It is more than the great granddaddy of all slasher films; it is a great thriller, a great black comedy, and a lesson in filmmaking.
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I remember the day after "Psycho" opened in 1960 that a popular San Francisco radio and television personality, Don Sherwood, said it was the worst film he had ever seen. It was not worthy of the master director, Alfred Hitchcock, he said. It was trash. Don't see it. His comments were consistent with other reviews; the movie was panned by quite a few critics across the country. But audiences lined up for it for blocks, and within a few months most critics had changed their mind. Before long, Hitchcock was nominated for an Academy Award, and "Psycho" was on lists of the best films of the year; then it was on lists of best shockers, best suspense thrillers, and, finally, best films of all time.
This reviewer has seen it about two dozen times, in the theater, on TV, on Beta and VHS tape; now, I welcome it with open arms, but watch those knives, on DVD. It is more than the great granddaddy of all slasher films; it is a great thriller, a great black comedy, and a lesson in filmmaking.
The fact is, Hitch opened up a whole new landscape of cinema with "Psycho." 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." Heck, even Steven Spielberg's bloodletting in the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan" owes its being to "Psycho."
The story begins with a young woman, played by Janet Leigh, stealing money from her boss in order to run away with her boyfriend, played by John Gavin. She makes the mistake, though, of not reading enough mystery novels because as she is driving to join Gavin, she stops one dark and stormy night at a spooky old house--the Bates Motel. The young man who runs the place, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, seems nice enough, offering Leigh sandwiches in his office and pleasant conversation. Everything goes swimmingly until Norman mentions his mother, with whom he lives in apparent conflict. "Mother.... She isn't herself today." Then Ms. Leigh says good night, goes in, and takes a shower. Exit Ms. Leigh. "A boy's best friend is his mother." After Leigh's disappearance, people come looking for her, like her boyfriend, Gavin; her sister, played by Vera Miles; and a private detective, played by Martin Balsam. And the fun continues.
People never forget how scary and disturbing the picture is. A lot of people still have trouble taking a shower because of it. But if you are looking for blood and gore, go elsewhere; rent "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or one of the "Friday the 13th" entries, instead. "Psycho" has about two minutes of real violence in it, total. Yet they are the most memorable couple of minutes of violence in film history. So Hitch was a magician as well as a director. He did it all with mirrors, trick shots, illusion. The viewer comes away swearing he has seen more than he has actually seen. For instance, at no point in the film do we ever see a knife enter a body.
It is all done with motion, quick flashes, expert editing, realistic sounds, and music. Yes, let us not forget the music, a riveting score by Bernard Herrmann, without which the film would lose about half its intensity. "Psycho" is probably the best example in cinema of the effectiveness of music to bolster thought and action. What it comes down to is that "Psycho" is so good at creating tension and uncertainty that when the real jolts do come, they are more shocking for the build up. Consider, too, that Hitchcock made the film purposely in black and white because he thought it would be too gory in color! Then compare that to the endless, senseless, and ultimately mind-numbing mayhem in most recent horror flicks.
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