Released: September 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Rated R
Distributor: Paramount Pictures/Universal
Genre: Thriller
Cast:
Anthony Perkins: Norman Bates
Vera Miles: Lila Crane
John Gavin: Sam Loomis
Janet Leigh: Marion Crane
Martin Balsam: Det. Milton Arbogast
When people talk about master film-makers today, who do they mention? Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, John Carpenter? There is no doubt in my mind that those guys are absolutely some of the best in the business, but everybody had to start somewhere, and they had to be inspired to do what they do. I mean, sure, you could mention the likes of Howard Hawkes or Cecil B. DeMille, but who actually truly made waves in the film industry? The answer is Alfred Hitchcock. Even if you haven’t seen his movies or pieces of them, you know who he is. This is the guy behind movies like North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Birds, and Rear Window. However, the one film that had the most influence and was Hitchcock’s most famous is Psycho. After nearly 60 years, does Psycho stand the test of time?
At this point, everybody and their grandmother knows about Psycho and it’s story with the characters of Norman Bates and Marion Crane. Discussing the story, which is still really good, would really no longer serve any purpose. What I want to do instead is discuss the influence the film has had over the past 58 years. When the film came out, critics really didn’t like it, mostly because they were forced to watch it with other people. Alfred Hitchcock refused to pre-screen the film. He also had enough influence with Paramount Pictures to force movie theaters to not allow anybody into the theater after the movie started. Hitchcock wanted people to see the film right from the very beginning all the way to the end. There’s a lot you would miss by coming into theater 5-10 minutes after it started. Psycho changed things forever in terms of what was acceptable to see on the big screen. At the time, the movie censors were very adamant about certain not being shown from something as simple as seeing a toilet flushing to a woman being stabbed to death in the shower. People were scared, shocked, and entertained at the same time. While I personally wouldn’t categorize Psycho as a horror movie, it was the jumping-off point for the modern thriller and slasher films. Every modern-day thriller that you see today, from Halloween to Cape Fear, owes its existence to Alfred Hitchcock’s film. It wasn’t just in terms of the style, but also film-making techniques that Hitchcock basically perfected that you see in a lot of movies these days. Any film historian will tell you that Psycho is one of the most important films in cinema and its not hard to see why.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was famous for a lot of reasons. One of them was his ability to trick the audience into thinking they saw something that didn’t actually happen. The infamous shower scene is the prime example of this. People had often said that the film was gory. What did they see that made think that? Hitchcock abhorred gratuitous violence, so how did he trick the audience into thinking that the film was far more violent than it actually was? It’s all in the film-making. There’s a reason why the film is in black-and-white. The censors would have shut the film down or cut it to pieces if it was in color. If you look closely at the scene and the way it’s edited, you don’t actually see the knife actually stabbing the woman. Your mind fills in the rest, and the human imagination is far worse than what film-makers could ever put on screen. It’s brilliant editing and film-makers have been trying to do the same kind of thing in their movies. Steven Spielberg and Jaws is one example. Same principle: Trick the audience into thinking they saw something that wasn’t actually there, although Spielberg had technical issues as to why he had to that, but Jaws was all the better for it. It’s been said by many film-makers that it’s not what you see that scares you, but what you don’t. Hitchcock was constrained by the censors, so he had to work his way around that. Every technical aspect of Psycho was supervised by Hitchcock, and as a result, it is a masterpiece of film-making.
It would have been all for naught if the performances in Psycho were anything less than stellar. Thankfully, Hitchcock brings out the best performances in his actors. Janet Leigh is fantastic as Marion Crane, a woman that’s embezzling money so she can have some kind of future with Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin. You get the idea that this character is in way over her head when she decides to steal the money that was meant for another purpose. Vera Miles is great as Marion’s sister, Lila Crane. She really makes the character sympathetic about her wanting to find her sister. The real star of the show, however, is Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. His performance as the owner of the Bates Motel is magnetic. He is equal parts sympathetic and terrifying. This is the kind of guy that could be sitting next to you on a bus or train and you would never even guess that he had a dark side. Norman Bates is easily Anthony Perkins’ most recognizable role and it’s the one that really put him on the map. When it comes to horror movie villains, you might think of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, or Jason Voorhees, but Norman Bates did it first.
Alfred Hitchcock has been the influence of so many film-makers over the decades that his name is now a term that is being used to describe certain films and cinematic techniques. I can count on one hand how many directors get that distinction. When you watch a modern-day thriller like Sicario, Split or Wind River, keep in mind that a lot of what you see is all thanks to Hitchcock and his attention to detail. There have been many truly great film-makers over the years, but none have had the vision, knowledge, or the tenacity of someone like Alfred Hitchcock. If you need a lesson in film-making, all you have to do is find one of Hitchcock’s movies and watch it. You are watching a master at work here. While Psycho isn’t Hitchcock’s best, it is by far his most influential. That cannot be overstated. If you are a film buff, then there is no reason to skip this one. In fact, for most movie fans, Psycho is required viewing. Ignore the sequels and the crappy Gus Van Sant re-make. The original Psycho stands well enough on its own. The term “iconic” is not enough for a film like this. This is one you must own.
My Final Recommendation: We all go a little mad sometimes. 10/10