Rating: 
Summary: Still Shocking After All These Years
Review: On its initial release in 1960, PSYCHO stunned the world. This is one of the key films of the 20th Century and one of the most influential. Not only was PSYCHO's exploration of madness and depiction of violence unprecedented at the time, the film also opened the door to the relaxation of censorship rules (the scene where Marion flushes a toilet was the first time a toilet had ever been shown onscreen in Hollywood, much less flushed!) and prefigured the very real violence and upheaval of the 1960's. PSYCHO, and its successor, THE BIRDS, stand at the head of every horror film made since, including NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and the host of slasher pictures that have infected the screen in the 70's and 90's. Nevertheless, PSYCHO remains unequalled in the genre, because successive filmmakers have been inspired only by its violence, and not by Hitchcock's complete command of character and mood. The first half of the film (up to the moment where Norman hides the dead Marion's car in the swamp) is one of the most extraordinary monuments of the American cinema. Janet Leigh turns in the performance of her career as Marion Crane, a lonely secretary who steals $40,000 from her boss and runs away to start a new life with her lover, Sam Loomis (J. Gavin). Instead of leading her to love, Marion's mad flight results in her death. The horror of the shower murder lies not just in its still-appalling impression of unspeakable violence, but in the pathetic and random destruction of the main character, a woman whose problems and troubles are very real to us. This portion of the film unfolds at breakneck speed. Marion is in constant movement from the moment she appears onscreen until she finds her destiny at the Bates Motel. The long and touching dinner sequence at the Motel is in fact the emotional heart of the film. In it, Hitchcock brilliantly switches our identification from Marion to Norman Bates (T. Perkins), an equally lonely, but far more troubled individual, who, like Marion, is trapped in his own "private island." The remainder of the plot is so well-known by now that I won't bother to recount it here. This widescreen edition of the film is the one to get, as Hitchcock's compositions are masterful and one can better appreciate the brilliance of the black-and-white photography (which is far from "grainy"). The world of PSYCHO could be our own - a world of alienated, lonely people whose own actions deprive them of the love for which they desperately yearn. Every character in PSYCHO is not what they appear to be on the surface: Marion's boss is a secret drinker, her co-worker Caroline (played by Pat Hitchcock in a delightful cameo role) takes tranquilizers and has a nosy mother, Marion uses her lunch hours to tryst with her boyfriend, whom she has kept hidden from her family, and of course Norman's affable, handsome facade conceals howling madness. As in VERTIGO, the action of PSYCHO is dominated by female characters who are literally absent: Marion and Mrs. Bates, both dead, control the destinies of the characters in the last half of the film. PSYCHO is a great work of art which is both a deep study of character and emotion, and an examination of the power of the past and the dead over the present and the living. It is both bleak and beautiful, and remains without peer in the cinema.
Rating:
Summary: The Blackest Comedy
Review: It is very important to clear up the matter of the aspect ratio. Some reviewers here are claiming that the movie has been "Shaned" for this edition. i.e., made to look widescreen for the sake of widescreen. The claim is that the movie was made 4:3 and is presented here in a cropped 1.85:1.This is NOT true. The theatrical ratio was 1.85:1. But there is no reason to take my word for it. Look Psycho up on the Internet Movie Database and click for the technical information. So if you're a purist, or consider yourself to be, do not be put off the disc by the misinformation given in some of these reviews. The film itself: It seems odd that this film is the one Hitchcock is most readily identified with. And easy to forget just how much of a change of style - and a shock - this was in 1960. He'd been making films in vivid colour throughout the fifties, for starters. And here is a grainy black n white. Hitchcock was always one step ahead you see. He could sense a new style of filmmaking was on the way, so he got in first: He invented the grubby, slasher pic. He pushed his audience further than they'd ever been before... And naturally he did it better than anyone who would follow. Unlike, say, Friday the 13th, which is indebted to Psycho like just about any horror film, Hitchcock's movie has interesting, three-dimensional characters, stunning performances (you'll never forget Perkins. His eyes bore into you.)and some psychology at work. Psycho is not JUST a slasher movie. It is a more balanced story than that. This edition is bumper with extra features. Psycho had one of the most amusing advertising campaigns in cinema history - because Hitch decided to treat the whole enterprise as a very black comedy. He didn't know how he could view it any other way.
