A boy's best friend is his mother

Psycho (1960)

Adam’s rating: ★★★  (out of 5)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Rated: none. 119 min.

No. 18 on AFI 100

No. 14 on AFI 100 reissue

No. 24 on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Anthony Perkins,
Janet Leigh

“Psycho”: No. 18 on AFI 100, No. 14 on AFI 100 (2008);
No. 24 on IMDB 250

To the casual film viewer, this movie is the most recognizable of Alfred Hitchcock’s work.

What this film does have going for it is the shot selections, cinematography and the character development. In terms of developing characters, it takes the entire movie for us to realize that Norman Bates has a psychological disconnect in which he is both himself and his mother. I’m not a fan of the film’s final scene where this is described to us while Anthony Perkins is looking at us in his cell like a psycho, but nonetheless the character development of Perkins’ character Norman Bates is top-notch suspense throughout the film.

As for shot selections and cinematography, the signature scene in this film is hands down when Norman Bates kills Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in the shower. While pushing the limits of the Hayes Administration (don’t worry, we’ll have articles on that later) by having Leigh cover up any full-frontal nudity, Hitch has Bates – dressed as his mother and in a jealous rage – kill Crane, a guest at his motel, while she is taking a shower. The surprise scream of Leigh is iconic as is the shot where she is lying on the shower floor in a pool of blood that is flowing down the drain in a circular motion. Hands down, the most vivid and best artistic scene in the entire film to get such a signature shot that has been the subject of parodies and praise.

Unfortunately, this movie is about as far as some people get with Hitch. For those who don’t get past the tip of the iceberg, they are the ones who are missing out. “Psycho” is OK. I think in terms of its elements of suspense and plot twists that it’s far from Hitch’s worst film and it’s actually a good film. However, having gone a little further down the rabbit hole, I’m not left satisfied with this film in terms of overall story like I am “Rebecca,” “Shadow of a Doubt,” “North by Northwest,” “Rear Window,” “Vertigo,” “To Catch a Thief,” “Suspicion,” “Notorious,” “Spellbound,” “The Lady Vanishes,” “The Man who knew too much,” “Saboteur,” “Strangers on a Train” and “Dial M for Murder.”

I feel that several of Hitch’s previous works weave a very satisfying web in terms of suspense, plot, a murder or some type of crime, and a motive, etc. Some of them keep you on the edge of your seat while the others are just very fulfilling in their entertainment factor of a good story. I also feel that “Psycho” is too simple; it’s too easy and too point blank where it revolves around some woman who stole money, decides to skip town, realizes she made a mistake, decides she’ll go back but gets murdered before she can leave and the money goes missing forever in a series of unfortunate events.

Yeah, it’s an OK story … it’s just not as deep or interesting as his previous films.

And sadly, the film’s popularity, I would argue, is what earned it such a high spot on these “lists.”