Rating: Summary: PSYCHO-- One of the Best Horror Films Ever Made... Period! Review: PSYCHO is much more than a horror film. It is an engrossing character study of the weirdest kind, and the shower scene is garunteed to make you scared to take one for the rest of your life. And, if you think about it, this film is very unlike Alfred Hitchcock-- in that it has a strong sense of sexuality about it that may not be noticable at first. At first, it may seem like a boring film, but stick with it, and you will see why I give this film so much praise.Bernard Hermann's magnificent score darkens the film even more than it would originally allow, giving it a perfect sense of morbidity and suspense. The acting is EXCELLENT for a film from the 60's! Janet Leigh is superb as the leading lady, Marion Crane, and plays her character excellently. Anthony Perkins is wonderful as the deranged Norman Bates, and despite the role's seriousness, we can't help chuckling at his clumsiness. John Gavin, Vera Miles (who also appeared in PSYCHO 2, along with Tony Perkins), Martin Balsam, and John McIntire are also great as the supporting cast. And let's not forget the director himself-- Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense! His direction is excellent, giving this film a very dark quality that is not easy to shake off once you have seen PSYCHO. All in all, the film is UNFORGETTABLE, and is certified to give you nightmares! Universal's DVD release of PSYCHO is superb-- giving the fans exactly what they want! There is a LONG documentary which is VERY interesting; theatrical trailers; newsreel footage; the classic shower scene with and without music; and TONS of other extras! You will not be disappointed! The picture and sound quality on the DVD is excellent; this is definately the best PSYCHO has ever looked! It will feel as if you are watching it for the first time! And if that isn't enough, it's in widescreen! This has got to be Universal's best DVD! PSYCHO is definately a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat and your eyes glued to the screen. You will not be disappointed!!
Rating: Summary: Wonderful film Review: that pretty much all I Have to say.
Rating: Summary: one of the best horror movies ever Review: Psycho goes down as one of the best hitcock movies ever made as well as one of the best horror movies ever done. The movie is a guessing game of what will happen next and who has done what. After all these years, the movie still hasn't lost any of its affect.
Rating: Summary: Terror landmark Review: Terror landmark that retains its impact where hundreds of crude imitations fail. The foreboding dialogue is sharp and rhythmic, Hitchcock's precision clutching, the score classic fright fuel, and Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates endearingly wacko. Watch the infamous shower killing closely, Hitchcock is making you see on your own a lot more than you actually are.
Rating: Summary: "We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?" Review: Out of all of Alfred Hitchcock's movies, "Psycho" is probably his most well known, largely due to a little scene that takes place in a bathroom. But this movie is far more than that. It is a deep psychological thriller, with Anthony Perkins giving a signature performance as the disturbed Norman Bates. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh in another signature performance) is a thief who is on the run after stealing some money. On her way, she stops over at the Bates Motel, little knowing what is in store for her. But Norman Bates doesn't kill Marion because of himself but because of his mother, who is jealous at her. But who really is Norman's mother? Who really is Norman? Recently the American Film Institute, in another controversial list, named "Psycho" as "America's Most Thrilling Movie". It is no surprise, considering its many famous and surprising scenes, including the ending. This film has been the inspiration of many horror movies like "Halloween", "Friday the 13th" and "Scream". It has been parodied and spoofed countless times and has even been followed up by sequels and a remake (None of which were particularly good). But even after all this plus 4 decades of age, the movie has lost none of its original power.
Rating: Summary: run and hide! Review: This movie was so scary that even a horror movie buff like me couldn't watch some of it. My friends warned me but I didn't think it would be that scary.At some parts I wanted to literally run and hide! I recommend this movie to ANY horror movie buff.But one word of advice,..... don't watch it alone!
