Psycho (1960) (Movie Review)

  In the beginning, the horror movie genre started off in a very basic way. Most of them revolved around vampires, giant monsters, creepy things going bump in the night, and supernatural haunts that don’t really exist. Then came the 1960 horror classic “Psycho”, which was one of the first to explore something real … the beast that lies within the mind of a killer. 

To call this one of my favorite horror movies of all time is kind of generic, as it’s already regarded as a film legend, and one of the all-time greats whether it be horror or not. This makes it challenging to review, because people either know all about it, or they’re completely in the dark, in which I can’t risk spoiling everything that makes it great. Well, I like a good challenge, and there’s so much I want to say about one of my favorite horror movies. Of course, the film is written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who’s often cited as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. He was a visionary, someone who took real facts, blended them with dark humor, and psychological themes that reflect his own personal fears. Above all, he was a man who took risks, and “Psycho” was arguably his most daring venture. He didn’t have the studio’s full support, the budget was half of what his other films were made on, and he even set rules for the audience attending. There wasn't even much marketing put into the film, and the trailer didn't show a single clip. Actually, the trailer for "Psycho" is about as classic as the movie, as it just features Hitchcock himself walking around the set, and cryptically describing things in detail. Hitchcock was a big admirer of the "Psycho" book series written by Robert Bloch and loosely based the film off of them. The psycho character in this film was inspired by real serial killer Ed Gein, who would later be the inspiration for the character Leather Face from the 1974 classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.

  As the movie begins, we’re introduced to a woman played by Janet Leigh, who just stole a large sum of money from her work, and now she’s trying to make some distance between herself and town. I’ll never forget watching this movie for the first time as a young teenager, and instantly getting hooked by the ensuing driving montage, in which the camera holds on her face, while voice over conveys what’s going on back home with everyone discovering the robbery. Now, weather these audio conversations are really happening in the moment, or just the woman’s anxiety conjuring things in her mind is left open for the viewer to decide. This is the style in which Hitchcock is presenting his film, and it pulls me in every time. Plus, the accompanying music composed by Bernard Herman is equally captivating. This score is initially introduced to the audience during the very artistic opening credit scene, but it’ll always be immortalized just for this sequence. Speaking personally, this score still has a tendency to sneak into my subconscious whenever I find myself in a tight spot while driving … weather I make a wrong turn, get a little lost, or find myself running late, this score just creeps its way into my head. The film takes a hard-left turn when she decides to stay the night at the Bates Motel, and we meet the owner ... one Norman Bates. Up until this point, we’ve been following Janet Leigh’s character as our star, yet through this encounter, and one iconic shower scene latter … it’s Norman Bates played by Anthony Perkins who suddenly takes center stage. The rest of the movie deals with the aftermath of the encounter, and a group of people trying to pick-up the trail of both the missing money and the missing person. All the while, further twisted secrets and surprises revolving around Norman Bates and his elusive mother begin to unfold.  

  Just like how “Jaws” got people terrified to go swimming in the ocean, “Psycho” made people scared to take a shower. The famous shower scene is often regarded as one of the all-time most disturbing, and frightening moments in the history of cinema. 

It was shocking for its graphic violence, it’s sharp editing, the loud shrieks of violin’s, for being labeled the first slasher film … but the real reason it was so effective was because … no one expected Janet Leigh’s character to get killed. Before 1960, you never kill the lead character off this early in a film, and especially when it’s a big named actress. This is where Hitchcock’s attendance rules come into play, as he wouldn’t allow anyone in the theater if they didn’t arrive on time, as he didn’t want people showing up late wondering where Janet Leigh was. It’s one of the cleverest, yet riskiest moves a director has ever made, and it pays off so well. Speaking personally again for a moment, while the shower scene was shocking for its time … it still wasn’t the moment that had me leaping out of my skin. For me, it was the following scene when the inspector got murdered on the stairs which scared me senseless. It was loud, sudden, unexpected and the first time I can recall an old Black and White movie giving me chills all over.

