Rating: 
Summary: Masterful Hitchcock
Review: The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock shocked audiences with his vision of a man, torn between his duty and loyalty to freakish Mother, and his own misgivings about life. Still, after 40 years, Hitchcock's shocker masterpiece gives the intended effect on audiences. They jump in their seats, bite nails and quiver from the fear. Some skeptics might call it outdated, that the more recent reenactment is superior. But from this reviewer's point of view, there is only one "Psycho."
Rating:
Summary: This Film Can Still Send Those Shivers!
Review: "Psycho" (1960) has got to be the ultimate scary movie! There's not a bad scene in it. It deserves no less than FIFTY STARS! The VHS versions of the film aren't too bad (for VHS that is). Interestingly, however, I've found that the (older) Full-Frame (1.33:1 ratio) version looks a bit sharper and clearer than its Widescreen taped counterpart. But both of these VHS versions can still provide the chills that this movie induces. The Mono sound is quite good as well on these taped copies. However, if you want to experience Mr. Hitchcock's masterpiece in all of its full "Psycho" glory, then getting a copy of the excellent DVD version is a must! "Mother...m-m-my mother, what is the phrase? She's not quite herself today."
Rating: 
Summary: Freud would've approved.
Review: The 12-year-old reviewer below hit it pretty much on the head: *Psycho* IS rather boring, when you get right down to it. But not at first. The whole Janet Leigh section, the first 45 minutes of the movie, is stunning: remorseless black-and-white photography illuminating places and people that are drab, tacky, or both . . . and the marvelous creation by Hitch and Leigh of a character who is amoral, venal, sexy as hell, desperate, and somehow sympathetic all at once. But despite all the brilliance, there is foreshadowing of less-inspired things to come: ... the stuffed birds that are supposed to be scary, etc. (This kind of stuff would've been all right for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", but we can fairly expect better in one of the Master's movies.) Finally, after almost an hour of heady foreplay, Hitch delivers the payoff with the most famous example of the all-too-often combined aspects of violence and sexuality ever captured on film. And, just like any other sort of climax, interest starts to wane in the afterglow. Most critics praise Hitch for rubbing out the putative "heroine" so early in the film, thereby frustrating the expectations of the audiences, blah blah. However, the fact remains that after the Shower Scene, the movie suffers from Leigh's absence -- it's like a tire slowly leaking gas. Freudian whimsy replaces gripping suspense, for the most part. But if you've never seen *Psycho*, go ahead, check it out, and pay homage to one of our weirdest cultural artifacts.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest chapter in the Alfred Hitchcock library
Review: It just boggles my mind that any modern filmmaker with an ounce of dignity and respect would even entertain the idea of remaking this bonafide Hitchcock classic, much less actually do it. It even moreso stuns me that the younger generation would actually think that the remake was scarier than this Hitchcock classic. Let me tell you that the remake can't hold a candle to it (not to mention that it's absolutely horrible in its own right). I first saw this movie about four years ago. I was already a huge film buff at this point, but, as much as I had heard about it, I had never actually sat down and watched this film. My mother was the one who convinced me to not even bother renting it and watching it first, but to actually lay down the money and buy it. It was, simply, THAT good. So I did it, went to the local video store one night and bought the video. I sat down when I got home and popped it in. The second I heard Bernard Herrman's frantic and tension-building score playing over the opening credits, I began to get an uneasy feeling. Like I was about to witness something like nothing I had ever seen. The movie starts out leisurely, but still fascinating... it deceives you by making you think it is going to focus on Janet Leigh's character who boldly steals a bundle of cash from the bank she works at and flees across the countryside. These first scenes have a very uneasy feel about them as she manages to stay several steps ahead of the authorities, but struggles with her conscience. And then, on a dark and stormy night she pulls off the highway and up to the isolated Bates motel. And that is when everything changes. Here she meets the tenant Norman Bates. And she HEARS about his mother who he tells her lives in the strange-looking house on the hill across from the motel. But, trust me, nothing can prepare you for the infamous and notorious shower scene. I don't care how many clips you've seen from it, how much you've heard about it, or how much you THINK you know about the effectiveness of that scene. When you see it within the order of the movie itself, and hear Bernard Herrman's shrieking violins, it will leave you breathless. Even though you'll see it coming, you just don't believe it. Until it happens. After 40 years, this film has lost none of its shock value and still has the ability to scare the bejeezus out of just about anyone. Although, I am actually a bigger fan of Hitchock's work preceding this one, I must say that this is probably his finest and most terrifying film, simply because all the right parts fall into place. The acting is superb, the lighting and cinematography is drenched in moodiness, the story has undiluted shock and surprise value, it leaves you guessing until the very end, and even when things appear to be all wrapped up, he manages to end it in a way that will leave you feeling uneasy for days afterward. While there have been a few contenders over the years, there has not been a horror film since that is up to par with this suspenseful and frightening masterwork from THE master of suspense and fright. And poor Anthony Perkins. He was so real and disturbing as Norman Bates, the ultimate mama's boy, that he was never able to step out of the shadow of that role. His evil grin that closes the film will forever haunt me.
