Rating: 
Summary: As Good As It Gets
Review: I found this book to be just wonderful from start to finish. The research is painstaking, the writing smart and lively, the degree of film industry know-how is evident on every page. In fact, the book strikes me as one of the few I've read on Hollywood to suggest that the writer actually knows his way around movie sets and knows how films get made. This book has none of the absurd (and insulting) armchair psychologizing that mars other Hitchcock books and there isn't a dry or pedantic paragraph in it from start to finish. I thought I knew a lot about Hitchcock and Psycho until I read this book. A job obviously undertaken with love and wisdom, superlatively done by Mr. Rebello. I had the pleasure of hearing the author lecture on Hitchcock on TV in London and in Tokyo and he was the standout of the whole affair!
Rating:
Summary: As Good As It Gets
Review: I found this book to be just wonderful from start to finish. The research is painstaking, the writing smart and lively, the degree of film industry know-how is evident on every page. In fact, the book strikes me as one of the few I've read on Hollywood to suggest that the writer actually knows his way around movie sets and knows how films get made. This book has none of the absurd (and insulting) armchair psychologizing that mars other Hitchcock books and there isn't a dry or pedantic paragraph in it from start to finish. I thought I knew a lot about Hitchcock and Psycho until I read this book. A job obviously undertaken with love and wisdom, superlatively done by Mr. Rebello. I had the pleasure of hearing the author lecture on Hitchcock on TV in London and in Tokyo and he was the standout of the whole affair!
Rating:
Summary: Best Of its Kind
Review: More than worthy of its reputation, this is that rare film book written by someone knowledgeable and gifted at shedding light on the creative process of real world movie making. Not only is there not another 'Making of ...' book that can touch it, there isn't a more insightful book on Hitchcock. And, having heard the author lecture, I can't imagine anyone on the planet more knowledgeable or insightful about "Psycho" or Hitchcock.
Rating:
Summary: Mother Would Have LOVED It! (Even with the few errors)....
Review: Of all the film books I have ever (yes, EVER) purchased, this book goes into the greatest possible detail about the making of a film. It is extremely well-written, obviously well-researched and is as hard to put down as it is to stop watching "Psycho" itself. From the opening chapter about Ed Gein, through all the minute detail about casting, filming, promotion, etc. to the conclusion, the book left no questions unanswered. Just a few tiny errors stung, though -- which always raises the question, are there other errors as well? Example: It is first stated that Joe Stefano turned in his First Draft of the Psycho script in December 1959. Two pages later it states Stefano turned in his SECOND DRAFT of the script in NOVEMBER 1959 (Either a typo or we're going back in time ...?). Also, the book relates that former Mary Tyler Moore Show star Ted Knight brings "Mother" (Perkins) a blanket at the end of the film. This is not so. If you watch the sequence, you'll see that another actor actually brings "Mother" the blanket -- Knight is simply the guard who opens the door for the other guard as the blanket is brought in. Picky? Yes. Nit-picky? Yes. Necessary for me to even mention? YES, because Rebello has done such a masterful job at compiling a great book, that a few errors like this stand out like a 14-inch steel butcher blade in a drawer full of wooden butter knives. Overall, I LOVED this book and consider it a prized addition to my film book collection. Thanks for the effort, Stephen. GREAT book.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding history of one Hitchcock's best films
Review: Rebello's Making of Psycho was one of my models when writing Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic. His book is an outstanding and authoritative look at one of cinema's most important films. If you are movie fan, a Hitchcock fan, or just interested in pop culture, you library is not complete without this book. I've owned the book in both hardback and paper and have found it enjoyable just to glance through and for research. This is the first book on Hitchcock's working methods and I'm sure it will inspire many more.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: Stephen Rebello writes about Hitchcock with intelligence, knowledge and enthusiasm, which puts him and this book way ahead of the pack. It's definitely the best 'Making Of' book on Hitchcock of all, which is a great feat since the master director made better films than Psycho. Fantastic!
Rating: 
Summary: Everything you ever needed to know about Psycho is in here -
Review: This book is about as in-depth as you could want, but very interesting and good reading. Stephen Rebello begins at the beginning with a rather revolting chapter about the psychotic killer upon which Norman was later loosely based. (Don't let your children get a hold of that chapter!) He then talks about the man who wrote the book "Psycho", and on to Hitchcock's discovery of the book and the making of the movie. There are chapters and sections on practically every aspect of the movie and the making thereof - cast, costumes, shooting, casaba melons, publicity, and the aftermath. At the end there is also a list of the entire cast and little paragraphs about what became of them after Psycho.This book is very good if you are a fan of either Psycho or Hitchcock in general, because in telling about Psycho the author tells a lot about Hitchcock as well.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and easy to read
Review: This is one of the best film books I have read. This is an exhaustive account of the processes that lead to the making of Psycho, its impact on release in 1960, and the changing public perception since that date. Rebello manages to interview key members of the cast and production crew, even drawing from an old interview or two with the Master himself. There are sensibly chosen photographs and some amusing anecdotes in the midst of well-researched historical data. This is a book which manages to be entertaining and scholarly at the same time, and I would recommend it to film students and buffs alike.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Look into the Life and Art of a Great Director
Review: We've all stepped into a shower, at some point, and thought about that swirling drain, that translucent shower curtain and that haunted look of death reflected in Janet Leigh's eye in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho?" Stephen Rebello's book gives us insight into the making of this film treasure, as well as a glimpse into the personality of its creator. The precision and ingenuity with which Hitchcock hurdled the numerous obstacles that confronted the creation of the film is one of the things that makes this book such a fascinating read. Hitchcock was as adept at marketing and getting around the censors as he was at knowing how to scare the living daylights out of an audience. This book is a must read for any film buff and any Hitchcock fan. (Look for Gus Van Sant's word for word adaptation of this book in new typesetting.)
Rating:
Summary: Never bettered
Review: What an intelligent, readable, informative book this is. Full of insights about the personalities of Hitchcock, Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and all the other collaborators in this important and usual film project for everyone concerned. What struck me most about the book is the author's ability to blend his thorough research with a sense of the psychology and drama of what goes into making a movie. I'd have to agree with the reviewer who said that Rebello made reading this book nearly as entertaining as the movie itself. That's quite a feat. What I want to know is when will Mr. Rebello give the royal treatment to other Hitchcock projects as well as films by other directors.
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