Rating:
Summary: Perkins IS Norman Bates
Review: Throughout his long and illustrious career, director Alfred Hitchcock thrilled and captivated audiences everywhere, but never before or since as well as he did with the psychological chiller, "Psycho," which introduced the cinematic world to a guy named Norman Bates. And now-- forty years later-- even in an age of jaded, desensitized sensibilities, graphic horror and the likes of Hannibal Lecter and "American Psycho," Hitchcock's masterpiece remains, even after repeated viewings, truly frightening and intrinsically disturbing. Just as Ingmar Bergman did with his character of Karin in his landmark film, "Through A Glass, Darkly," Hitchcock presents a character (Bates) at the psychological crossroads of his life, a pivotal juncture wherein he is required to make a conscious decision that will determine the course of the rest of his life: Whether to reach for the light (and healing), or succumb to the voices beckoning to him from the dark, a place from which there will be no return. Norman, however--like karin-- is incapable of making that decision, and ultimately must adhere to the resolution of the subconscious, which takes him past the point of no return and subsequently beyond the reach of any help forevermore. The rest of the characters in the story-- Marion Crane, Lila, Sam Loomis, Arbogast-- are all mere pawns who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and are forced by fate to help play out the drama of Norman's twisted existence. Janet Leigh gives a memorable performance as Marion, creating a character that was not only destined to go down in cinematic history, but one that would make women everywhere afraid to shower at a motel. Vera Miles is effective as Marion's sister, Lila, and John Gavin gives credibility to Marion's lover, Sam Loomis. Martin Balsam gives a solid performance as well, as Arbogast, the ill-fated Private Eye whose encounter with Norman's mother on the stairs is a scene nearly as famous as that of Marion's "shower." But the real star of the film is, of course, Anthony Perkins, who gives an Oscar worthy performance as Norman Bates, a character even more chilling than Hannibal Lecter, in that his outward appearance is so deceiving, so contrary to the evil dwelling behind his unintended facade of normalcy. His gentle countenance and boyish charm are so "real" that after being exposed to him it forever after makes anyone and everyone you encounter in your own life suspect. And Perkins plays him to perfection, in arguably the best (and definitely the most memorable) performance of his career. The supporting cast includes John McIntire (Sheriff Chambers), Simon Oakland (Dr. Richmond), Vaughn Taylor (George Lowery), Frank Albertson (Tom Cassidy), Lurene Tuttle (Mrs. Chambers), Patricia Hitchcock (Caroline), John Anderson (Charlie) and Mort Mills (Highway Patrolman). If there was any doubt by the time this film was made, "Psycho" once and for all proved that Hitchcock was, indeed, the Master of Suspense. There have been many imitators before and since, but all of them, good and bad alike, only serve to point out that nobody does it better than Hitchcock.
Rating: 
Summary: Otherwise outstanding disk suffers "wide-screen" treatment
Review: No comment is needed on this movie itself. It's been acknowledged as a masterpiece, and it's easy to see why. Maybe that's why it's so disappointing that the producers of the "Collector's Edition" DVD chose to sacrifice picture elements for the sake of issuing an artificial "wide-screen" version. The original movie was shot at or close to 4:3 aspect ratio. This disk, on the other hand, is moderately letterboxed (1.85:1, to be exact). As a result, the picture is clipped vertically. Details at top and bottom frame that were fully visible in the original release, are only partially visible in this DVD. (Comparison with the LaserDisc version, which preserves the original aspect ratio, readily shows the difference.) Perhaps the DVD producers thought consumers would want wide-screen just for the sake of wide-screen. If so, they didn't consider that many DVD collectors are purists, and as such, are expecting to see the movie the way it was originally photographed -- wide-screen or not. If you want the cleanest print and sound ever available for home viewing of "Psycho," this disk is for you. (It also contains "The Making of . . . " and other extras.) If you're a stickler for preserving the original visual content, you'll either have to settle, or hope for a possible re-issue of "version 2" of this disk.
Rating:
Summary: The first REAL horror film of the sixties
Review: I have seen this film a number of times, and I think that the closing shot of Anthony Perkins smiling like the little momma's boy that he was during the film, is one of the scariest moments in film history. When my brother and I finished watching the movie, he was scared out of his pants. I think that PSYCHO has been put into the horror category because of its ability to keep you scared all through the night, and especially when you are taking a shower (HINT HINT). Although many people were frightened when they saw the film when it originally was released, you have to remember that this film was released when people were scared easily. I think that one of the main reasons that a couple is renting PSYCHO is because they know that Janet Leigh dies while taking a shower. But in 1960, it was absurd to kill off the main character in the first half of the film. NOTE: When you see this film, don't expect to get scared from watching the film, but expect to be afraid after you finish watching the film. A few little factoids about this particular picture: one is that since Paramount didn't want to finance the picture, Hitchcock offered the budjet himself. The eventual cost of the picture was eight hundred thousand dollars, where in that time, a film's usual budjet was over a million dollars. Since Paramount thought the film was a little too risky, Universal let Hitchcock shoot the picture on the Universal back lot. Although the film is said to be a "Paramount Picture", the only reason that it is not credited to Universal is because PSYCHO was intended as a Paramount movie because Hitchcock was fulfilling his contract to Paramount and he distributed the movie as a Paramount feature. But today Universal owns all the rights to the Hitchcock films from 1955 to his last film, FAMILY PLOT. Another little fact is that the film is based on the killings of Ed Gein, a Wisconsin native.
