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Summary: An Archetypal Classic
Review: When speaking of "Psycho", it's very much like a music critic approaching Beethoven's symphonies, or an art critic talking about the Sistine Chapel or "La Gioconda". The enormous prestige and influence of the work, the place it occupies in popular culture and an audience's perceptions, almost cloud over any consideration of the work itself. So far as Psycho is concerned, it is a work that established a myriad of conventions and is. in the simplest and truest sense, legendary. In fact, it is supremely elegant: the exquistite care and momentum with which the plot is developed, often through visual imagery rather than dialogue, the genius of Hitchcock's framing, cross-cutting, and rhythm, the superb score by Bernard Hermann -- itself almost as legendary as the movie -- bear repeated viewings (and hearings) because the whole works like a darkly conceived ballet. This film, like Vertigo, Rear Window, and the under-appreciated The Birds, are some of the "purest" examples of cinema ever. The horror of the tale is subtle, generally, and won't disgust like the prurient slice-and-dice horror films that clutter up the screens and airwaves; but for anyone who can appreciate style and structure, anyone who appreciates cinema as a narrative art in short, this film is one of the imperishable classics. It should be on any short list of the greatest of all time.
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Summary: Hershy choclate's big brake
Review: My title may sound funny but it isn't. Alfred Hitchcock decided to use Hershy's choclate syrup for blood. Maybe that's why its in black and white. Any way this movie is a semi-horror classic. Hitchcock has an all star cast, probably one of the scariest ways to die ever seen in the screens, and excellent direction. This movie you think isn't scary but when you're in the bathroom doing whatever and the shower curtain is closed... Then you have felt the wrath of this semi-horror classic.
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Summary: A masterpiece of film entertainment !
Review: I've watched this movie countles times and it still has that undescribeable sense of, well you simply can't describe it. But I disagree that this is a horror movie, its a thriller that simply contains a few horrific scenes. It should never have been remade or sequeled, I'm sure Hitchcock meant that deadly smile of Bates's to be the end and for the rest to be left to your immagination. I've read the novel and found it lacked the tension and sheer suspense of the film. I could go on about this film forever, I won't.
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Summary: Still scary today!
Review: When Hitchcock first released this film in 1960, it scared the shit out of audiences. Now today, it still frightens many viewers, young and old. The remake is good, but simply not the same as this masterpeice. Thankfully, it's not too violent, unlike all the new "teen slasher fliks" (Urban Legend, Scream 2). Followed by a excellent sequal.
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Summary: An unlovable classic
Review: The curious thing about Psycho is that, like Citizen Kane, everyone admires it, but nobody could claim to love it. The subject matter is fairly repellant, of course, but for a lot of the time, it's like scrutinising a copybook exercise or listening to a beautifully played piano study. You admire Psycho, but, unlike say Vertigo (arguably Hitchcock's best movie) you cannot ever warm to it. In part this is because it's too familiar for many of the set pieces to shock. Indeed, anyone coming to this film fresh after more modern horror films may be surprised at: (a) the lack of obvious violence (b) the sparsity of violent moments and (c) the time it takes before the first violent act occurs. Put another way - by the standards of later horror and suspense films, Psycho is at times rather dull. However, there wouldn't have been horror films of a quality to surpass Psycho in sheer visceral terms had Psycho not existed in the first place. The historical importance of the film is inestimable. Essentially, it kicked the genre up the pants and made it far more intelligent. In addition, the technical qualities of the movie (in particular the cinematography) are superb, and of course the Bernard Herrman's music is magnificent. This is a movie which really is a 'must see'. If you are watching for the first time, don't expect to be too shocked or surprised - you can see the murders coming a mile off, and modern audiences will guess the identity of 'mother' before the end, because the trick has been repeated too many times since. However, bear in mind that if bits of Psycho seem familiar, it's because you have seen imitations of it - in Psycho you are watching the blueprint. The DVD special edition is mangificent. Lots of extras and a good clean print of the movie itself in its proper ratio.
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Summary: The BEST, plain and simple. one of a kind
Review: As a 22 year old movie freak, I've seen tons on horror movies, but nothing compares to PSYCHO. Anthony Perkins is the best, perfectly portraying someone of that character, and the new guy in the remake(whatever his name is)isn't even a shaddow of him. I almost diddn't even watch it because it lacked Perkins. I did and it was very dissapointing, but i diddnt expect it to be much. Psyco is the bomb, I've watched it nearly every day since I first saw it over a year ago.
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Summary: Perkins, Location, Music..........high points of the movie
Review: In fact I watched the movie expecting some spine chilling scenes. As a matter of fact when the shower scene came i switched off all the lights in my room and increased the loudness. It had no effect on me. But the second murder really came out of the blue. I didn't expect that. For a moment i was shocked. Above all these so called shocking scenes what i liked was the 10 minutes conversation Norman Bates has with Marione crane before the shower scene. He really acted like a PSYCHO with so much of facial expressions.And also the location Hitchcock has chosen was absolutely perfect. The music score was excellent. If someone can make the same movie now it can easily beat any damn Halloween,Ghost,Nightmare on elm stree..... Mind u guys it had no great sound technology when PSYCHO was made. The story he chose was classic. I have seen this movie several times not for the shower scene, but for the touch of Hitchcock throughout the movie u can see. Few dialogues from Norman Bates....... "A hobby is supposed to pass the time. not to fill" " U eat like a bird" " a boys best friend is his mother" "son is a poor substitute for a husband" Throughout the 10 mts conversation he would talk like a real PSYCHO. THe dialogue delivery is outstanding in these scenes.That is the high point of the movie.
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Summary: One of my favorite movies.
Review: Psycho is an outstanding film. Very, very Hitchcockian. Super scary, Anthony Perkins' "mother" makes Hannibal Lecter look like Barney. The cinematography is disturbing, especially where the camera stays the same distance away from an actor as they walk so it looks like the world is moving around them and they aren't moving (have you ever felt like that?). Some people don't understand why this movie is so scary, I think it's because they want to see more violence. Actually, this film as incredibly violent, except that you never see the violence, which generates fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown is much more chilling than when you actually see someone being cut up. Gore can add to the atmosphere, but if there were any more atmosphere it would swallow up the movie. See this movie, watch it sitting alone, in a dark vacant room. Norman has twelve such rooms...
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Summary: don't listen to dearator@aol.com
Review: i don't see what dearator@aol.com's problem is. pyscho is a very terrifying and intense suspense film. it started the whole slasher genre.
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Summary: Best horror movie ever made!
Review: Simply put, Psycho is the mold that every other slasher movie has in order to achieve horror...Before Psycho there was nothing...no other horror movie ever had a knife wielding maniac...no other movie before dared to kill off the star just 40 minutes into the movie...Hitchcock was the master...HE created the molds that others copy in order to get the chills from the audience...Those who don't like his movie, are simply people who don't understand that everything has a beginning....If there never was a Hitchcock, there never would've been a "Halloween", or "Scream"...This movie is a huge part of cinema history...to say the movie is dated, would be like saying Elvis Presley music is no good because it's old...without Elvis there would be no rock music today as we know it...Without Hitch there would be no horror today as we know it...Everything has its origins, those who can appreciate it will know the value that Psycho had to modern horror cinema...and REAL horror fans don't look at Psycho as "good for its time" but rather "Great compared to what we have today!"
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