Film review: Psycho, 1960

Have you ever thought to see one of the most recognizable films in cinema history or be scared to death while watching the most particular film scene ever made? Would you like to see the film based on the novel by Robert Bloch which was inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein? Oops, maybe I am revealing everything already. In any case, whatever you answer, I highly recommend you see the film that will stay engraved in your head for life! I’m talking about one of Hitchcock’s best films –Psycho.

Credits

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay by: Joseph Stefano

Genre: suspense, horror

Main actors:    Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates

Janet Leigh as Marion Crane

Vera Miles as Lila Crane

John Gavin as Sam Loomis

Martin Balsam as Det. Milton Arbogast

Themes: woman in jeopardy, mothers and sons

Tone: chilly, tense, creepy, deliberate, menacing, macabre

Keywords: embezzlement, missing-person, motel, mother, murder, private detective, psychopath, shower, stabbing, taxidermy

Run Time: 120min

Language: English

Summary of the plot

Psycho opens in Phoenix with the secret love affair of banker Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and Sam Loomis (John Gavin). After a discussion about not being able to continue meeting each other like this, Marion agrees to sneak off to Sam’s house in some distant town. She decides to spend one last day at work. While at work, she is given $40,000 to deposit, but she escapes with the money. There is a heavy rainstorm which prompts her to spend the night at the Bates Motel rather than drive in the rain. It is a quite friendly motel with a dark house looming over it in the background. Marion decides she should rest and wait for the rain to pass, so she checks into room number 1.

At the check-in counter she meets Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a man whose only companion is his sick mother. Marion agrees to have dinner with Norman in his motel. Here she has a long talk with Norman, and has a revelation. She realizes that Norman is living in a trap and that she is about to do the same. The rain lets up and she decides to return to Phoenix and return the money. With that on her mind, she goes to her room and takes a shower before she rests. However, a figure creeps up behind, rips open the curtains and stabs her to death.

This is the real mystery. Who murdered her? Why did they murder her? And the answer is so cool that you’re left in a state of awe. No one will be able to guess why she was murdered. The story is much more complex than it might seem and really worth it to find out who’s the murderess. I can only tell you that the rest of the story is shocking and unsuspected.

Psycho is an auteur film. It is a little difficult to understand but attracts the attention of the audience in an impressive way. There are many slow or silent scenes, and, at the same time, there are different details so important to catch the nuances of the film. Most of the shots are extreme close-ups. The combination of the close shots with their short duration makes the scenes of the film feel more menacing. The soundtrack of screeching violins, which intensified the scene and is scary, was composed by Bernard Herrmann. The film being in black and white looks simply stunning and breathtaking. The way Alfred Hitchcock sets up the atmosphere and the suspense is remarkable. The main figure of the film, Anthony Perkins, is excellent as the lonely Norman Bates. He is friendly and very likable.

In one way or another, if you are looking for a great scare, then Psycho is for you. It will make you think twice about taking a shower.

Magdalena Seget