Rating: 
Summary: Vastly Overrated...
Review: Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film, Psycho, is about a woman who gets killed at a hick motel in the middle of nowhere. That's about it. I don't see how this film is scary... it's in stark black & white and the "thrills" are few and far between. Simply put, Psycho is boring, and everyone knows that William Friedkin's 1973 masterpiece, 'The Exorcist' deserved the top spot on AFI's 100 Years 100 Thrills. Psycho is an overrated movie, but then again, all of Hitchcock's movies are overrated...
Rating:
Summary: A Great Horrror Movie with alot of terror
Review: I like the way Anthony Purkins, and Janet Leighh perform in this shocker/horror movie. This film has scenes that'll make you jump, including the all too femiliar shower scene. Alfred Hitchcock has done an excelent job directing this slasher film. I bought this film back in 1999! and I never got sick of it. I also like the scene where Janet Leigh's car is sinking into the swamp. This film lives on forever because of the horrifying moments of the story. The musical score by Bernard Herrman is as haunting and spooky as the film itself. This film has alot of terror in it. If you like this film! buy it. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Crazy for "Psycho"
Review: I was six years old, already a rabid horror fan, and I was watching the late night movie at my cousin's house. For the first forty-five minutes or so I watched as a woman embezzled $40,000 from her employer and went on the run. I was intrigued, wondering how she was going to get away with it. Then she checked into the Bates Motel, and took a shower. The rest is history. Boy did I scream! As the frenzied silhouette of Norman Bates's mother tore into Janet Leigh with a butcher knife, I knew that I would never watch another movie the same way again. From out of nowhere, the director killed off his star--less than halfway through the film. From that point on a black-and-white rollercoaster masterpiece of terror took me for loop after loop. Since that day, over a decade ago, this film has remained in my mind as a true example of what a director can do to his audience. Horror movies from then on have been something I crave. Not only did I discover cult classics and masterpieces, but I also learned of what horrible movies were also out there. It goes to show that when it comes to true terror, only the classics can deliver: Jaws, Night of the Living Dead, Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and my personal favorite--Halloween. If you feel the need to be terrified, watch only the terrifying classics, including the film that created the modern horror film: Alfred Hitchcock's greatest masterpiece...PSYCHO!!! Steer clear of the crappy rip-offs and settle only for the best!!! The movie: Psycho. The experience: unforgettable. See it NOW!
Rating:
Summary: HITCHCOCK PUTS THE 'SCARE' IN MOVIES
Review: "Psycho" was originally a dime store novel that was converted into a jewelled movie under the masterful eye of Alfred Hitchcock. Is a younger generation going to fall for what seems now an obvious surprise ending? I saw it for the first time as a kid in the early 70s and I fell for every trick. Scared? Yup!
Rating:
Summary: Not only the Greatest Horror/suspense film...
Review: but PSYCHO is perhaps one of the greatest movie's ever made (Due to the fact that it was directed by the Greatest director that ever lived.) The acting is great, especially Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. The story is great (and much better than the book.) And the suspense is great. This movie opened the door for all of the horror movies we have today, but still none of them come close to being half as good as Psycho.
Rating:
Summary: And the lights in your house must go on
Review: Psycho is one of those films that the public says "started it all". In this case it was the key to horror films but Psycho isn't a slasher film at all! It's all about fear! Fear of death, fear of crimes, fear of being caught for those crimes,and the fear that the average person could follow through with a criminal act in the first place. Anthony Perkins is the everyman of this film. He isn't chislied in the face or the body and some say the mind and when he finds someone attractive-well this film is so much a part of pop culture you know the outcome. But the film has some very creepy elements to it-you care for perkins in this film and after the deed is done and the infamous lake scene takes place there is a lump in your throat when the car with leigh's body gets stuck in the swamp. And that is the true basis of the film for no matter what act takes place on screen you never once view Perkins as a criminal or crazy until the final scenes of the film and that is pure Hitchcock genius!! While some may feel that time has tamed this films "horror" it hasn't lost a flicker of magic. Because once you watch it you will always think twice about taking a shower!
|
