Psycho

I hope you've seen this movie.

I feel sorry for you if you haven't.

Because this, this is true horror.



I'll be as quick as I possibly can with so great a movie.

Awards:

1. Ranked #14 on the AFI 100 Years... 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition.

2. #11 in Entertainment Weekly's book titled The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.

3. 2003 - AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains: Norman Bates - Villain #2

4. 2005 - AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - #4

5. Shower scene is #4 on the list of Bravo Network's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

6. The finale was ranked #4 on Premiere's list of "The 25 Most Shocking Moments in Movie History.

7. Voted 7th scariest movie of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

8. Ranked #1 on the AFI 100 Years... 100 Thrills film series.

-I'm not sure if this counts as an award, but Psycho is a Roger Ebert "Great Movie". In my book it counts as an award.



Trivia:

1. Hitchcock originally didn't want the shower scene to have any music. Bernard Hermann pleaded with Hitchcock to give him a chance, when Hitchcock heard the music Hermann composed he loved it so much that he doubled Hermann's salary to $34,501. The screeching violins, violas and cellos, have gone down in cinematic history.

2. Hitchcock bought the rights of the novel anonymously, and then bought up as many copies of the book that he could find, so people would be surprised by the ending.

3. When the cast and crew began work on the first day they had to raise their right hands and promise not to divulge one word of the story. Hitchcock also withheld the ending part of the script from his cast until he needed to shoot it.

4. In order to implicate viewers as fellow voyeurs Hitchcock used a 50 mm lens on his 35 mm camera. This gives the closest approximation to the human vision. In the scenes where Norman is spying on Marion this effect is felt.



Quotes:

John Puccio: “Whether he intended the film to be so pioneering a work is still up for grabs, but it is. It’s a landmark film in the use of realistic violence, shock, humor, and surprise. Today, virtually every horror film and thriller owes its allegiance to Psycho.”

Roger Ebert: "Seeing the shower scene today, several things stand out. Unlike modern horror films, "Psycho" never shows the knife striking flesh. There are no wounds. There is blood, but not gallons of it. Hitchcock shot in black and white because he felt the audience could not stand so much blood in color (the 1998 Gus Van Sant remake specifically repudiates that theory). The slashing chords of Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack substitute for more grisly sound effects. The closing shots are not graphic but symbolic, as blood and water spin down the drain, and the camera cuts to a closeup, the same size, of Marion's unmoving eyeball. This remains the most effective slashing in movie history, suggesting that situation and artistry are more important than graphic details."


One more Roger Ebert: "What makes "Psycho" immortal, when so many films are already half-forgotten as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fears: Our fears that we might impulsively commit a crime, our fears of the police, our fears of becoming the victim of a madman, and of course our fears of disappointing our mothers."



Opinion:

This movie is great.

Janet Leigh, and Anthony Perkins are astounding.

If you've ever watched other horror movies, you'll guess how this one will turn out. Just remember, though, that the only reason you guessed it is because this movie was so groundbreaking that everyone copied it. Every single horror movie today traces it's roots back to Psycho. And even in this age of special effects, CGI, and "twists", you will get scared in this movie. It may not be for a long time, and you may laugh it off afterwards but you will be scared. Don't even try to deny it.


It's the ultimate horror film.


Go watch it.


And enjoy the birth of horror movies.