- Rated R
- Horror
- 1960
- Buy the DVD
Reviewed by Will Harris
(wharris@bullz-eye.com)
eople might not have stopped taking showers altogether after the 1960 premiere of “Psycho,” but you can bet that everyone who’s ever seen it immediately feels their heart start to pound when they’re in the shower and hear someone enter the bathroom.
Based on the novel by Robert Bloch, “Psycho” is, of course, the story of a boy who loves his mother just a little too much…although as it begins, we’re led to believe that the film is going to be more about Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a young woman who’s just stolen a considerable sum of money from the real estate office where she’s employed. She skips town with the dinero and, while on the lam both from the police and her boyfriend, Marion happens upon the Bates Motel, an innocent enough flophouse that’s overlooked by the decidedly foreboding homestead of its proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)…and, in a bit of a bind, Marion decides to stay the night.
Bad move.
Normally, we wouldn’t give away the fact that Marion is killed, but, seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t know that she meets her maker while taking that most infamous of showers? The scene is quintessential Hitchcock, with the rapid-fire cutting of the scene hiding the fact that, unlike in modern day horror films, we almost never see the blade strike Marion’s skin…and, even then, the shot is done so quickly – it lasts precisely three frames, or 1/8 of a second of film time – as to be almost subliminal. Hitchcock’s brilliance in shifting from the blood swirling down the drain to a close-up of Marion’s sightless eye is one of the most chilling sights in motion picture history.
At this point in the film, many people – mostly idiots, mind you – decide that they’ve seen the money shot and don’t actually need to watch the rest of the film. That’s a shame, as “Psycho” is, throughout its 109-minute running time, an excellent psychological thriller. Although the remainder of the film beyond the shower scene involves the resolution of the events set into motion by Marion Crane’s theft of the money, in reality, what Hitchcock is doing is further exploring the psyche of Norman Bates. The film couldn’t possibly have worked without the performance of Anthony Perkins as Norman. Perkins played the part to perfection…so much so, alas, that it ended up defining the remainder of his career; he found himself doomed to a life of non-stop “creepy guy” roles.
“Psycho” later resulted in three sequels, not to mention Gus Van Sant’s 1998 shot-for-shot remake, but none of them – not even “Psycho IV” – managed to tarnish the effect of the original.
Universal Legacy Series DVD Review:
Several of the special features on this entry in Universal’s “Legacy Series” have been available on earlier releases, but there are more than enough new wrinkles in this release to do justice to what is almost certainly the most influential film in the studios’ long history. Leading off the new features is an outstanding 25-minute documentary: “In the Master’s Shadow: Hitchcock’s Legacy.” Along with movie doc usual suspects John Carpenter, William Friedkin, and Martin Scorsese (who brilliantly homaged Hitch in a 2007 mockumentary commercial), relative newcomers Guillermo Del Toro, Eli Roth, Joe Carnahan as well as assorted lesser known editors, film composers, and others are on hand to explain just why Hitchcock is the most copied film director of all time. Also new to this DVD is a solid commentary from author Stephen Rebello, an audio excerpt from the legendary series of Hitchcock interviews conducted by the great director and cinephile, François Truffaut, and from the popular TV anthology, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” the famed episode “Lamb to the Slaughter,” directed by Hitchcock and written by Road Dahl. (A surefire choice, but we learn from some of the other extras that another episode, “One More Mile to Go,” would have been more relevant to “Psycho.”)
Making a return engagement for this DVD is the very strong earlier feature-length documentary, “The Making of Psycho,” which includes interviews with Janet Leigh and screenwriter Joseph Stefano, both now sadly deceased. We also once again get the promotional newsreel explaining to theater owners how and why audiences would not be allowed in late to see “Psycho,” as well as the original “Psycho” trailer – still probably the funniest promotion for a horror film ever made. Also including a number of posters, ads, photos and lobby cards, this is an excellent package….I just wish someone could explain to me why Universal insists on putting some generic thriller-type music over its DVD menus on re-released classics, even when they have one of the most famous scores in film history to work with. The ghost of composer Bernard Herrmann is going to get them but good for that one.