Review of Psycho (2007) by Ethan P — 29 Mar 2016

Psycho is unassuming and I think that's what makes it scary. A lot of horror stories feel very unnatural and weird. While psycho is unnerving, terrifying and admittedly pretty creepy in some moments, a lot of the film actually feels pretty normal. It's a movie with a very human characters and common settings where something feels just a little bit off. It looks starkly beautiful, but bleak with its handsome characters and dark, haunting backdrops. It takes place in small hotel rooms, offices and cars that feel cozy, but are restricting and ominous. The Bates motel in particular is spectacularly creepy and grim. At least part of its appeal comes from its exceptional atmosphere, an odd blend of inviting and forbidding, intimate and detached.

The narrative is gripping and engaging, with its theft, the escape at the beginning, the murders and the climatic turn at the end. It begins focusing on Marion and then devolves into something else. The shower scene is terrifying, a bit choppy (no pun intended), and it's also interesting to look at it symbolically. Marion is showering, physically and figuratively washing her sins away in a spotless, white shower and then gets brutally murdered. Hitchcock is often observed as a master of suspense and here he showcases that, by building slowly to an incredible ending. The characters are likable people with very human flaws. Even the villain Norman Bates, who's extraordinary in this movie, is actually a very amiable and sympathetic guy. He chats and smiles with Marion and offers her food, and although he seems scared, he also looks pretty harmless. Another part of this film's originality is it's incredible villain. I had no idea Norman Bates had two personalities and it makes him both a fascinating and horrifying character. Psycho thrives in almost every facet, it has a dark, bleak style, likable, natural characters, a thrilling story and a fascinating idea. I really enjoyed it.