene, the most graphic depiction of a murder scene on film to that time. Through careful shooting and editing, the intensity of the act is multiplied in the minds of the audience until the last traces of blood swirl down the drain. As Crane's sister, Miles, and Detective Balsam uncover her fate, one more shock remains. A blueprint for cinema terror, which has been followed, discussed, and now remade almost shot for shot by Gus Van Sant in 1998 (he also followed Hitchcock's promotional blueprint, not allowing critics to pre-screen the film). Hitchcock had the last laugh on Paramount when they insisted that he finance much of the budget: Psycho was an international sensation that made him a wealthy man. Herrmann's chilling score, one of his finest, remains ever recognizable. Followed by three sequels and the 1998 remake. Though the film was nominated for Oscars for Best Director, Cinematography, Supporting Actress, and Art Direction, it received none, though it won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress: Janet Leigh.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).