  Another testimony to Hitchcock’s firm direction was how he’d let scenes play-out, building up the suspense, and dread, before ultimately hitting us with the surprise. There are lengthy scenes that just carry on with no sound or music, which submerses us into these genuinely uncomfortable situations. While I’ve loved movies my whole life, I never really studied the art of film-making until my later teen years, yet I was about 14 when I first saw “Psycho”, and I was absolutely entranced by the technical’s on display. 

Another simple, yet stand-out moment for me is this one little scene in which we see a woman approaching the ominous Bates family House, and half of it is conveyed through a first-person perspective as she approaches the front door. It’s little touches like that which honestly made me feel more uncomfortable then any of the violent killings. To save money (and evade the censorship’s scissors), Hitchcock also filmed this movie in Black and White, even though color was available at the time. It may throw-off common audience's desensitized by the advent of color, but I think that it adds to the whole dark and moody tone of the film. There’s also symbolism and metaphors conveyed through certain objects seen through the picture. You could probably come up with a dozen different meanings behind the room with the stuffed birds … although, I always saw it as clever foreshadowing from the director on what his next horror movie project would be ... a little 60's classic called "The Birds".   

  The best thing about this movie is the character study of our lead antagonist Norman Bates. Without spoiling too much, this is a character that always keeps you guessing, as you can never tell if he’s an innocent victim, or an ingenious mastermind … is there a good man deep inside or is he just a time bomb waiting to go off. All this mystery surrounding the character just builds and builds to a nail-biting climax. I dare not spoil the ending, so I’ll just say that just about every movie with a twist ending owes something to this film, and to Anthony Perkins intense performance as Norman Bates. Something about his screen presence just leaves this permanent impression, and that final shot of him smiling at the camera is still unnerving to this very day. This was also the first branded horror movie to put a new face on its villain. Norman Bates at first glance doesn’t come off as wicked or imposing, instead he’s a handsome young man with both charm and personality on full display. Putting aside the famous shower scene and Hitchcock’s masterful film-making ... it’s the films horrifying suggestion of what goes on behind closed doors that keeps it frightening to this very day. You can meet a regular guy that works behind a desk, yet … he just might me hiding a dark secret that he keeps locked away, and you’d never know. It’s a chilling concept, and after I saw the movie for the first time, it left me with an eerie feeling that someone as messed-up as Norman Bates could be out there in the world right now. 

   In the end, while I’ve never made it a tradition to re-watch “Psycho” around the Halloween season with all my other favorite scary films, it’s still unmistakably one of the all-time greats that the horror genera has to offer, and I’d still rank it among my favorites. It’s solidly constructed, there’s crafty camera angles, a memorable score, untouchable scenes, and at the center of it all is one of cinema’s defining villains. 

After Universals classic monster’s in the vain of “Dracula”, “Frankenstein” and “The Wolfman” left the cinema’s, the horror genera was frequently looked down on as exploit-ave drive-in fodder, and was given little respect. “Psycho” was the mile stone that changed the game, and highlighted just how influential and dignified the genera could be when in capable hands. Surprisingly, the film only got three Oscar nominations. Alfred Hitchcock naturally was nominated for best director, the art direction also received a nomination, and finally Janet Leigh was nominated for best actress in a supporting role … although, I always felt that Anthony Perkins equally deserved a nomination for his portrayal of Norman Bates. On a side note, this was one of my earliest horror movie experiences that got me interested in exploring further films of the genera. I distinctly remember watching it with my sister for the first time, and when it was over, she and I just had chills all over from what we experienced. It further proves that after all these years, “Psycho” is undated, and can still leave an impact on modern viewers. It’s immortal for its contribution to the horror genre, and even if you’re not a fan of scary movies ... I’d still recommend giving the movie a viewing.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1960 Horror classic “Psycho” … and treat yourself to one good scare this October.