Rating:
Summary: Norman Bates- diagnosis: Schizophrenic Mama's Boy
Review: This is probably one of the most SUSPENSFUL movies ever made! Alfred Hitchcock's direction is ingenius- he is truly a master at his craft. But beside that, this film all boils down to: Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. I have a book that states: "every other role Anthony Perkins plays seems to be haunted by Norman Bates.." simply because he was born to play this role and is so excellent at it! The best part of this movie is NOT the shower scene but the ending monolouge which "mother" speaks her side of the story. If you want to watch this movie because you want a nice shocking horror film- do not watch this movie! This is not a horror film, it is a SUSPENSE film. Please, by all means, straighten that out in your mind. This is a great movie, the direction, acting, plot...it's all fabu! WATCH IT!
Rating:
Summary: Thilling and Suspenseful
Review: PSYCHO has a wonderful script, masterful directing, and some of the best editing I've ever seen. PSYCHO is a Hitchcock masterpiece with a spine tingling Joseph Stefano script and more brilliant Alfred Hitchcock atmosphere, PSYCHO being perfected on screen from the Robert Bloch book. The acting is wonderful, too, Anthony Perkins wonderfully creepy. Janet Leigh is great as the troubled Marion Crane. Vera Miles is beautiful as Marion Crane's determined sister and Martin Balsam is perfect as Detective Arbogast.
Rating:
Summary: A classic for more than one reason!
Review: Let me start off by saying that, unless you're extraordinarily squeamish, this movie won't scare you. In the terror department, it's very tame compared to the recent slasher flicks. But, the movie has lost none of it's creepiness over the years. It'll make you shudder, but you probably won't be looking over your shoulder. This movie is not a classic because it's the original slasher, this movie is a classic because it is highly innovative. It shows Hitchcock's genius on full throttle. For one thing, the main draw of the movie, Vivien Leigh, is out of the movie after the first 40 minutes or so. This was unheard of at the time, and still isn't used very much today. The most recent example I can remember is DEPP BLUE SEA with Samuel L. Jackson (the movie was, unfortunately, a complete waste of time). So, there's your first shock. The next shock is that the film completely changes it's plot halfway through. You're pulled into Leigh's scheme, why she stole the money, what effect it's having on her. This first plot is so well developed, it's unbelievable when Perkins puts the hidden money (unknown to him) in the car and pushes it in the lake. Everything you were expecting is gone. The plot has changed, and you're now sympathizing with Perkins, the poor guy who has to clean up after "Mother"'s rages. And, of course, there's the unmatched quality of Herrmann's score, who only uses strings throughout the entire movie. What would PSYCHO be without those screeching violins? There are many other small details that make this movie so memorable. I would recommend AMC's DIAL 'H' FOR HITCHCOCK to get the whole story.
Rating:
Summary: The One and Only
Review: "Psycho", Hitchcock's nihilistic, disturbing, shocking masterpiece has been given "The Full Treatment" on DVD. The picture quality is crisp and clean, and Bernard Herrmann's blood-chilling score benefits greatly from the DVD format. The documentary on the film is funny and informative valentine to the film. Janet Leigh, as always, is a delight-particularly when talking about her infamous moleskin "costume" in the shower scene. "Psycho" has become part of American folklore. It has also been parodied, imitated, sequelled, and, as a final insult, "remade" by the critics' darling of the past decade, Gus Van Sant. Now, I will admit that I have not seen the remake in its entirety (only snippets-I couldn't bear to sit through it), but after reading reviews, and word-of-mouth by individuals, the general opinion was not favorable.) From what I saw, it looked like a garish cartoon. And why bother? Why do these mealy-mouthed filmmakers insist on remaking classic films? In closing, I highly recommend, no, I INSIST, on purchasing this DVD. Whether you're a "Psycho" junkie, or just anyone who remembers when films were truly entertaining and, in certain instances, unforgettable!
Rating: 
Summary: really widescreen?
Review: Hitchcock's deliciously black comedy would be brilliant in any aspect ratio, but let the buyer beware. As it was not filmed in a true widesreen format (VistaVision, Cinemascope etc) this is in fact just a clipped version for the 16.9 market. More is, in this case, less.
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