PSYCHO

Psycho

4/5

Alfred Hitchcock's: Psycho. Picture courtesy of: http://dogmatics.wordpress.com

Cast & Credits

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Anthony Perkins: Norman Bates

Janet Leigh: Marion Crane

Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay By: Joseph Stefano

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I consider myself quite the horror buff, anything that falls into the category of the macabre is usually right up my alley, which is why it came to me as quite a considerable surprise that I have never seen one of motion pictures’ most touted and indeed for its time most controversial movies’: PSYCHO. This revelation occurred to me when I saw the movie in question resting idly in the bargain bin at my nearest DVD outlet. Selling for a mere $7 I snapped up the opportunity to purchase, what is to my knowledge, a great classic, and to my delight, upon closer inspection of the box I was pleased to note that it was a two disc edition containing another movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock: VERTIGO.

As I inserted the movie into my laptop and prepared myself to watch the movie, I glanced over the back cover of the DVD and was stunned to note that PSYCHO is 50 years old! Indeed the movie was first released in 1960 an entire 28 years before I was even born. Suddenly I felt like an archaeologist meticulously brushing dirt away from a fossil, as the film progressed I noted with considerable whimsy the contrast of watching such a movie on a laptop created, and the fact that PSYCHO is shot entirely in black and white did little to hide such a contrast.

The movie started typically enough and progressed as one would expect such an old film to do so; clever if not somewhat antiquated dialogue delivered rather tepidly by wooden actors, indeed I felt my critics tongue readying itself to deliver lashings of discontent at how such a mundane movie could be considered one of cinemas’ most influential, but then something happened. Anthony Perkins entered as the deeply troubled Norman Bates, and the movie from that moment on was never the same His portrayal of Norman Bates is at times thoughtful and charming, and at times menacing, haunting, and a little too convincing for comfort.

PSYCHO was originally billed as a suspense movie, but is surprisingly chilling and macabre, and of course when it came out in 1960, the suspense was still intact, but 50 years on, it’s hard to define this film as suspenseful. Tireless references of PSYCHO in television and movies alike has meant that anyone not living in a cave is fairly acquainted with the famous shower scene and by large the nature of the title character Norman Bates and of course the plot itself, but don’t be discouraged, even if the movie does seem familiar it is worth watching and highly recommended to any horror enthusiast.

One cannot talk about this film without mentioning the genius behind the camera; Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is highly regarded as his best effort and it’s easy to see why, even as you look at more recent films it’s easy to see his influence in the horror/ thriller genre, largely emulated in Wes Cravens’ SCREAM franchise PSYCHOS’ influence seems paramount, even Tobe Hoopers’ TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE bears some familiarity to PSYCHO.

However, aside from its influence, PSYCHO was groundbreaking in the sense of its gore. In its time, it was a highly controversial film for it is depiction of violence and sexuality. Although by today’s standards the violence is remarkably tame, the fact that this film pushed the boundaries of onscreen violence elevates into cult status and finds itself on par with other groundbreaking films such as PULP FICTION, which is also a film that pushed the boundaries of onscreen violence. In fact one could make the argument that this is perhaps the best horror film of all time, due it’s major impact and vast influence which undoubtedly helped mould modern horror, and in my opinion horror sorely needs to learn from the fundamentals that are exemplified in this harrowing and dare I say epic film delivered unflinchingly by one of the all time greats and master of the macabre; Alfred Hitchcock.