Rating: Summary: A not-to-be-missed Horror Classic. Review: This is Hands down one of the best Horror movies i've seen with " Evil Dead", " Evil Dead II", " Night of the Living Dead", " Dawn of the Dead", " Day of the Dead", " Re-Animator", " Dead Alive", " Scream", " Hellraiser", " Halloween" and " From Dusk Till Dawn". Norman Bates ( Anthony Perkins) has a mother that drives him to murder others while the police are concerned about the disappearences, Wanna know the rest? well i don't wanna spoil it cause you have to rent this entertaining and great horror film for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Gripping Melodrama at Local Motel Review: VARIOUS OBSERVATIONS * Psycho is a nightmare film. Not because it is scary - because it isn't particularly frightening. It is deeply unsettling, perhaps, more than scary. ''The Birds'' left me in shivers; this one only left me with deep elusive emotions and the memory of Norman's maniacal, psychotic smile at the close of the film, an image which almost twelve hours later has not left me. Any more than has ''Mother's'' voice. I suppose this film is a study: a disturbing, but true look into the human nature. We all could be psycho killers if we had been in his place, and although we cringe at the horror and sickness of Norman's twisted mind and split personality, we find it hard to despise him. * Norman Bates looks at first glance as innocent as anyone - he is really quite ordinary. Who would suspect he is a maniac scizophrenic? After all, practically anyone can acquire the aggravating habit of continuous candy corn consumption, or be twittery and stuttering, or look creepy in certain lights. But the moment the illumined ''Bates Motel'' sign comes into view through the weeping night, it is an edgy feeling that crawls over the viewer. But why? The cabins are no different from many others; in fact they are quite charming. Still, a peculiar air seems to be pervading the place, an air of dread, uncertainty and darkness. Not only the darkness of the hour, but of the mind. Perhaps it is the old house that stands guard of the cabins which is so menacing; perhaps she is protective of them. She looks as though she could reach out and destroy anything which threatened the solitude and silence of those twelve vacancies. * Mother's room is heavy, oppressive in its ornateness and antiquity. The imprint she left on the bed direct's one's mind - rather unsettlingly - to the thought of those plaster casts made from the hollows left by the victims of Pompeii. Trapped for years, perhaps, leaving a mark that will take many more years to efface. Norman's room is suggestive of the child he still is. His life as Norman ended at five, after all. When did he have a chance to grow up? At five his father died, and Norman began his long slow descent into madness. His toys have never been taken out of the place. The record in the player is Beethoven's ''Eroica'': powerful music, almost light at times, frightfully aggressive at other moments. The motive goes in circles, first loudly, then softly, sometimes overlapping, never really reaching a resolution until the slamming close. * Mother Bates herself isn't all that frightening. I expect we are too desensitised by this time - after all, one see hundreds of such masks and worse at Hallowe'en time. No matter how revolting they may be, such things no longer frighten us as they would have done the general public in 1960. Lila touches her shoulder; the corpse turns about - eyeless, all smile and teeth and grey hair and shawl. When Norman comes in, looking ridiculous and far too tall in Mother's dressing-gown and wig, and is taken over by Sam, Mother rocks peacefully, the eternal smile fixed. The light bulb as it swings gives a weird shadow effect. Where Mother's eyes should be, the shadows play back and forth as if she is glancing from side to side - laughing at what she sees, laughing at the destruction she has helped to create. * I would say everyone should see this film at least once, for the experience. It is well-done and thought-provoking, with much more depth than the cheap horror flicks of today. This is a real situation, this could actually happen (only let's hope not very much). I know a Bates Motel. I've never been in it. Perhaps someday I'll go check it out, but I think I'll stay out of the shower.
Rating: Summary: The Great Granddaddy of them All Review: It is my opinion that all modern horror films are, in some way, children of Psycho, particularly the slasher subgenre that dominated the late 1970s and 1980s. What makes Psycho work so well is that, like many of Hitchcock's best, it works on so many levels. When I first saw the film I was about 9 or 10 years old and I liked it because it had a very creepy atmosphere to it as well as a good number of scares. Now that I'm much older, though, I could appreciate the quality of the acting, how much Anthony Perkin's twitchy performance gave the film the qualities I liked about it as a boy. Also, Psycho is very funny in parts! Watching Norman bite his nails as he waits for the car to sink into the swamp always gets a chuckle out of me and the rich tycoon is gloriously over-the-top. ("I declare!" "I don't that's how I get to keep it.") It's a real shame somebody wasted their time and money remaking this film. What that attempt showed is that when it comes to combining suspense, fear, and humor, you just can't top the original.
Rating: Summary: "Still shocking every time I see it..." Review: Leigh runs off with a load of cash, only to wind up murdered in Bates Motel shower, run by sympathetic Perkins as Norman and his very "protective" invalid mother. Still shocking every time I see it, this is Hitchcock's best for geniune horror. Perkins will crawl under your skin and Bernard Herrmann's marvelous score will haunt you. Endlessly imitated and spoofed, "Psycho" remains a masterpiece.
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